Nothing to hate about Jinja

Hi friends,

We’re almost halfway through the year! Crazy. I hope you are crushing your goals. If not, you still have 6 months 🙂

I went to Jinja for Easter weekend this year and it was a dream.

Jinja is a town in southern Uganda, on the shore of Lake Victoria. The source of the Nile, at Coronation Park, is marked by a garden and a monument honoring British explorer John Hanning Speke. Owen Falls Dam and Bujagali Dam both span the Nile.

-Wikipedia

I first visited Jinja in 2016 when I did a solo trip of Uganda. It was absolutely amazing. It has some world-famous rapids if you are into water sports. At the time, I went grade 5 white-water rafting and kayaking. It was also my first time camping alone. This time, I went for a lazy trip.

Getting there

In 2016, I took public transport from Kampala (the capital city of Uganda) to Jinja. I don’t remember how much it cost me.

This time I took a taxi from Entebbe international airport to Jinja and it cost $55 one way. The two are 150km apart and the ride can take you anywhere between 3 and 5 hours, depending on traffic.

Things to do

Kayaking
Fishing
White water rafting
Sunset cruises
Zip-lining

If into water sports, I highly recommend using Nile River Explorers. Excellent service and it is Ugandan owned! (unlike many other similar companies in the area). I last used them in 2016 but I’m sure they’re still as great

Accommodation

In 2016, I camped at Eden Rock. This year, I stayed at Living Waters Resort. I would not recommend them as the service was terrible and the price was way too high for what one gets. The view was spectacular though, I’ll give them that. But there are plenty of beautiful Airbnbs that cost a fraction of the price.

If you are interested in visiting Jinja, this post is pretty comprehensive