“Nearly every activity is in Jinja,” Mark Megarry, general manager of 2 Friends Guesthouse, a few streets away from the Nile, tells i. “Tourism has been bigger here compared to other regions.”
On the shores of Lake Victoria, a two-hour drive from Kampala and three hours from Entebbe Airport, Jinja is Uganda’s second-biggest city – once the country’s industrial heartland, and more recently its adventure capital.
Activities include the only bungee jump base in Uganda, quad biking, horse riding and mountain biking. However, the biggest draw for tourists is the source of the Nile. Water-based activities on what is regarded as the world’s longest river – whitewater rafting, tubing, and river cruises – are plentiful and cement Jinja’s reputation.
Recently, the Ugandan Tourism Board and Jinja City Authority announced a plan to develop Jinja as an eastern “gateway tourism city”. Investment has been earmarked for potential tourism sites, and increasing accessibility to them.
Just as the country was reopening to tourists following the pandemic, an outbreak of Ebola was confirmed in September 2022, spreading to Jinja two months later. On 11 January 2023, Uganda declared the outbreak over.
Jinja was awarded city status in 2020, part of a government plan to promote regional development and build on its adventurous appeal. And yet flick through tourism brochures on Uganda, and you rarely see it among the safaris and gorilla-trekking expeditions.
“Jinja is close to the Nile, there are plenty of activities and you can walk around because the streets are chilled” says Godfrey Ntalo, owner of local company Kiira Rafting. While travelling around Jinja by boda boda motorcycle taxi, tourists will instantly notice the laid-back atmosphere.
“Beyond the low-rise city and scenic panoromas of the Nile – whether seen from the official source viewpoint or during a dinner cruise – the open terrains that surround Jinja are also perfectly suited to quad biking.
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However, the burgeoning tourist industry took a hit a decade ago with the construction of a hydroelectric dam at Bujagali Falls, 10km downriver from Jinja. Its inauguration moved whitewater rafting, one of the town’s most popular activities, away from the adventure capital. Visitors instead based themselves closer to the falls as rafting companies set up camp around them.
“Tourism has dropped significantly since rafting moved away – there used to be five rafting companies and now we’re down to three,” Mark Megarry tells i.
“We used to be able to boast about Bujagali Falls, as travellers would visit them during their visit to Jinja. But the construction of the dam meant that the level of tourism deteriorated,” says Harriet Williams, sales manager at local quadbike safari company All Terrain Adventures.
“The dam had some positive implications for the city though – businesses diversified. We saw the introduction of many of the activities that are now available nearer the city today.”
Among these are quad biking trips, horse riding, birdwatching, dousing yourself in river water at the Bungee Uganda centre, and visiting the source of the Nile itself, on the shores of Lake Victoria.
“Uganda hasn’t promoted tourism in Jinja for a long time,” says Mr Megarry. “The Nile is one of the biggest and best-known attractions in Uganda, yet it is not advertised anywhere,” he says.
As with most tourist destinations, Jinja suffered during the pandemic drop-off. “Prices were reduced because you couldn’t run a full rate. With fewer clients, it became hard to pay workers,” Harriet Williams explains.
A two-year 7pm curfew – which has since been lifted – also forced many bars and entertainment sites to close. It is hoped that investment will encourage businesses to return.
Ms Williams is optimistic: “There will be better infrastructure, employment opportunities and revenue will increase. People will also be better paid. As locals, we will embrace this development because there are many advantages for us.”
However, others are more cynical. Rob Davies, owner of Bungee Uganda and All Terrain Adventures tells i, “There should be an opportunity for everyone if the government delivers what has been promised. It’s usually down to us who operate the companies to do more.”
The city is at a crossroads, but tourists who choose to follow an adventurous path won’t fail to be impressed by the thrills and views that Jinja delivers.
For more, see exploreuganda.com
