Top 10 Things To Do In Jinja

Jinja city is popular for three major reasons; it is home to Africa’s longest river; the river Nile. It also the cradle of Uganda’s railway history and lastly the adrenaline capital of Uganda. Anyone interested in water based adrenaline activities, then Jinja is your must visit destination. The city is located around 95km from Uganda’s capital Kampala. On a traffic free day, it will take you between two and half hours and to three hours to get to Jinja. On a bad day, the journey can take you between five hours and six hours.

How To Get To Jinja City

There are mainly three roads that lead to Jinja. The most popular is through Mabira forest however this is the least recommended option because of the traffic on that road. The most recommended road is through Gayaza road. The only issue with this road is that traffic jam from Mpererwe to the Gayaza junction. Beyond that point, you should not expect a lot of traffic jam. The third option is through Katosi road. This is the road with the least traffic however to get to this road, you will have to pass through Mukono which on the bad day can take you between two to four hours to just connect from the capital to Mukono town.

Among these three options, the most recommended option then becomes Gayaza road. The second option is through Katosi and the last resort is passing through Mabira forest. The traffic on Ugandan roads is unpredictable. It is mainly caused by accidents or people who form none existing lanes.

Things to See In Jinja

Jinja’s main sites rotate around the Nile and the history of the town. Among the main things to see in Jinja include:

Busowoko Waterfalls

Busowoko waterfalls are currently the most popular waterfalls in Jinja. They are located not far from Haven river lodge and Mkwanzi Falls.

Itanda Falls

Itanda falls are currently the strongest waterfalls in Jinja. The place is run by adrift and in the recent past has been used to host the popular Nyege Nyege festival.

Source Of The Nile

There are quite a number of controversies surrounding the source of Africa’s longest river. There are claims that the river’s source is in Tanzania. Other claim that river’s source is in Burundi. But regardless of the controversies, it can easy be seen at what point the river separates from Lake Victoria.  In Jinja, you do not only get a chance to see where the river is separated from the lake, you also get a chance to see the difference between the water of Lake Victoria from the Nile water.

Things to Do In Jinja

Here are some of the top things to do in Jinja:

White Water Rafting

Jinja is currently the only place that offers grade five white water rafting. Though Murchison falls promises to offer a similar experience, it is currently only Jinja that offers grade five white water rafting in Uganda. Top rafting companies in Jinja include but not limited to Nalubale rafting, Adrift, raft the Nile among several other options.

Rafting on River Nile

Horse Back rides along the Nile

Jinja also offers horseback rides on the banks of the Nile. One of the best way to explore the Nile in Jinja is taking is a horse back trip along the backs of the Nile.

Visit Jinja Farmer’s Market

One of the things Uganda is popular for are its delicious fresh fruits. Jinja market is one of those places in Eastern Uganda where you will get a chance to grab several fresh foods and fruits including but not limited to pineapples, watermelons, mangoes among several other fruits.

Uganda Railway Museum

 The Uganda Railway museum is one of the few museums in Uganda. It recounts the railway history of Uganda from the colonial times to date.

Bungee Jumping

Jinja is currently the only place in Uganda that offers bungee jumping. The experience is made unique by the fact that the activity is done at the showers of river Nile.