On this One Day Jinja City Tour, you will explore the cultural site of Sezibwa with its stunning waterfalls, take a guided forest walk in Mabira Forest and finally a boat cruise to the Source of river Nile in the adventure capital of East Africa – Jinja.
Tour Highlights
The tour kicks off with a short guided walk at Sezibwa Falls, a Buganda kingdom sacred site known for its significance towards the birth of twins. Sezibwa is the small river that cascades over a rock ridge creating pleasant waterfalls while the riverine rainforest host tens of red-tailed monkeys and a cast of birds. Further on you will take a guided nature walk in the rainforest of Mabira to connect to nature’s tranquility and diversity including bird, butterfly and tree species.
Continuing on to the adventure town of Jinja, learn of its rise from humble beginnings as a colonial port to becoming Uganda’s industrial powerhouse and largest city even before independence. This prosperity attracted millions of expatriates to serve its industries and here, they settled for good. The city’s well-planned streets, monuments and historical architecture tell of its glory days. Later take a boat cruise to the mouth of the world’s longest river and watch the ancient Nile start its longest trek to the Mediterranean.
The rocky ridge on which the quite waters of Lake Victoria overflow into the Nile is named “Idindha” by local Basoga tribe thus the name of the town. It is at this point where the Nile waters depart from Lake Victoria, that John. H. Speke an English explorer in 1862 became the first European to see the ancient river Nile source. Awed at this natural wonder, he baptized this point Rippon Falls after the then royal geographic society president, Marquess of Ripon thus settling the ancient riddle of the origin of river Nile.
Packing List
- Good walking shoes
- Long pants and shirts for nature walk
- Sunscreen, sunglasses and hat
- Casual clothing for boat and city tour
Detailed Itinerary for One Day Jinja City Tour
This morning, our driver guide will pick you from your hotel/residence in Kampala/Entebbe to drive eastwards of Kampala where the first stop will be at Sezibwa cultural site. Here, you will take a guided walk to learn of the cultural significance of this site and various norms and traditions of Buganda signifying the birth of twins. This one and half hour walk passes by the water falls and a small riverine forest bustling with primates and birds.
Next you check in at Mabira forest where a guided forest walk explores diverse structures of this rain forest. Mabira forest is the largest tropical forest in central Uganda, hosting over 300 species of birds and various primates.
Of these primates is a Uganda mangabey, a split from the widespread grey-cheeked mangabey of western Uganda forests commonly seen in 15 or more individuals across riverine sections. The forest varies from primary and secondary growth sections where several of Uganda endemic trees flourish.
From the forest walk we head out to Jinja city for a lunch break thereafter take a city drive tour. A stroll along Jinja’s main street takes you back into a time when Jinja was East Africa’s prosperous city with numerous industries. This glorious era attracted all cultures reflected in architecture, elegant temples, tree-lined avenues and expansive British bungalows overlooking the Nile banks.
Later in the afternoon, you will take a cruise on the Nile, to come to the real point where the Nile starts it’s 6500 km trek to the Mediterranean Sea.
End off the safari and return from pick point.
One Day Jinja City Tour includes
- Transport and driver guide
- Lunch
- Boat and entrance fees
- Sezibwa and Mabira entrance fees
- Bottled drinking water in the car
One Day Jinja City Tour Excludes
- Tips to your guides and driver