Welcome Back to the White Nile!

By Stephen Wright

After nearly a week back on the White Nile I’ve come to a simple conclusion: this place rocks! The perfect weather, the incredible waves, the wonderful people, the easy lifestyle, and the over-all uniqueness of being here has made Uganda my happy home for February and March. Here are some fun facts about Uganda and the White Nile for those who have never been here:

From Washington DC it will take you 2 flights (a 7 hour and an 8 hour) to arrive in Entebbe International Airport, Uganda.
There are 2 sections of the White Nile that are generally run by kayakers. They are creatively named the ?day 1? and ?day 2? sectons of the river.
The Day 1 section has 5 or 6 rapids depending on which channels you choose to paddle.
After nearly a year of record-low water levels, the Nile is nearly back up to normal again.
The Day 2 section hosts one of the best waves in the world: the Nile Special (which is now at good flows daily after lunch)
You arrange to ride your shuttle for the day 1 section on the back of a small motorcycle called a ?Boda Boda?. $2.00 USD will get you back to the put-in on a Boda Boda.
Uganda has a green, living, tropical feel with 80 degree F. days and 65 degree evenings.
Crocodiles and Hippos are major hazards in other parts of the White Nile, but there aren?t any to worry about in the Day 1 and 2 sections.
Approx. $15 US dollars a day will get you camping and 3 meals, while $20-30 per day will get you an indoor bed here with meals included.
The White Nile is generally deep, big water class 3 and 4 with harder rapids and lines available if you?re so inclined.
Gasoline (Petrol) seems to cost around $4.50 USD here, which means that Boda Bodas generally coast down hills.

Jeremy Laucks – of www.chasingrain.com–and I are traveling together and have spent the better part of the past week paddling the Day 1 section, while living at beautiful Eden Rock near the put-in. It’s quiet, relaxing, and the perfect place to base our Day 1 adventures. We have been surfing a wave called the Ugly Sisters Wave, which is fast, glassy, and great for learning new moves and perfecting all the existing ones. Ugly Sisters is also a great work-out because one must paddle HARD after flushing to catch the eddy and avoid a big pourover just downstream.

Jeremy, who is paddling C-1 for this trip, has managed to explore several parts of this pourover in person. He’s told me that it’s not a fun place to be. I believe him. It’s been a great time for me to work on all the moves I can think-of and enjoy the benefits of all my time at Brave Wave earlier this year. It’s been super-fun to enjoy all the moves that the 07 Star makes easy and fun: clean blunts, flashbacks, helixes, airscrews, and all the combos. I’m paddling a Star for the first time and enjoying how great it feels on the waves. I’ve been weighing-in at around 150 lbs (a little heavy for me), and the Star is a fun little toy on the waves, VERY easy to pull off the water and effortless to throw through the air. It can be a bit of a handful downriver, which is exciting here where the water is huge, but relatively safe.

That’s all for now. Enjoy a few photos they were shot by Jeremy and me. We’re moving down to the Hariy Lemon and the Day 2 section tomorrow. Lots of great photos and video so far hopefully I can send more soon. Looking forward to EJ, Nick, Ruth, and the kids to arrive soon.

Live from Eden Rock, Bujigali, Uganda
Stephen Wright