White-water rafting in Africa has long been associated with the Zambezi River but there’s a new wild water destination available to the safari traveller. The mighty Nile River has finally been opened for adventure travel and it combines easily with gorilla trekking and East African safaris. Wildwaters Lodge in Uganda is your base, and this is a lodge well-named.
Wildwaters Lodge lies in the Nile River, not next to it. Set on a private island in mid-stream, the lodge has white-crested water flowing on both sides and the only way there is by boat. Forests line the shore, birds and monkeys flit in the island tree-tops. Otters are occasionally seen in the river, and it wouldn’t be the Nile unless there were long, whip-tailed Nile monitor lizards patrolling the riverbanks.
It’s not just white-water rafting that Wildwaters has to offer. The lodge also offers kayaking, horse riding and fishing, and there’s a transfer service to the nearby town of Jinja which is the adrenalin capital of East Africa in the way that Victoria Falls is for Southern Africa. Here you’ll find bungee jumping, river tours and quad-biking as well as the chance to visit the source of the Nile, once an obsession for western explorers.
Rafting? Quad-biking?! Bungee jumping!! Woah, who said you have to do all those things? As much as it is aimed at adventure travellers, Wildwaters is also a great hideaway for honeymooners and couples looking to relax after a Serengeti safari or gorilla trek. Taking advantage of its location to offer its guests a private and stylish way to relax: the lodge has a professional spa, secluded day beds and all meals are included plus house drinks – you barely need to move if you don’t feel like it.
There are ten suites at Wildwaters Lodge including a private plunge pool suite and a two-bedded suite; the latter would suit a family but note that children must be 12 or over to stay here. Each suite has a full bathroom and a private wooden deck – perfect for private meals, and the lodge can cater for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free as long as you let them know when you book.
Wildwaters Lodge is not your average safari lodge but then again, it does not seek to be one: it is a unique destination where you can be as adventurous or as relaxed as you like. It combines well with a Tanzania safari – the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire – as it does with a Uganda gorilla safari to the Bwindi Forest. And we know it combines well because we’ve just tried it ourselves.
Right from the moment we stepped on board the canoe transfer we knew this would be a special lodge: the contrast between the tropical-feel of the island and the thundering water is really unique. We found the staff particularly friendly and welcoming, and the meals – a mix of local Ugandan and international dishes, were stand-out. Relax, enjoy, swim in the pool, have a massage – we did all that and more – and always with the Nile River as the backdrop.
