Uganda Summer 07

[Monkey Loving Bob]

I now it's been done and is now officially old news , but I'm gonna head out there this summer and I'm wondering what anyone elses plan is. Sara this is your fault for making me think that forward planning might be a good idea. Anyone interested let's talk about it in Kerry, I know a few are already so we might discuss it some more...

Conor

[bexifurr]

Ooooh, I'll just warn everyone over there, will I?!

Seriously though, I'd recommend it to everyone. There's paddling for every level, people learn to paddle from scratch over there. The playboating is awesome and there are so many different lines down each rapid, and so many different channels to explore when you've exhausted the commercially rafted runs. They still kept me entertained after three months, although I'd be a bit slower than most, considering I couldn't roll properly when I got there.

Re: rolling, its a great place to learn, but unless you have a long time out there, you would want to have a solid roll - getting up first time almost all the time. If you don't you will still have a great time, but you might not get as much out of the trip as you would if you had a bombproof roll. I know that I only really started getting places when I got it down pat. Swimming 15 times in three days on Nile Special was no bother, but imagine how much more surfing time you would have if you're not swimming a mile downstream every time you try to catch the wave!

I think you could consider a club trip over there. It is expensive to get to, but then when you get there, it's dirt cheap.

Book your flights through kayakthenile.com or you may find yourself sans un kayak over there.

And don't get into a headbutting contest with Jack. Even if he gives you a helmet.

[Ritchie]

AM DEFO. GOIN AND AMP'D LIKE A DOGG!!!

one major problem for me is.... the zambezi(with bexamus) or nile source uganda(who's ever goin)

-would be lookin for big clean surf to work on my freestyle and a bit of river runnin.... where should i go???

[kmck]

Well as tempting as a trip away sounds I think I will go for painful dental surgery and even more painful writing a thesis.

[david]

Yeah, Thesis suck. I have to blow my summer collecting info for my thesis for next year. What a bummer.

[kmck]

Well six weeks of mapping, just make sure you like the person you are out with and they have a car. My flatmate had to cycle about 8 miles from where they were staying to get to the start of his area to map.

[Dave B]

ritchie, if your looking for play Uganda would prob be better, nile special, and ugly sisters waves are awesome, a bit of river running but not irish or alpes style, the Zam would be better for river running but not as good for play,its also more expensive... and hands out much bigger beatings!!! but if your in no rush back to college I'm considering uganda in august and the zam in september

[Ritchie]

well dave man i guess i'll be seeing you in uganda in august!! not certain about zambezi. gimme a shout when you're ready to booking

[bexifurr]

Jambo mzungus,

Nile is better for play, and the Zam is river runnign mecca - from what I hear from people who've done both.

I'm now planning to come to Uganda for a few weeks in the summer and head to the Zam for two or three weeks in August.

Zam is more expensive apparently, as Davey said.

I'm thinking about coming back here for maybe six weeks or so.

Nile Special is big and bouncy - hard to get on to at first but you get the hang of the rope, Ugly sisters is a reall nice wave with two big pourovers behind it (!), Superhole is a good place to learn and Club wave rocks in the mornings and then gets a bit spanky coming up to lunch time. Theres also tons opf places to stop and play on the commercially rafted sections of the river, especailly Day two - the hole at the bottom of Vengeance, the rapid after Kalagala Falls, is preetty hectic and uberfun!

Rob was asking for all the Irish crew from the summer. Nicolas is away in Kenya, probly doin a drug smuggling run, but I was told he's visiting his family. So he has some fella called Davis working there now, and the portions are massive! Yum Yum!

And we had a sneaky russian teach us a great card game last night!

Gotts split cos the couters are a bit sloooooooow here ya know?

[Donnie]

The Nile or the Zambezi - ah to have such choices as a student 

The Nile has a lot more to offer in terms of variety but the rapids on the Zambezi are better from a river running perspective (longer more technical lines and worse thrashings). The nature of the two rivers is different, the nile has a habit of splitting into several different rapids seperated by islands whereas the Zambezi doesn't hence the larger amount of variety on the Nile.

However, rivers aside, I think Uganda is by far the friendlier place and the facilities and people there make going there a lot easier than to Zambia (although it has been a long time since I was there).

On the other hand, if you've already been to Uganda and want more adventure (not necessarily on the river) go to Zambia, if for no other reason than simply the sight of Victoria Falls (although Murchison Falls is a close second).

Enjoy!