Uganda > The origin of the Nile

Getting up on the farm is not easy. It’s already light early in the tent. I walk to the primitive washing area—a small hut made of rusty corrugated iron. I have to lift the corrugated iron door to close it. It’s drizzling lightly, and I try to find a dry, clean spot for my things. Inside the little hut is a basin and a jerrycan of water. That’s all I have to work with today. It’s makeshift. The tents are wet from the rain, so I decide to leave mine standing in the hope that it will dry later in the day. I stroll across the adjoining land. The farm workers are milking the cows by hand. I’m amazed at how they can keep track of which cows have already been milked.

Uganda - Fetching water at the well outside Namwendwa

Everything seems to happen in a jumble. After breakfast, I take a walk around the farm surroundings. We split into small groups of up to three people. I go with Robert. We walk past the village fields. Several people are working the land. After a cautious hesitation, they wave back enthusiastically. Corn, beans, matoke—all are grown. Every bit of land along the road is used. Robert shows me the coffee beans, the drying of barley, and the plowing of the fields. Eventually, we arrive at a sugarcane field. In the center, the cane is crushed. A cow walks in circles to keep the crusher moving. The pressed juice slowly flows into an old jerrycan. Hundreds, if not thousands, of flies swarm over the leftover pulp—an unattractive sight. In large iron barrels, the mixture is collected. A little further on, alcohol is distilled from this mixture. The barrel is tilted over a campfire. Alcohol boils before water, and the alcohol vapor is guided via a small hose into a jerrycan.

Uganda - A local gin distillery where alcohol is distilled from sugarcane

This jerrycan sits in a small ditch to cool the brew. The men around the fire clearly taste their product regularly. Several are already quite tipsy. I decide not to stay too long. In the afternoon, after another good local lunch, I break down my tent. Once all my things are packed back into the trucks, I leave the village of Namwenda. I head south toward Jinja, Uganda’s second-largest city, located east of Kampala. Here, water from Lake Victoria flows into the Nile, making it traditionally considered the starting point of the River Nile. Some argue the Nile begins in Rwanda, as water flows from the Rwandan mountains into Lake Victoria. As I approach Jinja, the air seems more humid. The dirt roads are less dusty. I notice that the houses are all dirty at the bottom from splashing water, giving the area a somewhat bleak impression. In the afternoon, I arrive just outside Jinja at the Nile Porch Lodge—a beautiful location with a view of the Nile. I stay in a luxury safari tent with a private shower and toilet. A hammock hangs on the veranda for enjoying the view. A stunning location. But I can’t enjoy it for long—tonight I have a sunset cruise on the Nile with a barbecue. In the afternoon, I drive toward the center of Jinja and board a small boat at the riverbank. On the upper deck, a table is set with snacks. With a beer in hand, I enjoy the view over the Nile. We pass the official “Source of the Nile” point and circle on Lake Victoria. It gradually gets darker outside. It’s cloudy, so there won’t be a spectacular sunset. On the lower deck, the meat is grilled on the barbecue, and it’s served in stages at the table. After two hours cruising the Nile, we return to the dock. In the evening, I end the day with a drink on the resort terrace.