Transversing the White Nile

I was not prepared to be unceremoniously thrown into the air and dumped into the river. It was much too early. Moses, our Rastafarian guide, had warned us of the class five rapid just ahead. It was very rocky, and thus was an area you wanted to avoid finding yourself in the water.

Rapids are ranked with numbers between one and six. Five designates the largest rapid a raft can possibly navigate. So as we were cruising along a rumbling class three, with our thoughts on the bruising class five that was awaiting us just ahead, none of us expected to be launched. But launched we were… All of us, including our guide, went from being contentedly seated and paddling to under water without any warning.

I popped up quickly and with paddle in hand, grabbed the boat. A few second later another paddle swept without an owner… I seized it as it went by. One of my boat mates thrust her head out of the water, struggling to get out from under the boat. I stuck out one of the oars, she grabbed it, and I pulled her back toward the boat… After a quick assessment, I realized I could see less than half the originally team, while the boat was moving quickly towards the class five ahead.

Suddenly Moses appeared out of nowhere, and throwing himself into the raft, starting shouting frantically. He grabbed me by my jacket as I struggled to get in and hauled me aboard. I turned and we each pulled in a couple of other people. I tossed Moses my paddle as he raced to the back of the raft to regain control. As Moses yelled at everyone to paddle, I looked around… With half our boat’s crew missing, we also had only two paddles, including the one I gave to Moses.

There was some nervous laughter when this was pointed out. Yet we were starting to pick up speed. Somehow Moses managed to steer us to the side, just before the rapids got really nasty. The lost crew members were spotted a ways back up river, having been rescued by another boat. Rejoining our raft, we continued on despite some team members being a bit shaken from getting caught under the boat and swept downriver. We were still short paddles, but unlike the last rapid, we handled the class five like pros.


Adrift Rafting led the days’ expedition. We had 13 rafts on the river, a paddle boat, and about 30 rescue kayaks. Our entourage was quite impressive. My boat was made up of a chance assortment of nine foreigners traveling solo (like myself) or in pairs. We merged quickly into a formidable rafting team. I was sitting shotgun, paired with a Mexican mountaineer by the name of Ignacio.

The banks of the Nile are a verdant green, speckled with locals washing clothes, farming or just observing our rafting antics. A large number of islands rested throughout the river, which is constantly splitting, reforming and creating the rapids which we came to ride. The day began near the source of the Nile on Lake Victoria and would take us just over 30 km downstream.

As the morning session was nearing its end, our crew had regained confidence. We had one more class five before lunch. The river feeds into a narrowing passageway with a very steep, long drop. After the descent, there is a large wave, followed by three small waves and then a large bruiser at the end before the river mellows out again. Moses told us that most rafts that managed the first section flip at the end. I wasn’t worried… Not long after I realized this over confidence was a mistake.

The first drop was spine-tingling. Leaning over the front, I blindly held on as we rushed down the face and hit the first wave, clobbering out raft with a massive wall of water. I was sure I was going to be thrown. I could barely hold on. But we passed the first big wave into the second section.

I did not know this because I could not see it. I was still blinded by the water slamming into my face. But I could feel it. I was surprised I was still in the boat and started to count the small waves. I didn’t get past two before once again I was underwater. There was no warning, nor was there time to think while I was in the air. Simply, one second I was in the boat, the next second I was under it.

I now understood the fear that other members of my crew spoke about earlier. Getting stuck under the boat in the rapids is terrifying. I pushed and kicked, and trying to stay as calm as possible, attempted to disengage myself. I am certain I managed this in under five seconds, and maybe even less, but it felt much longer. Still holding my paddle, I finally extricated myself and kicked for the surface. I got my head out and a good breath right before the final bruiser. I never saw it coming. Wham! Back under water, with no idea which was is up.

When I came up this time, I was able to keep my head up long enough to see a rescue kayak on its way. After some fumbling in the still rough rapids, I managed to grab onto the back and was pulled out. As I was deposited back on my boat downriver, I found out that all but me and Ignacio at the front of the raft made it through the rapids unscathed. The boat didn’t flip, but both of us vanished midway through. Back on board, I vowed to hold even tighter in the next rapids.

After breaking for lunch on an island midway through our trip, we continued to navigate the rapids with skill while other boats flipped. The last of the really fun rides we had came near the end. Ahead was a long drop into rough rapids. To the right was a six foot waterfall. This was the goal; however, to get there you had to paddle across a particularly fierce current. The water level was low and today this was going to be particularly difficult. If you couldn’t get across, you were pushed out into open water safely but without the thrill of hitting the waterfall.

After watching a couple of groups attempt this, only one managed to get across and shoot the waterfall. We were determined to be the second. After the first big drop, we crouched in the boat and paddled like mad. We barely made it across. Just before, there was a calm spot at the top of the falls. Our raft erupted in mad cheers. We positioned ourselves at the edge and down we dropped. At the bottom, more than a few helmets bumped but we were psyched. It was a great ride! Resting near the bottom, we watched the other rafts try for the falls but most failed. Luck was on our side…


As the sun started to set, we arrived at our final destination in one piece. Our bus, and boxes of cold Nile beer, were waiting. All in all, a great day. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to take any pictures during the trip. However, Ignacio had a water proof camera so at some point in the future I might be posting a few of his pictures here.