Rafting the Birira River in Uganda: a fun and off-the-beaten-track experience

The team at Roadtrip Africa is always on the look out for new, exciting activities on offer in Uganda. Madelon recently joined a gentle rafting trip on the Birira River in southwestern Uganda, a newly developed activity by Sana Gorilla Rafting. In this blog, we’ll provide more information about this new rafting experience in Uganda. 

Uganda is well-known for being the source of the mighty River Nile. In addition to providing stunning scenery, the Nile is also home to some of the world's best grade 5 white water rafting. The rapids are given names that appeal to the imagination, of which Bad Place is notorious. The starting point for your white water rafting is Jinja town. Unfortunately, Jinja is not a common stop on most Uganda travel itineraries since it is a bit out of the way.

Rafting on the Birira River can be a great alternative, especially for those seeking a more gentle rafting experience. Birira is a class III-IV river with continuous rapids along the way, but you will not flip your boat and fall out, so this rafting experience is also suitable for families with younger children or elderly. The base camp is in the small town of Rukungiri in Western Uganda, an incredibly scenic and lush location. You can pass this village when travelling between Queen Elizabeth National Park and Bwindi Forest. 

Sana Gorilla Rafting is set up by Sadat from Uganda and Nathalie from the Netherlands. Their paths first crossed in Jinja during a rafting trip, where Nathalie ended up in Sadat’s raft. That day marked the start of a shared journey filled with rafting adventures in Uganda, Iceland, Canada and England. After years of travelling and exploring, they decided to put down roots, ultimately choosing Western Uganda to settle.

The night before your rafting trip, you can sleep in one of the local guesthouses in Rukungiri, providing an authentic stay away from the tourist trail. Alternatively, you can choose to stay in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is about an hour and a half hours drive away. The founders of Sana Gorilla Rafting are also working on building a place to stay closer to the river, so keep an eye out for updates!