Lake Nakuru – Jinja
We say goodbye to Lake Nakuru and make our way towards Uganda’s second largest city – Jinja. Jinja is famous for being the place where the Nile River flows out of Lake Victoria and initiates the 6695 kilometre adventure to Egypt and finally, the Mediterranean Sea.
Originally a fishing village that profited from being situated on long-distance trading courses, Jinja was established as a city in 1901 by the British as an administrative centre for the Provincial Government Headquarters for the Busoga area. This took place around the same time that Lake Victoria’s significance in transport heightened due to the Uganda Railway joining Kisumu – a Kenyan town located on the lake with Mombasa on the Indian Ocean, 1,400 kilometres away. Jinja was enabled to increase its size due to cotton-packing, nearby sugar estates and access to the railway. In 1906 a street layout was established and Indian traders began to inhabit the area from around 1910.
At one point in time, Jinja contained a massive East Indian community up until they were forced out of Uganda by Idi Amin in 1971/1972. Most of the architecture in Jinja is Indian-influenced, though the intricate shop-fronts and buildings were not maintained well after the departure of the Indians. Local industrial concerns also fell. The majority of the East Indians who are presently heading back to Uganda have decided to construct businesses once more.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Camp: Eden Rock Resort or similar
Facilities: Hot Showers, Swimming Pool and Shared Ablutions
Route: Lake Nakuru to Jinja +/-440 kms
Travel Time: +/- 5-6 hours plus border crossing
