Activities

The First weekend of every month is all about getting to know Jinja, and your fellow PEA-ers. You will all be pretty new to each other so what better way to spend the day than on a cycle tour, a forest Trek and a boat cruise.

You will be picked up at your accommodation by our PEA student lead Moses, after a short drive you will arrive at Mabira Rain-Forest. Mabira Rain-Forest is one of Uganda’s largest natural Rain-forests. It is a natural habitat to over 300 species of birds, 300 species of trees and 23 mammals, such as red-tailed monkeys, grey-cheeked Mangabeys , bush-pigs, blue duikers and the occasional leopard (don’t worry, this hasn’t been SPOTTED for a while :-P). Here you will go on a light trek through the forest with our dedicated tour guide where you will learn about conservation, native species). In our opinion Mabira forest has the most amazing atmosphere in Uganda the sounds of the forest are mesmerizing, its truly the best way to start the day.

After the forest, you will be driven to the source of the river Nile for your boat lunch cruise where you will step onboard onto a double-decker rafting boat and enjoy a delicious buffet lunch whilst drinking beers (or Prosecco) and cruising around in on the beautiful river Nile. Of course the lunch and first two beverages are included, but there is a cash bar at your service should you be feeling extra thirsty onboard! But don’t over indulge in a liquid lunch – you would need all your senses intact to experience the historical and cultural side of Jinja on a gentle bicycle tour around the local area.

Back at the accommodation you will be escorted locally to the cycle centre to meet your tour guide for a bicycle tour. This is a great way to end the day and burn off all those excess calories consumed at lunch! On this bicycle tour you will have more time to enjoy the beautiful scenery and discover the real history of Jinja and Uganda. Learn about the British, Indian and African heritage in Uganda and the reason behind the vividly colourful buildings before heading back home. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of pit-stops along the way for a quick break, but don’t hang around for too long or you won’t make it back in time for dinner! Come on guys….. On your Bike!

The Second Saturday of every month is known as Cultural Kampala Day! Africa has one of the richest cultures known to man, steeped in poignant history and fascination traditions and rituals. On this day you will be picked up from your accommodation and driven to the capital city of Uganda, Kampala. Here you will spend the day with your fellow PEA-ers that you should be getting familiar with by now.

First stop is Owino Market. This is the largest market in Uganda and the perfect place to immerse yourself in Uganda’s true culture. See the wide range of fruits, vegetables, craft goods, traditional clothes, musical instruments and local art on display. With 50,000 stalls this is the ideal place to get your souvenirs. Haggling is a MUST and is part of the culture so don’t be shy. Be sure to stay close to Moses, not only does he know this market like the back of his hand but he is sure to get you a great price on local items! Don’t be offended by the ‘forward attitude’ of the vendors who regularly call out to you or try to grab your hand and convince you to buy the freshest mangos when all you came for were purple moccasins and a striped straw hat! The busy, bustling, chaotic nature of Owino market needs to be experienced firsthand, not only will it meet all your expectations, it quite possibly will exceed them….

Following a packed lunch (we don’t advised sampling street food as its a loooong drive back to camp), you will make pit-stop at a few of the interesting sights such as the Ugandan museum, the independence monument, Gadhafi Mosque and the Kasubi Tombs. Here you will touch on aspects which have true significance in Ugandas history.

Lastly, as you should have worked up an appetite from the hustle and bustle of Kampala, you will be treated to a delicious feast of the senses in the Ndere Cultural centre. Three hours of non-stop entertainment and a delicious meal to awaken those taste-buds. You will witness one of the cultural highlights of Uganda. This show features traditional dance, musical instruments, singing and history lessons about the different tribes of Uganda. Have a little boogey after the show and be sure to take pictures with the stars before heading back to Jinja for the sleep of all sleeps…Phew!

The third weekend of every month is dedicated to the Safari Weekender. Definitely the highlight out of all the activities. By the 3rd Saturday you should be PRETTY close with all your fellow PEA-ers by now! We thought it would be the perfect time to make amazing memories with amazing friends so we put together this breath-taking Safari Experience. In order to fit everything in, we ask you to be up bright and early (8am departure) as its a long drive. You will first arrive in Ziwa Rhino sanctuary which is located in the Nakasongola district, the home of the only wild rhinos in the whole of Uganda. Here you will get to silently trek these majestic creatures. The rangers that look after the Rhinos are extremely passionate about their cause and will give you a detailed low down about how these incredible creatures were hunted to near extinction and how the unfaltering dedication of the rangers have helped the rhinos breed in the wild.

Following on from this we will make our way to Murchinson falls Safari Park where you can unwind and relax at the park lodge and enjoy dinner. The next morning after a hearty breakfast, you will enjoy a safari drive in an 4×4 with a raised roof which will help you get up close and personal to these fantastic creatures. You will then take a small hike to Murchison falls (water fall) to experience the flawless scenery and take in the sights of the animals grazing by the water. Following this, we will make our way back to Jinja.

This is the final planned activity of your stay, so by now we would expect you to be OVER-FAMILIAR with your fellow PEA-ers!!! Why not start the adrenaline pumping by navigating the Ugandan terrain on quad bikes! Here you can put your driving skills to the test whilst taking in the local scenery and whatever facts are thrown your way (not like you’ll be listening at this point). Don’t worry, for the’ slow and steady wins the race PEA-ers’, you have the option of sticking with the guide and being SENSIBLE with a gentle cruise across the plains.

After lunch, you would notice the sun is at its hottest, the perfect time to take the plunge at white water rafting.…?! Tour the rapids of the river Nile and catch those epic-fail moments on camera! Again, for the SENSIBLE ones amongst us, there is the option of taking it nice a slowly over the gentle ebbs in the longest river in the world. Head back to change out of those wet clothes and enjoy the sunset by the pool…

• We’ve managed to negotiate a HUGE discount with our tour providers because we are able to guarantee them a steady stream of students ready and rearing to discover the beauty and adventure in Uganda. This means we are unable to give you a refund on the activities you choose not to/or are unable to do. The activities come as one package which cannot be divided.
• Please make sure that your travel insurance covers all the listed activities (which most insurance providers do).
• Activities usually take place on a Saturday, Sundays are your day of rest to recharge for the week ahead.
• You can arrive on ANY Friday in the month – you just join in at whatever Saturday activity is currently on rotation. For example, if you arrive on the second Friday of the month – you join the second Saturday activity (despite it being your first week, you would not start on the first activity) – it just makes it easier and more economical to organise this way!
• These activities are provided by experienced and highly recommended third party companies
• And most importantly, make friends, have fun and try everything……at least once!