Experience the best of Jinja

Jinja stands on the northern shore of Lake Victoria, at the point where the White Nile begins its long journey north. The English explorer John Hanning Speke identified the outflow as the source of the Nile in 1858, and a garden at the river's start has a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, whose ashes were scattered here in 1948. Colonial-era streets with shopfronts built by Asian merchants still line the centre.

The Nile below the lake is the draw, with rafting through rapids, kayaking and boat trips running from the banks, and calmer stretches suit paddling and fishing. To the west lies Mabira Forest, a reserve of rainforest with monkeys and many birds, and the villages and fishing beaches of Busoga spread along the lake shore.

Roadside stalls sell the rolex, a chapati wrapped around a fried egg omelette and vegetables, along with grilled maize and chicken. The lake supplies Nile perch and tilapia, and sugar-cane juice is pressed fresh in town. Two rainy seasons visit this equatorial country, and temperatures hold steady through the year.