Nile River Festival – Jinja Weekend Trip

The Nile River Festival (NRF) is an epic four-day event that celebrates all that is awesome about the River Nile here in Uganda. Kayaking, rafting, mountain biking, stand-up paddleboarding, parties, big air ramps, and live music, all with the backdrop of some of the world’s biggest whitewater. This is a spectacle for anyone and a great time for all. Check out the festival schedule or visit the Kayak The Nile website, linked here for more information about the event!

Please note that MCU is not organizing any accommodation or transport at this time – please use the WhatApp or Facebook groups to organize shared rides and see where others are staying. For more questions concerning the logistics please contact +256 700 543192 (Lindsay!).

Follow this link to sign up for the Nile River Festival Weekend together with Kayak The Nile in Bugagali, Jinja: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hYsUwxqlfbEdatjKMs0lTgKEaFEZjcOx/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=109780256311281994262&rtpof=true&sd=true

NRF 2023 SCHEDULE:

THURSDAY 26th JANUARY

BUNGEE UGANDA PARTY – Fancy dress party to celebrate Liberation Day and the start of the Nile River Festival Celebrations.

FRIDAY 27th JANUARY

MASS FLOAT – Fun for all, as Mass Float of Kayak, Paddleboard, Raft, Tube or…. Inflatable Pink Unicorn. Whatever your chosen Float, we will group together below the bungee to kick start the weekend’s activities by floating down 5km to Explorers River Camp, Bujagali.
BIG AIR RAMP – A trademark event for the Nile River Festival, the Big Air Ramp competition returns, for this one spectators will amass along the bank of the Nile River to cheer on the competitors as they slide down the huge Big Air Ramp and fly through the air.
NILE RIVER EXPLORERS PARTY – After the Big Air Ramp we will head up the stairs to the NRE bar and have a huge party with jelly wrestling, drinking and dancing !

SATURDAY 28th JANUARY

KAYAK ENDURANCE RACE – Competitors line up in pairs below Bujagali Dam to race over 20km downstream, portaging Kalagala Falls and passing Adrift River Club and Overland Camp before finally crossing the finish line below Vengeance Rapid. Fastest pair wins !
ARROW RAPID RACES – A brand new spectator and participant friendly event, the Arrow Rapid Races will pit competitors against each other in heated races. Race classes include: Kayak, Tandem Kayak, Extreme Rafting and River Bug (Advanced Tubing).
ADRIFT OVERLAND CAMP PARTY – The Saturday night party is at the new Adrift Overland Camp Bar. This will be a night to remember !!

SUNDAY 29th JANUARY

FREESTYLE KAYAKING EVENT – For the final event of the weekend, participants will head straight out from Adrift Overland Camp and paddle up to Bubugo Falls. Participants will take turns to strut their stuff on some of our favourite features on the Mighty River Nile, like: Real Deal Hole, Real Deal Wave, Superhole, Itanda Hole and Phoenix Wave.

Social Mountain Bike Ride

Join us for one more social bike ride with Bike Shop Uganda on Sunday 18th before we close the year!

Sign Up Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSce7H1hoMH6Vyd0q4cKPkQ5_NSWRCg37V5ygrreMy62jmCFFA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Start Point: Bike Shop Uganda on St. Barnabus Road, Muyenga.
Google Pin: https://goo.gl/maps/72SNC9trTEuEAK3Z8
Start Time: 7 am (finishing time approx.1pm)

Distance: 20km – 25km

Costs: MCU members ride free with your own bike – unless we go with a boat across the lake (budget UGX 20,000 ugx per person for boat transfers)

Bike rental (incl. helmet): 100,000 ugx per person – please transfer the amount latest 24 hours through mobile money to Bike Shop Uganda to confirm your bike rental.

Things to note:

In case you need to fix your bike, use the chance to do that at the shop in the morning. Bring your water bottle and fill it for free with some
sports drinks powder at the shop.
Make sure to have breakfast before the trip.
Beginner cyclists are welcome to join, and there will be a guide for those who wish to do a shorter distance or easier route.
Not yet a MCU member? Please sign up here: https://mcu.ug/membership/registration/
Any questions concerning the bike ride, please contact: +256 784 315045 ( Marlin – Bike Shop Uganda)

What to bring:

Water and snacks (both also available on the way)
Cash and charged phone
Helmet, closed shoes, comfortable shirt and shorts
Raincoat and sunscreen

Quarry Launch Party: 2nd Attempt!

We are now REALLY ready to host the launch party for climbing the Quarry in Muyenga 🙂

The Mountain Club Of Uganda has spent many hours cleaning the rock and setting up climbing routes for all members to enjoy 🙂
All the routes have been set up for top-rope climbing, and routes are of various levels of difficulty, to cater for all levels of ability.

Non-MCU members and children are more than welcome to join the Quarry launch event.

There will be the opportunity to climb at the launch event, whether you are an experienced climber or have never climbed before. We’ll have special climbing games for the kids or still behaving like one. There’ll also be a competition to name the routes.
Wear comfortable/sports clothes for the climbing and if you have bring a cycling or kayaking helmet in case any pebbles or small rocks come down the wall.

If climbing is not your thing, there’ll be plenty of other outdoor games from Viking Chess, Slackline to Badminton to keep you occupied. Feel free to bring your own lane games along.

We’ll also be providing a paid BBQ and a cash bar for when you need to refuel. If you have bring a picnic rug.

We’ll be heading over to Cafe Roma once it gets dark, so come and join us for a few drinks there.

Disclaimer: If it rains, bad luck and we’ll have to cancel the event again. Climbing is an outdoor sport and is not safe on wet and slippy rock.

Mpanga Forest Halloween Camping

UPCOMING TRIP FOR ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE (Saturday 29^th October to Sunday 30^th October)!!… with an eerie twist……

An affordable weekend of camping, options to walk/run through a serene forest combined with some Halloween festivities?…. Sounds fun? Then read on……

We are planning a MCU trip for a night in the beautiful Mpanga Forest, with a fancy dress Halloween BBQ planned under the spooky forest canopy on the Saturday night…..

Mpanga Forest Reserve is about 1 hour west of Kampala, near Mpigi town, along the Masaka Road. Mpanga is recorded to have over 500 tree species and shrubs, with some trees estimated to be 100-years old. There are over 200 bird species recorded in this reserve. The common birds to watch include, hornbill, spotted greenbul, black and white casqued, African pied hornbills, Uganda woodland warbler, great blue turaco and the ross turaco. Mammals found in Mpanga include; bushbuck, red-tailed monkey and flying squirrels. Several butterfly species can also be observed throughout the reserve.

Walking and running trails of various lengths can be enjoyed throughout the forest, and on the Saturday night, a fancy dress Halloween BBQ party will be organised in the spooky forest…. (don’t forget your fancy dress costume!)

The trip will run from Saturday 29^th October to Sunday 30^th October, which gives ample time to explore the tranquil forest and surrounds.

Accommodation and costs:

We will stay at the basic, but serene, Mpanga Eco-Tourism Centre camp. As part of the MCU, we have been fortunate to be able to negotiate some great rates, and for a total of just UGX50k per person, you will enjoy:

Entrance fee to the forest
Camping (bring your own tent)
Forest walk (short, or long- as you wish)
Saturday or Sunday lunch (local meal)
Entry to Halloween BBQ party (please bring own meat/ vegetables to throw on the BBQ).
Sunday breakfast.

There are also options to upgrade to a dorm bed, or a twin banda (for UGX10-20k per person, depending on accommodation choice)

Cold showers are available, and there are eco-friendly toilets. And if you ask nicely, they will heat a bucket of water for you to enjoy a warm shower under the forest canopy.

Beers and sodas are available for purchase at the camp, although there are no refrigeration facilities, so if you are partial to a cold drink, a cool box/ esky might be a good idea J

Points to Note:

If you would like to bike, the camp does not have bikes for rent, so please bring your own.
Don’t forget your fancy dress costume for the Halloween BBQ Party!!!
And please also remember bug spray/ insect repellent and a torch J

Directions: The camp can be found on google maps, and is signposted off the main Masaka road on the right after Mpigi, when heading from Kampala.

Contact: Any questions, please contact Sally Holbrook at madsally@hotmail.com or on 0752 184057.

Please follow the link to book (please only complete if you are 100% sure you will be attending): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeV2zQy_au348Xm9Rw-2YiOWmGv7p6UW-8XT73BSmJJhcr23w/viewform

Hope to see you there!

Superholympics

Mountain Club of Uganda presents #superholympics with the support of Kayak the Nile (U) Ltd.

Superhole Olympics is a day filled with fun and crazy events in kayaks on and around Superhole Wave on the Nile River. You don’t need to be a pro kayaker to compete, this is an event for intermediate and advanced paddlers alike. No pressure just good fun. Also great for spectators with a floating bar!

Banff Mountain Film Festival

BANFF UGANDA IS BACK! Preparations are underway to bring to you the Fourth Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival in Uganda.

Save the 21st and 28th of September 2016 for the Festival dates for a selection of this years most impressive and inspiring mountain and outdoor films.

Screenings will take place at Century Cinemax Uganda, Acacia Mall.