‘Hold on’ the guide said. But you probably didn’t hear him anyway! You were already underwater and headed west on your own private adventure run. Ever wondered what the clothes felt like in your washing machine? Now’s your chance to imitate your favourite pair of jeans as your world becomes white, your legs are thrown ungracefully over your head, your paddle is ripped from your hand and you feel like your lungs will burst. Which way is up? It probably won’t matter because you can’t swim there anyway. Make like a ball, hug your knees to your chest and wait for your PFD (personal floatation device) to pop you to the surface. Gasping for breath you are there within only a few seconds. Didn’t it seem like a full wash cycle? The worst of the rapid is over, you bounce through series of playful waves, thrust one arm in the air and all you can manage, all those years of tertiary education can produce is ‘YEAH!’.

A few months ago Adrift introduced Extreme rafting to the Nile. Our new 4.12 metre rafts are the smallest on Nile and recommended only for adrenaline junkies. For those needing to flip or who fancy the idea of being washed from the raft with only a moment’s notice and want the ride of their lives then these are the boats.

Rafting on the source of the Nile is probably the most the most exciting one day rafting trip on the planet and so any option to increase the excitement is not for the faint-hearted. The rafts hold a maximum of 7-paddlers including the guide and our they take it upon themselves to deliver an unforgettable day. The reactions from guides and clients alike to the new ‘sportscars’ of the Nile is nothing short of ecstatic!

When Adrift introduced commercial rafting to the source of the Nile and Uganda in 1996, the river carried volumes far greater levels we have experienced recently. We regularly saw flows in the 1200 to 1500 cumec (cubic metre per second range), however, flows over the last month have mostly sat the 700-800 cumec range. This makes the river runs slower, the rapids a little less powerful and smaller. We would have never considered running the smaller rafts in the early days but now they are an exciting new challenge for anyone wanting to push the envelope just that bit further