Extraordinary. Unique. Unforgettable.
There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a dream fulfilled. One dream was to raft the Nile and after first casting my eyes across the river in 1986, I had promised myself I would return one day to raft it. A second dream was to build unique accommodation on a mid-river island and this came about 10-years later in 1996, when Adrift made the first ever descent of the Victoria Nile in Uganda (the rapid section between Lakes Victoria and Kyoga) and I was struck by the beauty of the mid-river islands in the Nile. This would give visitors a chance to see the many bird species who call the islands home, to encounter river otters and monitor lizards up close and to experience the power and majesty of the young River Nile.
Particularly those islands protected by huge rapids remained pristine, untouched and havens of bio-diversity. In the 13-years, we have now been running the Nile, we have seen a human population explosion and a devastating de-forestation of the riverbanks and islands along the sections of river we raft. Adrift started actively purchasing kabanja (squatters) rights to the islands early this century and part of a millenium goal to protect them. At the heart of this conservation initiative is Wildwaters Lodge, an eco-lodge that will help protect these islands by creating direct benefits for the adjacent community.
Brad McLeay has taken on the challenge of building the lodge and is doing the most incredible job along with our construction team. The logistics of building on an island in the middle of Kalagala Falls we underestimated. Before we could even begin construction seriously, we have built over 500 metres of raised wooden walkways through the forest just to enable us to get the building supplies to site. All the furniture is a unique design Brad has created incorporating materials from the island and even the wash basins are being carved from pink granite recovered from the island. We already have bookings for May of this year when we open and hope to see there soon.
