Africa Nile Rafting

Read the Africa travel plan and first few days by clicking here.

Trial and error

Next morning, we were excited and prepared with sun-screen lotions and full-sleeved t-shirts as instructed by my husband! A rating trip down the Nile was on our agenda for the day. Having enjoyed rafting twice in the Ganges at Rishikesh with my family before, my husband insisted I join him and my older son for level-5 rapids! Without a doubt, I didn’t want too many flips in water! Especially in the Nile! Far from home! So what if my friends were both doctors? No meant No!

Not that I didn’t want that adrenalin rush because we were in life jackets and with expert guides. After a flip, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to pull my heavy body up myself onto the raft. I could envision myself dangling on the raft with somebody trying to pull me over and someone having to jump into the water to push me into the raft! I was only trying to be mature and save others from an embarrassing situation!

Authorization and luggage hauling

We signed the documents accepting responsibility for the rafting. Our group, along with a few other tourists, was gathered for a demonstration on the correct way to wear helmets and life jackets. In addition, they informed us precisely what we would be doing and the risks that were involved in the decision we had taken. Besides us, there was another group of tourists and a single young tourist.

We had a light breakfast since we still had to travel by road for about two hours before we reached the Nile. We helped carry the rafting gear-our own jackets and helmets. The rafts were carried by strong attendants, who accompanied us during rafting. Our leader, Jumma, was exceptionally sharp and witty. There was never a dull moments throughout the day!

Nile rafting

Upon reaching the shores of the Nile, we were again shown how to use the oars, and follow directions; forwards, backwards, still, etc. Although it looked easy, it requires skill and practice. One significant point was that all people on the raft needed to work together and synchronize with the leader. Avoiding flipping was another important aspect.

Based on our levels, we were divided into three groups. Two groups were Level-3 Rapids. Together with my friend’s family and my younger son, I was part of the level-3 rapids group. Two women and three men formed the other group. Our rapid-5 Daredevils group included my son, my husband, and a nineteen-year-old German fellow! Our group leaders led us out into the water to practice the instructions.

My friends’ sons were 10 and 14. My younger son was 14 as well. Now, both teenagers wanted to play with the Daredevils! Boys wanted to prove a point, but were forced to ride on our raft. All of us paddled our rafts into the river a short distance and started practicing. The only instructions we followed right from the start and managed to synchronize well were to hold the ropes and sit in the raft!

As soon as we started paddling, we saw that keeping the raft moving in one direction wasn’t as simple as it appeared! In the deep water, we found a few boys kayaking by themselves. They were part of our rafting expedition, placed there for the sole purpose of helping people get back on the rafts after flipping. If we flipped, we had to hold on tight to our life jackets, keeping our upper body straight and our knees folded in order to reach the surface. We were told to look for the Kayak and hold on to one end, by wrapping the legs around it, face upwards.

The Monkey Crawl

Exactly as in a Monkey Crawl on a rope, except we had to wait for our savior! Kayaking man on the mission! We took position and waited for the weigh to be evenly distributed throughout the raft. My friend and I (the two heavyweights) had to remember to sit on the opposite sides and everything was fine! Having paddled, and balanced for about an hour, we were already way into the river. Already exhausted, our leaders announced that it was finally time for some real rafting!

Twenty minutes deep into the Nile, we experienced our first rapid. Thus, the adventure had begun, and we had seven more to go! Each rapid more thrilling and adventurous than the other! All of us desperately followed the guide’s instructions. More than paddling, we seemed to be using our energy by screaming wildly- by we here I mean only my friend and me. She was experiencing the entire adventure for the first time, so I understood. I wondered if I was a fool for agreeing to this crazy adventure after having undergone such a wild experience earlier, twice! There was not much time to think, as once one was in the wild waters, all you had to do was follow the instructions and paddle.

A few more rapids later, our guide asked us if screaming insanely helped! After two rapids, we were getting better at it and the countdown to the finish line had begun. As opposed to the Ganges, where the gradient is quite steep beneath the shallow waters, the Nile is relatively stable between the two rapids. Even so, each rapid is a challenge by itself, giving you an adrenaline rush every time. At the third rapid, which looked extremely dangerous, our Daredevils took another route. There was a bifurcation and paddling furiously to avoid the flip, we followed a different route. Soon they were all under water, frantically trying to climb back on the raft! What an adventure!

Refreshments

Never-the-less, I was satisfied with myself for being adamant about the level-3 rapids! Our group was admiring the scenery in the still waters, when we were pleasantly surprised to see a raft pull over with refreshments. All the excitement had led us to forget we had been on the river for over three hours. Freshly cut pine-apples served as refreshments were some of the most delicious I have ever tasted! The moment was savored. Cool breeze from the river with a few water birds on the rocks around.

A few rapids required us to paddle forward, others backwards. On others, we simply sat in the raft and prayed while holding paddles horizontally. Yet other rapids, we sat still while holding on to the paddles. These were the trickiest! Each rapid needed to be handled with a certain technique and our guide was an expert whom we’d come to revere by then! Our life depended on him!

We were now onto our sixth rapid and proud of ourselves for having completed the whole stretch without toppling. However, our guide, Jumma, smiled mischievously and announced that the flip was inevitable! Being close enough to hear him, I conveyed this important information to others. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw him leaning backwards through 180 degrees. Imagining it to be a trick to topple the raft, what followed was a blood curdling scream that scared not only our guide, but also the rest of us and other tourists in other rafts, as we were still some distance away from the last rapid and in stable waters!

Drown: the finale

Realizing our mistake, we laughed and soon reached the last rapid. However, as we were paddling hard as before, the raft tipped and we were all under water! I could not see anything and thought I was drowning. 15 seconds seemed like 15 minutes. As soon as I made it on the surface, I began searching for my teammates. Our raft was about 25 meters away from me when I spotted it! After our guide turned it around, I still couldn’t spot the boys and my friends.

Suddenly, an angel on a mission appeared in one of the kayaks. I called out to him frantically. It was as if he were God Himself, for he appeared somber and sincere in his rescue work. Even though the site was comical he took me seriously. In fact, he told me to relax and carried me back to the raft in the position he demonstrated-legs around the kayak’s edge, hands on the handle, head up toward the sky.

In that awkward position as I hung like a bat, peace and relief dawned and the moment of being saved was immensely satisfying! As I stood on that kayak’s edge, looking out at the blue clear sky, I underwent a lot of introspection, expressed my gratitude to God, and ended up overwhelmed and numb at the same time.

It reminded me of a song by Johnny Nash – ‘I can see clearly now’… flood of emotions…hard to describe. Some moments need to be experienced rather than explained!

Enriched and refreshed

Back on the raft, there was too much excitement to share- how suddenly the raft flew and toppled, the experience and adventure… everyone were pumped up with adrenalin and sharing experiences. Now that the moment passed by, we looked back with pride at the thrilling adventure! The boys had enjoyed it immensely and so did we! Totally exhausted but extremely pleased, we arrived at our resort by evening after a good meal. As we exchanged notes on our experiences, the excitement continued into the next few days. Looking back, I am thankful for the opportunity, the company, and the experience of Nile rafting. Would I embark upon such an adventure again? Only time will tell! Until then, I have these wonderful memories to cherish.