In 1862, the British explorer John Hanning Speke identified this point at Jinja, where Lake Victoria’s water begins flowing north, as the source of the Nile — a claim that triggered decades of geographical argument, since several other tributaries also feed the river system upstream. Whatever the precise hydrological truth, the spot is marked and visited as the symbolic starting point of the world’s longest river, a considerably calmer contrast to the whitewater a few kilometres downstream.
The boat trip itself is short and easy, mostly notable for the historical context and a stop at a small island with a monument, plus a chance of Colobus monkeys and birdlife along the shore.
Park entry fees and gorilla and chimp permits in Uganda are set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
