Raft the Nile's grade 5 rapids, abseil beside Sipi Falls, walk Nyungwe's canopy and track rhinos on foot, on a private trip planned around what you want to do.
Pick an effort from 1 to 5 to see everything at that effort or easier, hardest first. Tap Add to my list on what you like; your list goes into the form at the end of the page.
Jinja, Uganda
15 km and 4 to 5 hours on the river with Nile River Explorers, or 19 km and 10 rapids with Nalubale Rafting, each says, with safety kayakers close by.
Kalagala Falls, near Jinja
A 44-metre jump, says The Haven, which arranges it; the operator Adrift runs it at its Kalagala Falls camp.
Below Bujagali, Jinja
Learn on flat water in the morning, then paddle 8 km of rapids after lunch with the Kayak the Nile team, Nile River Explorers says.
Jinja, Uganda
Nile River Explorers calls it the 'ideal one day white water river trip for families with children as young as eight'.
Jinja, Uganda
A two-hour tour around Bujagali, or a half-day river trip on grade 1 and 2 rapids, Nile River Explorers says.
Below the Owen Falls Dam, Jinja
Islands, birdlife and flat, slow-moving water, Nile River Explorers says; Nalubale Rafting runs a grade 2 float too.
Sipi, Mount Elgon, Uganda
About 100 metres down beside the falls with Crow's Nest's instructors, the lodge says; the bolted basalt cliffs around Sipi can be climbed too, the Uganda Wildlife Authority says.
Sipi, Mount Elgon, Uganda
All three of Sipi's falls in about four hours on foot, Rafiki Lodge says.
Ziwa, Uganda
Rangers lead you into the southern white rhinos' territory on foot, Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch says. Ziwa is on the road north to Murchison Falls.
Murchison Falls, Uganda
Step off the boat below the falls and climb through Fajao Gorge to the top, where the Nile thunders through a 6 m gap, the Uganda Wildlife Authority says.
Lake Kyaninga, Fort Portal, Uganda
Kyaninga Lodge's rim walk takes about an hour and a half, it says, and its kayaks and paddleboards are there on request.
Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda
A lake of 29 islands at 1,973 metres; Birdnest's canoes are free for its guests to take out alone, and guided trips are arranged at reception, the lodge says.
Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda
A suspension bridge 160 metres long and 70 metres high, Visit Rwanda says; the 1,935-metre zipline is one of Africa's longest, African Parks says.
Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
Climb Bisoke, a 3,711 m volcano, to its crater lake (6 to 7 hours for first-time hikers), or walk 3 to 4 hours to Dian Fossey's grave, the Rwanda Development Board says.
Maasai Mara conservancies, Kenya
Mara North offers bush walks and horseback riding and Naboisho guided walks, each says; at Mahali Mzuri, Maasai guides lead walks at a standard or faster pace, the camp says.
Hell's Gate National Park, Kenya
Cycle or hike the park and climb Fischer's Tower, on the floor of the Great Rift Valley; the park is 68 km², Kenya Wildlife Service says.
Loisaba Conservancy, Kenya
Ride horses, walk with Samburu guides, trek with camels or mountain bike down the escarpment, Elewana says; riding needs a reasonable degree of skill.
Serengeti and Tarangire, Tanzania
Track footprints and learn the plants and insects on foot with a qualified guide; Tanzania National Parks lists walking safaris as a park activity.
Arusha National Park, Tanzania
Canoeing and horseback riding below Mount Meru, Tanzania National Parks says, in the park that also holds the Momella Lakes.
No activities at this effort in this country. Try a higher effort or Everywhere.
The effort levels are our own guide. Sources: Nile River Explorers (NRE), Adrift and Nalubale Rafting for their own trips; The Haven, Crow's Nest, Rafiki, Lacam, Kyaninga and Birdnest lodges; Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch; the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Uganda Tourism Board and the National Forestry Authority; Visit Rwanda, African Parks and the Rwanda Development Board; Kenya Wildlife Service, Crescent Island and Safarilink; Mara North, Naboisho, Elewana and Mahali Mzuri; Tanzania National Parks; all read in October 2026. Photos here and at the top of the page: the rafts by Owobusingye, CC BY 4.0, the Nile at Kalagala by Ssemmanda will, CC0, Sipi Falls by Muhammad Lubogo, CC BY-SA 4.0, and the cyclists at Hell's Gate by MarkDenver Karubiu, cropped and colour adjusted, CC BY-SA 4.0, all via Wikimedia Commons.
Every place below sits on a safari route, so an active day slots in between game drives.
Uganda
80 km north-east of Kampala, Nile River Explorers says, on the road east to Sipi and Mount Elgon.
RaftingKayakingBungeePaddleboarding
At the foot of Mount Elgon, a 5-hour drive from Kampala, Lacam Lodge says.
AbseilingClimbingWaterfall hikes
Ziwa's rhinos are on the drive north; the park is 305 km from Kampala, the Uganda Wildlife Authority says.
Rhino tracking on footWalk to the top of the falls
The town is 35 km from Kibale's chimpanzees, the Uganda Wildlife Authority says.
Rim walksKayaks
7 km from Kabale, on the road to Bwindi's gorillas.
CanoesIsland walks
Rwanda
5 to 6 hours from Kigali, or a 40-minute flight to Kamembe and a 1 to 1½ hour drive, the park says.
Canopy walkZiplineForest trails
Rubavu, the lakeside town, is an hour's drive from Volcanoes National Park, Visit Rwanda says.
KayakingCongo Nile Trail
Musanze, the park's gateway town, is a 90-minute drive from Kigali, the Rwanda Development Board says.
Bisoke volcano hikeDian Fossey's grave
Kenya
About 80 km from Nairobi, Crescent Island says; in the high season Safarilink flies on to the Mara in 45 minutes.
Hell's GateMount LongonotCrescent Island
Loisaba Conservancy is 1 hour by air from Wilson Airport, Nairobi, Elewana says.
HorsesCamelsBikes
Bush walks, and horseback rides in Mara North, happen in the conservancies beside the reserve.
Bush walksHorseback
Tanzania
In the shadow of Mount Meru, Tanzania National Parks says.
CanoeingHorsebackWalks
Walking safaris are a park activity, Tanzania National Parks says; we book them through the park or your lodge.
Walking safaris
Distances as the parks, lodges and operators state them, read in October 2026.
Want the Nile at Jinja, a volcano and the Mara in one trip?
Tell us the places that appeal and how long you have. We link them into one route between the parks.
Couples, friends and families all come, and the age rules decide which days fit. Travelling with children? Our family safaris page has the age rules for gorillas, chimpanzees, game drives and boat trips.
A day rafting the Nile or hiking a volcano, then a night at a lodge nearby.
Kayaking, the Bisoke hike and grade 5 rafting start between ages 12 and 16.
Calm floats and family rapids on the Nile.
Ages from Nile River Explorers, Adrift and the Rwanda Development Board, read in October 2026.
Travelling with children or teenagers?
Send their ages with your dates. We match each active day to the youngest in your group.
Four lodges from our place guides: two on the Nile at Jinja, one above a crater lake and one in the Maasai Mara.
Kalagala Island, 25 km downstream of Jinja
Suites on an island in the Nile's rapids, reached by boat, with a pool and a spa over the river, the lodge says.
The Nile's west bank, Jinja, Uganda
The family lodge on the riverbank: family suites, a sunset ride on horseback and a campfire at night, it says.
Lake Kyaninga, Fort Portal, Uganda
Above a crater lake, with its rim walk from the door and kayaks and paddleboards on request, the lodge says.
Olare Motorogi Conservancy, Maasai Mara, Kenya
A tented camp where Maasai warrior guides lead walks on request, at a standard or faster pace, the camp says.
Facts: the lodges' websites, read in October 2026.
Want to stay at Wildwaters, The Haven, Kyaninga or Mahali Mzuri?
We check its rooms for your dates and plan the active days around it.
Typically 8 to 12 daysUgandaUganda Family Safarifrom USD 3,600per personSee the itinerary
Typically 10 to 14 daysUgandaBest of Ugandafrom USD 3,950per personSee the itinerary
Typically 7 to 10 daysUgandaUganda Honeymoon Safarifrom USD 4,200per personSee the itineraryLonger, shorter, a different month, two countries in one run. Say what you have in mind and a first route and a real price come back within one working day.
Start with a dateWhite-water rafting and kayaking on the Nile at Jinja, abseiling and climbing at Sipi Falls, tracking white rhinos on foot at Ziwa and the walk to the top of Murchison Falls in Uganda; Nyungwe's canopy walkway and zipline, kayaking on Lake Kivu and the Bisoke hike in Rwanda; cycling and climbing at Hell's Gate, riding at Loisaba and walking in the Mara conservancies in Kenya; and walking and canoeing safaris in Tanzania's parks.
16 for the grade 5 full day, 8 (and 30 kg) for the grade 3 day, and 4 for the family float, Nile River Explorers says. Nalubale Rafting's grade 2 float starts at 6. White-water kayaking starts at 12 and paddleboarding at 8, NRE says.
Any month for the Nile: the dams set its flow, so rafting runs every day except Christmas Day and New Year's Day, Nile River Explorers says. Mount Elgon can be climbed all year, the Uganda Wildlife Authority says, though June to August and December to March are the most enjoyable.
No. Nile River Explorers asks only that grade 5 rafters are water confident and reasonably fit, and its kayaking day starts with a lesson on flat water. Visit Rwanda says no experience is needed for kayaking on Lake Kivu. Riding at Loisaba is the exception: Elewana asks for a reasonable degree of riding skill.
Yes, in the private conservancies beside the reserve: Mara North lists bush walks and horseback riding, and Mahali Mzuri's Maasai guides lead walks on request.
Yes. Jinja is 80 km north-east of Kampala, Nile River Explorers says, so a day on the Nile can open or close a Uganda safari, and Lake Bunyonyi's canoes are on the road to Bwindi's gorillas.
In Rwanda, Rubavu, on Lake Kivu's northern shore, is an hour's drive from Volcanoes National Park, Visit Rwanda says.
In Nyungwe, Rwanda: its zipline runs 1,935 metres in three sections from the Uwinka Visitor Centre, African Parks says. In Uganda, the tourism board lists zip lining in the Mabira forest, which is 54 km from Kampala on the road to Jinja, the National Forestry Authority says.
0Your trip list
This list is already in your message, so your trip designer sees it. Add your dates and who is coming, then send.