SAFETY/FAQ

We are a well-trained and professional team. We will make sure you make it safe and sound to the end of the trip. The founders and operators of Gorilla Rafting are Sadat Kawawa, a Ugandan professional kayaker and river guide, who is trained as an emergency respondent, and Dr. Nathalie F.M van den Brekel, a medical doctor from the Netherlands. Our team knows the river very well. We can anticipate how challenging the river trip will be, based on weather conditions, the water level and the type of boats we take on the river. After assessing, we will always discuss the wants and needs of our clients and adjust the trip as such. 

Rafting in West Uganda is safe, the SANA Gorilla Rafting team is very professional.
Rafting in Uganda and other water activities are done safely, with safety kayakers on every trip!

QUALIFIED TEAM

We take our fun seriously! The whole team is trained as swift water rescuers and have first aid emergency response training, for the outdoors. All of us were guides on the Nile River, before SANA Gorilla Rafting and thus have a lot of experience.

Each trip will be led by a Trip leader, which in most cases will be Sadat Kawawa. He will be in the raft with you. He is responsible for your safety and smooth running of the trip. Then each trip will have two other guides in a kayak. We call them safety kayakers. These are responsible for navigating the river and its surroundings. In case you would like to take a swim, these guys will be there for you. To make sure you can share the experience with family and friends, we will make sure we bring someone to take the bests shots of you, from hidden rocks and bushes! Then lastly, we have the driver, who takes you safely to and from the river.

And behind the scenes, we have Dr. Nathalie van den Brekel for our emergency situations. In the rare case we do have an emergency situation, medically related, she is on standby.

Some frequently asked questions on safety

  • Yes, it is safe to join us on a jungle river trip. Our commercial section of Birira river is a very safe section. The river is a class III+ river, which means that it is relatively easy to navigate around. You will get an extensive safety briefing/training from our professional staff at the start of the trip. The team is trained by Sadat Kawawa - professional white water kayaker and raft guide - and Nathalie van den Brekel - medical Doctor. Sadat might also be your guide, if you’re lucky.

  • The short answer to this is “no”. There is a wide variety of wildlife alongside the river, but you will not encounter any crocodiles. The area is too populated. If you want to see crocodiles, Queen Elizabeth park is a short drive from us to safely see them.

  • We are aware that in Uganda not everyone can swim. However, we would like for Ugandans to explore water sports more and more and therefore we made sure the team is trained to provide a safe trip for everyone, whether you can swim or not at all.

  • Preferably not. If you are noticeably under influence of alcohol, we will not take you on the trip.

  • The minimum age is 8 years old.

  • There are not many conditions under which we would advise you not to come. However, If you have any medical conditions you wish to share with us, you can let us know in advance, so we can advise you.

Some frequently asked questions on trips

  • You can book a trip alone in some occasions; in which case we will try to combine your booking with other bookings. The Activities and Prices page shows which trips need a minimum of two adults. If there is truly only one person on the trip, we can still make the trip happen. You will accidentally get a private jungle river trip!

  • After booking your trip, we will send you the exact location of the meeting point in Rukungiri

  • Half day rafting:

    The morning trip starts at 9h AM and will take approximately 3 hours, after which you will get lunch. The afternoon trip will start at 1PM and also take approximately 3 hours, after which you will get a beer!

    Full day rafting:

    We start the trip at 9AM and it takes approximately 6 hours.

  • As the river is located in a tropical rainforest, the water temperature allows you to wear any swimwear. For sun protection we recommend wearing a T-shirt on top of your swimwear. Also, since we will have to hike to and from the river, we recommend wearing shoes that can get wet. In general, you can assume that you will get wet on this amazing jungle river trip!

  • Yes, you can bring your camera. However, if it is not waterproof, it will get ruined. We will also take some photos for you during the trip.