Victoria lake and the Nile River, giants in size and beauty

The Nile river and the Victoria lake are two giants in the African continent. Giants not only for their sizes_both are the largest river and lake, respectively, in the continent_ but also for their economical significance and for their natural beauty.

The Nile river and the Victoria lake are two giants in the African continent. Giants not only for their sizes_both are the largest river and lake, respectively, in the continent_ but also for their economical significance and for their natural beauty. A number of birds, reptiles, mammals, plants, etc. have found the perfect environment to survive close to their waters, on their islands and along their shores.

The waters of the Victoria lake, which are shared by three East African countries: Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, start flowing into the Nile River at the Ugandan city Jinja. A few kilometers outside Jinja, on "The Source of the Nile" one can have an idea of what I'm talking about. This is probably the best place to observe what the Nile River/Victoria lake have to offer on matter of natural attractions.

It's been my second time to come to Uganda and to come here. The last time I come I introduced the place to my Austrian friend Roman.

Once there we booked a guided boat ride, which took us up to the lake and down to the river for about one hour and provided a couple of unexpected encounters with monitor lizards, pelicans and white king fishers.

An stop at the fish farms in the and a look at one of the fishmonger's villages is also on the plan.

Most of the villagers have their subsistence guaranteed by reduces offered by the lake, whether it's the fishery or the tourism. Also the Chinese are very much present with their fish farms around here.

Weaponed from with my brand new camera I didn't lost any time and tried to get as many good shots as possible. The environment offered more than enough motives to photograph for my happiness.

According to the history the Victoria lake was first sighted by a European in 1858 when the British explorer John Hanning Speke reached its southern shore while on his journey wither hard Francis Burton to explore central Africa and locate the Great Lakes. 

Believing he had found the source of the Nile on seeing this "vast expanse of open water" for the first time, Speke named the lake after Queen Victoria [source Wikipedia].

The entrance fee to the park costs 10.000 Ugandan shillings [ush], around 3€. For the one hour guided boat ride with two people one may count with 150.000 ush (approx. 50€). Definitely worthy visiting it.

Loads of fun peeps!

Cheers everyone.