Itanda Falls is a waterfall, beautiful, serene and breathtaking, situated northwest of Jinja about 61 kilometers from the district’s city center and 27 kilometers on the Nile River and north of Lake Victoria. The Falls are known to have rugged rapids and falls are not as popular as the Bujagali Falls. The Itanda Falls kind of replaced the bujagali falls that were submerged as a result of the construction of the Bujagali Dam.
The Itanda Falls are located on the Nile River, the longest river in the world in Uganda’s Jinja district a tropical city that has temperatures that go from 20°C to 30°C (68°F to 86°F). The Itanda waterfalls have a height of about 10 meters, a width of roughly 10 meters wide with a relatively low water volume that makes it a tranquil and relaxing spot.
At these falls you can have a number of exciting activities from boat cruises on the river to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the areas, hiking the falls to the top to just experience how the falls flow from the top and the beautiful scenery from the top. If you are well seasoned, you can try swimming down the stream at the base of the falls; but if you are not experienced don’t try it. Some people go fishing there, but it’s not a popular activity.
Take a walk around the falls, enjoy the scenery around and watch the flying birds that make their home at the waterfalls. You can also have white water rafting experiences, water sliding, kayaking and others. The most exciting activity though at these falls is the bungee jumping where you jump from up the suspension over the water; and this is the most done activity at the falls all through the year.
Tours to the falls are done, all year, any time of the year, and yes of course more so in the dry seasons. The prices of the tours vary from tour company to tour company and the season of the year is sometimes dictated. However, with the many tour companies that are in the company you won’t fail to find what suits your taste.
According to the locals the Itanda falls like all the falls in Uganda are believed to have healing powers and also brings good fortune.; making it a sacred site for local communities, who perform cultural ceremonies and rituals there. Actually on a daily you will find people visiting the falls to pay respects to their ancestors and make offerings. The healing properties of the falls can cure various ailments, including skItanda fallsin conditions and infertility.
It’s also believed that there is a giant snake that lives in the falls and that it appears to the fall visitors who apparently have a pure heart.
A story is told of a local chief who was wronged by a rival tribe and placed a curse on the falls; so, anyone who causes disruption at the falls, is cursed by the falls.
When you visit the Itanda Falls, you should be cautious when wandering around and, on the water, currents can be really strong, the rocks slippery and the waves or rapids really rugged and disruptive. The beauty is when you visit you will have help from the guides and the staff around, so don’t worry about safety; just please follow all the instructions and guidelines. Also as mentioned you will find a number of locals around so, please respect the locals and their customs always. For more information please contact your tour operator, he/she will always have more information about the falls and the tours.
