Ripon Falls, Submerged waterfall at Lake Victoria outflow in Jinja, Uganda.
Ripon Falls was a waterfall at the northern outflow of Lake Victoria near Jinja, where water dropped about 5 meters as it left the lake. The cascade stretched across roughly 275 meters wide and marked where the Nile River began its northward journey.
British explorer John Hanning Speke discovered the falls in 1862 and named them after George Robinson, recognizing this as the Nile's starting point. In 1954, the location was completely submerged by the construction of Owen Falls Dam, which transformed the area into a hydroelectric system.
The location served as a natural boundary marker between Lake Victoria and the Nile system for communities living in the region. People relied on this transition point for navigation and understanding how the waters connected their territories.
The original waterfall site is now underwater, but the nearby Speke monument near Jinja allows visitors to understand the historic location. Access is straightforward and requires no special preparation, with daylight hours offering the best conditions for a visit.
The water of the falls was sometimes visible beneath the dam during low water levels before disappearing completely in 1954. This made the location fascinating for early visitors, who could sense the power of water initiating the world's longest river.
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