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Things to do in Kampala, Uganda

May 15, 2025

We’ve had the pleasure of visiting Uganda various instances and had some wonderful experiences together with gorilla trekking and chimpanzee trekking. However, there’s much more to do in Uganda past these iconic actions!

When we go to Uganda, we all the time spend a few of our time in its capital metropolis, Kampala. This is by far the biggest metropolis in Uganda, and also you’ll discover a number of issues to do in Kampala, together with cultural sights, museums, markets, and extra.

We’ve already written about issues to do in Entebbe, which is the city closest to the worldwide airport. That is discovered on the shores of Lake Victoria and can be value visiting. However, we expect no go to to Uganda is full with out spending a little bit little bit of time in Kampala.

Yes, it’s chaotic, crowded, and the site visitors could make getting round a little bit of a problem. But it’s the capital metropolis, the nation’s most populous metropolis, and actually the one place in Uganda the place you might be prone to see metropolis life. It’s a spot many Ugandans come for enterprise, education, coaching, buying, and non secular gatherings. It additionally has various vacationer points of interest!

Most worldwide vacationers to Uganda spend little or no, if any, time within the nation’s capital, and we expect that Kampala deserves a cease in your itinerary if you wish to get a greater understanding of the nation and its individuals. So, in case you have the time, we advocate a minimum of a day right here earlier than zipping off to go to the nationwide parks and to go trekking for chimps and gorillas.

Jess and I’ve been in Kampala 4 instances, most instances only a day or two, however on one journey we spent a number of days exploring town. So, we’re fortunate to have visited many of the locations that may be of curiosity to worldwide vacationers and wish to encourage extra individuals to take the time to cease and provides town a glance.

In this information, we’re going to share a few of our favourite issues to do in Kampala. Whether you simply spend a day seeing a few of the highlights as a part of an extended tour in Uganda or are on the town for an extended time frame, we hope this information conjures up you to see as a lot as you’ll be able to.

We’ll additionally share some recommendations on issues like getting round in addition to staying protected and the place to remain. Let’s get began!

Things to do in Kampala Uganda

Here’s our overview of our favourite issues to do in Kampala, based mostly on our private expertise visiting. You ought to have the ability to do all these actions throughout just a few days or pick your favorites for a full day of sightseeing!

Kasubi Tombs

Before Uganda turned a British Protectorate within the late nineteenth century, the area it occupies at present was comprised of a collection of smaller kingdoms.

The largest of those kingdoms was the Buganda kingdom, residence to the Baganda individuals. The Baganda are dominated over by Kings, often called the Kabaka, in a convention that dates to the early fourteenth century, and which continues to at the present time.

The Kabaka are clearly crucial to the Baganda individuals, a reality which is especially obvious on the Kasubi Tombs, discovered on Kasubi Hill in Kampala.

This is the ultimate resting place of 4 of the Buganda Kabakas. It is a serious historic, cultural, and non secular web site in Uganda. It’s additionally the one UNESCO world heritage web site in Kampala and stays an essential non secular place for the Baganda.

The web site, which takes up 64 acres of land, dates from 1882. The major attraction is the massive conical thatched constructing which homes the tombs themselves, which is sometimes called the Muzibu-Azaala-Mpanga. Because of its dimension the constructing is taken into account a grand instance of a constructing utilizing conventional strategies and pure supplies corresponding to picket poles, spear grass, reeds, and wattle.

Also on web site are a gatehouse, a drum home, and cemeteries the place the youngsters, wives, and different family members of the kings are buried. The space additionally has various historically constructed properties the place the widows of the previous Kings dwell and have a tendency the graves.

The Kasubi tombs had been truly nearly completely destroyed by hearth in 2010, nonetheless a serious renovation challenge was launched they usually reopened in 2025. We visited as they had been within the technique of rebuilding and there was various craftsman from numerous elements of Uganda working.

We actually loved our go to to the Kasubi tombs and may extremely advocate inserting this in your to-do checklist in Kampala. This is a vital non secular web site so make sure you costume conservatively. Women might want to cowl their legs with an extended skirt or tie a big scarf round their waist to go to. Jess had on pants however was nonetheless requested to tie an extended skirt round her waist to enter.

There is an entry payment to go to, payable on web site. You will probably be accompanied by an on-site information in your go to. It will also be visited as a part of a guided tour like this one or this one which incorporates a number of stops in Kampala.

Wamala Tombs

If you have an interest in tombs and Baganda tradition, you may additionally wish to add a go to to Wamala Tomb to your checklist. This is smaller and fewer central burial place of the twenty ninth Kabaka of Buganda Ssekabaka Ssuuna ll who dominated from 1832 to 1856. By most accounts, he was not a really good man who had nearly all his brothers executed!

This is a smaller and fewer well-known web site in comparison with Kasubi. The tomb is inisde a conventional thatched constructing like that in Kasubi. There can be the stays of the previous palace, tomb of Suuna’s mom, and a set of royal artifacts.

Note that the Wamala Tombs are a couple of 30 minute drive north of central Kampala. If you might be wanting to go to Wamala Tombs, you would possibly take into account this tour which additionally consists of visits to Kasubi Tombs, Kabaka’s Palace, and the central markets.

Kabaka’s Palace (Mengo Palace)

The Kabaka’s Palace, or King’s Palace, is the normal residence of the Buganda King. The palace, which is often known as Lubiri and Mengo Palace, will be discovered on the highest of Mengo Hill, and the situation affords glorious views of the encircling metropolis.

Today the palace grounds are open to the general public to go to, though you’ll be able to’t go contained in the precise palace residence (Twekobe Palace). The Twekobe Palace is now not used as a residence however remains to be used for official visits and ceremonies The primary office for the Kabaka is on the Bulange which is related by a straight street often called the Kabaka Anjagala or “Royal Mile”.

So the go to takes place primarily open air. Visits are guided, you mainly flip up on the entry gate. pay the entry payment, and a information will probably be allotted to you.

When we visited we had a wonderful English-speaking information named Fred who confirmed us across the grounds and defined plenty of the historical past of Uganda. As properly as being residence to the spectacular palace constructing, the grounds are additionally residence to the torture chambers of Idi Amin.

These underground concrete cells had been the ultimate holding location of anybody deemed a risk to Amin’s regime, and it’s estimated that over 200,000 individuals had been murdered right here, their our bodies dumped in a close-by lake.

This darkish interval of Ugandan historical past is included on the tour, and is in stark distinction to the gorgeous palace on the hill. Desperate messages written in charcoal and blood and damp stained concrete are all that continues to be of those 1000’s of misplaced lives.

As properly because the above, the tour consists of different fascinating info on Ugandan historical past. Our information was additionally educated in regards to the timber, fruits, and crops we noticed alongside the stroll.

We learnt about bark fabric, a conventional material constructed from tree bark which lengthy predates woven textiles. Many Ugandan artists use it as a conventional medium upon which to color. There is a small store which sells painted barkcloth and different historically made gadgets which make for good Ugandan souvenirs.

Overall, a go to to the Kabaka’s Palace grounds is an efficient technique to find out about Ugandan historical past, together with it’s darker instances. The on-site guides we visited with had been actually glorious, and this was a really worthy expertise.

There is after all a payment to go to. You can go to your self, as we did, or as half of a bigger day tour. The majority of excursions of Kampala will embody Kabaka’s Palace, corresponding to this one or this one.

Uganda Museum

Founded in 1908, the Uganda Museum is likely one of the finest locations in Kampala to go to to study in regards to the historical past of the nation. It’s additionally the oldest museum in East Africa.

It options quite a lot of reveals, masking the historical past and tradition of the Ugandan individuals, with objects together with musical devices, weapons of struggle, barkcloth work, conventional medical provides, garments, and much more. There are additionally reveals from pre-historical instances, that includes fossils and different relics that time to the historical past of human evolution within the area.

Outside, you’ll discover the cultural village, which encompasses a vary of various conventional buildings and gadgets that had been used throughout totally different intervals in historical past. This was our favorite a part of the museum, and it was so fascinating to see the totally different types of home in addition to the gadgets utilized by the totally different tribes throughout Uganda.

The museum shouldn’t be enormous, and may undoubtedly be visited in 2 to three hours. There is an admission payment. You can go to by yourself or you may get a information when you choose a guided go to. You can see extra about opening instances and what you’ll be able to see on the official museum web site.

Note: the Uganda Museum closed for renovations in August 2024 and is because of reopen in mid-2025. Check the official web site for the most recent standing.

Independence Monument

Uganda gained independence from the British on October 9, 1962, and this monument, which was unveiled the day earlier than the date of independence, symbolises that second.

The 29 foot excessive concrete sculpture, which will be discovered within the King George V Jubilee gardens, depicts a mom lifting her little one into the air with ropes round her legs. The ropes symbolise the liberty from colonialism, whereas the kid’s pleasure showcases the enjoyment of freedom.

The statue can be depicted on Ugandan forex, showing on paper notes between 1,000 and 50,000 UGX. So it is likely to be acquainted to you earlier than you even see it!

It’s free to go to the Independence Monument in Kampala. It can be typically included on excursions corresponding to this one and this city-centre strolling tour. We visited it as a part of this guided strolling tour.

Other Historical Monuments and Statues in Kampala

In addition to the Independence Monument, there are additionally various different monuments and statues that you may see round Kampala. These embody:

World War Memorial Monument – constructed by the British in 1945 to recollect the Ugandans misplaced within the first and second world wars. One of the oldest memorials in Kampala. Found on Kampala Road by the central police headquarters.
King Mutesa II Monument – Monument to the thirty fifth King and first President of Uganda who died in exile in 1969. The monument reveals him in British army fatigues, which is a nod to his service as a Queen’s Grenadier Guard. He was additionally the primary Black Commissioned Officer within the Grenadier Guards. This was initially situated on the intersection of Speke Road and Nile Avenue, however because of street works it has been moved to sit down between the Serena Hotel and Imperial Royale Hotel
The Centenary Monument – Commemorating the centenary of the Kampala City Council, this monument symbolizes the id of town’s governing authority. Found in Centenary Park alongside Jinja Road
Stride Monument – Created to honor the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, this monument encompasses a household transferring ahead collectively, symbolizing the unity of the Commonwealth. Found between the Parliamentary Gardens and the Kampala Serena Hotel
Long Split Drum Statue – The statue is of a tall drum or engalabi, a conventional lengthy, cylindrical drum coated with pores and skin. It is situated on the Nantawete roundabout alongside the Kabaka Anjagala, or street between the Kabaka’s Palace and the Bulange.
Wildlife Statues – You’ll discover various wildlife statues alongside the roads in central Kampala, significantly Old Kira Road. Statues embody a lion, gorillas, cranes, giraffes, impala and plenty of different native wildlife species

Note that there’s typically safety round public memorials and monuments and round authorities buildings in Uganda. So you might be requested why you might be there and requested to not take pictures. For instance, we had been stopped on the struggle memorial by police and we had been solely allowed to method and take a photograph as a result of we had been with a neighborhood information.

Saint Paul’s Cathedral Namirembe

The subsequent few entries in our checklist of issues to do in Kampala are locations of worship for a few of the main religions you’ll discover in Uganda. We’ve visited all of those, and every location is fascinating and price visiting in its personal proper. It simply is determined by your pursuits.

The first within the checklist is Saint Paul’s Cathedral Namirembe, extra generally known as Namirembe Cathedral. This is the oldest Anglican cathedral in Uganda and the headquarters of the Anglican Church of Uganda.

The church was consecrated in 1919, and is the fifth church constructing to be discovered on this location, with the primary 4 constructions (relationship from 1890) all having been deserted or destroyed for numerous causes.

The present-day church is a formidable giant pink constructing with a domed roof, constructed from earthen bricks and earthen roof tiles.

The church will be discovered on the highest of Namirembe hill, simply to the west of town’s central enterprise district. As with many of the hills within the space, the hilltop location affords glorious views of the encircling metropolis.

Note that it’s free to go to the skin of the cathedral however when you want to go inside as a customer there’s a payment which features a guided tour. The church is after all a working church so visits usually are not all the time allowed if worship providers or different occasions are happening.

St. Mary’s Cathedral Rubaga

St. Mary’s Cathedral Rubaga, additionally generally known as Rubaga Cathedral, is discovered on the high of Lubaga Hill, which is simply east of town middle. This commanding hilltop location affords glorious views of the encircling metropolis.

This is the Roman Catholic cathedral of the Archdiocese of Kampala, which is the oldest diocese within the nation. Rubaga has been the seat of the Bishop since 1883, and the cathedral itself was consecrated in 1925. It was initially arrange by the White Fathers, French Roman Catholic missionaries, who got the land by the thirty first Kabaka of Buganda.

The cathedral is a big brick constructing with two spectacular towers on the entrance, and the capability to carry as much as 5,000 worshippers. There are some fascinating stained-glass home windows, murals, and different artwork items that inform the story of the Catholic Church in Uganda. We had a information from the church who gave us a brief tour inside.

Today, most Ugandans determine as Christians (over 80%) and Roman Catholicism is the biggest denomination, adopted by Anglicism.

The church is free to go to though donations are inspired. The church is after all a working church so visits usually are not all the time allowed if worship providers or different occasions are happening.

Baha’i House of Worship

The Baha’i religion is likely one of the smaller and newer faiths in Uganda, however its primary home of worship and site remains to be nonetheless value a go to. Found on Kikaya Hill on the sides of town, this imposing octagonal constructing towers 127 toes above the bottom, topped by a big inexperienced dome. It will be seen for miles round.

The constructing, which dates from 1958, is discovered on a fifty-acre property which incorporates pretty, landscaped gardens in addition to various different buildings. It has a surprising location.

Honestly, we knew little or no in regards to the Baha’i religion earlier than we visited, so the chance to find out about that was welcomed. All visits are by free guided tour, and our information was glorious, displaying us the important thing highlights of the property and answering all our questions in regards to the historical past of the constructing and the Baha’i religion. It is unquestionably one thing a little bit bit totally different and well worth the small effort to get right here in our opinion.

We truly visited twice, the primary time we took a ride-share right here however arrived too late because it had already closed. You can solely go to the grounds throughout visiting hours. On our second go to we deliberate a bit higher and arrived throughout opening hours.

We signed in and got a tour by a beautiful information named Esther. She instructed us so much in regards to the historical past of the religion and of the Kampala temple. No providers had been occurring after we visited so we had been allowed to go inside, no speaking or images is allowed inside.

As it’s discovered to the north of town middle it’s a good location to cease if you’re heading north out of town, maybe to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary or additional north to Murchison National Park.

Uganda National Mosque

The Uganda National Mosque, beforehand often called the Gaddafi National Mosque, is the biggest mosque in East Africa. Around 15% of the inhabitants of Uganda is Muslim, and this mosque has room for nearly 20,000 worshippers!

Construction of the mosque truly began in 1972 through the regime of Idi Amin, nonetheless the instability of the regime meant that building halted in 1976. It wasn’t till 2001 that building restarted, due to the assist of the Libyan chief Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The mosque lastly opened for worship in 2007 and was renamed the Uganda National Mosque in 2013 after the dying of Gaddafi.

The mosque has one minaret, and it’s open to guests to climb to the highest. From the highest you may get nice views over town. This minaret was truly featured in a Season 31 episode of The Amazing Race (2019), the place they needed to climb and rely all of the steps (272 of them!). If you intend on climbing, simply observe that you just want to have the ability to climb up and down all these steps to get to the highest as there’s no elevator. We had been the one ones contained in the tower throughout our go to.

The mosque will be visited by non-Muslims as a part of a tour. Just observe that in Fridays and different holy days, you might not be allowed to go inside the primary elements of the mosque. But it is best to nonetheless have the ability to go to the outside and climb the minaret.

There is an entrance payment to go to as a foreigner. We visited as a part of this guided strolling tour and had been assigned to a mosque information for this a part of the go to. The inside of the mosque is absolutely architecturally spectacular, however for us the spotlight was going up the tower for the views throughout town.

As with any non secular constructing you’ll want to observe the costume code. All guests ought to costume modestly. Women ought to put on unfastened becoming garments masking to the wrist, ankle (ideally an extended skirt), and canopy their heads. Men ought to put on trousers and shirts with sleeves. Coverings can be found at reception to borrow (as a part of entrance payment).

When we visited Jess felt a bit suffocated because it was sizzling and she or he needed to wrap a big scarf (kanga) round her waist (she had on pants/trousers not a skirt), put on a head scarf, and a face masks (COVID-19 rules on the time). We additionally needed to take our footwear on and off just a few instances and she or he spent plenty of time fumbling with the coverings and footwear. Overall she loved it however it’s one thing to remember.

Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine Basilica

The Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs is a minor Catholic Basilica discovered within the township of Namugongo, round 7 miles northeast of Kampala.

The basilica is a novel design, consisting of an enormous round constructing, which was designed to copy a conventional African hut. It’s additionally one of the crucial visited pilgrimage websites in Africa, because it serves as a shrine to the Uganda Martyrs.

The Uganda Martyrs had been a gaggle of twenty-two Catholic and 23 Anglican Christians, who had been killed between 1885 and 1887. Many of the martyrs had been members of the King’s Royal Court who had adopted Christianity in opposition to the King’s needs, and whom he ordered to be executed. The majority of the martyrs (twenty-two males) had been burned alive at Namugongo in 1886.

The dying of the Uganda martyrs had a serious influence on the political and non secular panorama in Uganda. It resulted in widespread in style assist amongst the British public for buying Uganda as a protectorate, which occurred only a few years after the deaths of the martyrs. It additionally led to a extra widespread adoption of Christianity in Uganda, with about 80% of the inhabitants at present being part of the Christian religion.

The 22 Catholic Ugandan martyrs had been beatified in 1920, and canonized as saints in 1964. Since its completion in 1968 the Basilica has served as the point of interest for the annual Martyrs Day Celebration. This is held on the third June, which is the Feast of the Uganda Martyrs. On at the present time lots of of 1000’s of individuals go to the shrine.

Pope Francis visited Uganda and the basilica in 2015. He celebrated Mass outdoors the basilica at Namugongo November 28, 2015.

However, you’ll be able to go to the shrine at any time of yr and discover the grounds and basilica throughout visiting hours. There was a small payment to go to for worldwide guests.

There is the bascilica, a little bit museum space, shrines to the martyrs, a small lake, an amphitheater, a small cafe, and a present store. It’s a relaxed and peaceable place and properly value a go to.

Kampala Markets

Markets are an incredible place to get to know the native tradition and to additionally choose up some souvenirs out of your journey. Uganda has many markets, with two of the biggest being Owino Market and Nakasero Market.

Nakasero Market is the oldest market in Kampala. It’s divided into two areas, an inside and an outdoor. The outdoors space primarily sells contemporary produce, whereas the within space has extra of a give attention to issues like clothes, textiles and souvenirs.

Owino Market is the biggest central market in Kampala and whereas it sells a little bit of every little thing, it’s significantly recognized for distributors promoting secondhand clothes, footwear, and trend equipment.

There are after all dozens of different smaller markets in Kampala, and every space or neighboorhood can have some type of market.

If you might be particularly in search of souvenirs, then you definitely also needs to take into account a go to to Exposure Africa. Located on Buganda street, this market has over 30 stalls that includes arts and crafts that are usually made both in Uganda or Kenya. It has quite a lot of antiques, native crafts, artwork, and souvenirs.

We advocate visiting with a information to get essentially the most of your go to to the markets. They are giant, busy, and will be actually overwhelming for a first-time customer. An area information can even enable you talk with stall homeowners and be sure you get a good value.

While we felt protected strolling round Kampala, thieves, pickpockets, and scammers will goal vacationers. You additionally wish to be very cautious of your valuables when contained in the markets. We advocate that you just depart any costly jewellery, cameras, and different gear at your resort.

Photography is commonly discouraged and you might be requested to cease taking pictures or filming. Always ask earlier than taking a photograph of an individual or their items. Our information requested permission of one of many market homeowners to permit us to take some pictures from sure areas at Nakasero Market and even then we had been watched and requested solely to take pictures from a sure place.

Old Taxi Park

The Old Taxi Park is the oldest and largest transit terminal in Kampala. Here you’ll see lots of of minibuses coming and getting into organized chaos.

This is certainly not a must-see place however it’s included in plenty of strolling excursions as a cease, and it’s a good place to cease to find out about transportation in Kampala.

Ndere Cultural Center

One of our favourite actions in Kampala was our go to to the Ndere Cultural Center. The cultural middle showcases the cultural heritage of Uganda, with dance performances, artwork reveals, and meals.

The Ndere troupe was based in 1984 by Rwangezi Stephen in 1984 as a cultural group “for universal unity through music, dance and drama”. They have now additionally unfold that message round Uganda with touring teams.

The primary expertise for guests in Kampala, which is what we’d advocate and did, is to go to for one of many night performances. These differ however sometimes embody a mixture of dance, theater, and music and infrequently even have the choice to have a buffet dinner through the present.

These performances happen just a few instances every week, and usually run from 7pm – 10pm. Shows are held outdoors below a big mango tree, and in addition to the present there’s the choice to buy meals and drinks.

We visited for the Wednesday night Sherehe present. This was a very enjoyable night with nice performers and a beautiful setting. The present tells the tales from the totally different Ugandan tribes with conventional dance. There’s additionally a wonderful and entertaining primary host who explains what you might be seeing so all of it has context, and brings all of it collectively.

Dinner was a buffet with conventional Ugandan meals which was additionally good. We can extremely really useful reserving a ticket for a efficiency right here if one is going on throughout your go to to Kampala. Its an incredible night out and supporting an excellent native group.

It’s simple sufficient to go to the Ndere Cultural Center your self, or you’ll be able to e-book a tour which incorporates various sights in addition to the present and dinner like this one.

Nommo Art Gallery

If you’re excited by seeing and even shopping for up some native artwork throughout your time in Kampala, then a go to to Nommo Gallery is value your time. It is a small gallery however it’s one in all few in Uganda.

The Nommo Gallery was established by the Uganda National Cultural Center in 1964, and will be discovered within the coronary heart of town close to to State Lodge. It serves as Uganda’s National Art Gallery.

When we visited the primary artwork exhibited was a black-and-white images exhibition about incapacity. There was additionally various different artwork on the market, largely work, but additionally statues, wooden carvings, paper artwork, and many others. made by native artists.

Note that attending to the gallery will be difficult. We had a taxi, however he needed to drop us off a couple of 10-minute stroll from the gallery due to street closures and safety checkpoints. The gallery is situated close to the State House which frequently results in elevated safety within the space. So we needed to go on foot by way of a few totally different safety checkpoints (a photograph ID was required) to achieve the artwork gallery (after which return).

Recently, there was speak of relocating the gallery to someplace that’s simpler for guests to achieve however no choice has but been reached. In the meantime, if you wish to go to make sure you be ready and take alongside an official photograph ID with you and put on snug footwear.

Take a Food Tour

We love exploring the native meals after we go to a rustic, and probably the greatest methods we’ve discovered to do this is to take a meals tour. On one in all our visits to Kampala we took this three-hour meals tour.

This was a wonderful technique to strive a variety of Ugandan meals, and included Rolex, deep-fried grasshoppers, fritters, fried fish, contemporary fruit, sugar cane juice, and samosas from quite a lot of road distributors. It then completed with a full buffet at a restaurant specializing in Ugandan meals. One of the commonest meals eaten in Uganda is matooke (a boiled and mashed inexperienced bananas) so I’d make sure you strive that.

The actual spotlight of the tour although, past the wonderful meals, was our tour information Andrew. The excursions are led by extremely passionate and enthusiastic Ugandans who like to share their ardour for Ugandan meals and their data of Kampala. We had been fortunate sufficient to be the one individuals on the tour, so we bought to talk with our tour information about all types of matters, from the political historical past of the nation, to his favourite meals, sports activities, and what it’s prefer to dwell in Kampala.

If you need an immersive native expertise and to strive plenty of native produce and dishes, this meals tour is a wonderful technique to do exactly that. This provides you with an incredible introduction to Ugandan meals.

Visit AFFCAD

Like many international locations around the globe, poverty is an actual situation in Uganda, particularly affecting youngsters. They typically have restricted entry to every little thing from clear water to training to healthcare, which doesn’t end in constructive life outcomes.

One group that’s working to empower these in poverty is AFFCAD, which stands for Action for Fundamental Change
and Development. This nonprofit was arrange by 4 younger males from Bwaise in Kampala, one of many poorest neighborhoods within the metropolis.

This township suffers from an absence of city planning, fast inhabitants progress, and a location on a former wetland, which all conspire to create residing circumstances suffering from floods and unsanitary circumstances.

We advocate watching the movie Queen of Katwe earlier than your go to to Uganda to get an concept of life within the slums in Uganda, in addition to study in regards to the wonderful real-life story of Phiona Mutesi, who grew up in Katwe, and her mentor Robert Katende.

AFFCAD are working to enhance alternatives accessible to the individuals in Kampala’s poorest areas, together with the Bwaise neighborhood, by way of a spread of academic, healthcare, and financial applications. This is achieved by way of vocational coaching, colleges, and entry to healthcare.

AFFCAD additionally affords a slum consciousness tour to guests to Kampala, the place you’ll be able to study in regards to the challenges dealing with neighborhoods like Bwaise, and perceive what AFFCAD are doing to assist. We have written up to now about moral slum tourism so we undoubtedly advocate studying that earlier than reserving any slum excursions. Based on our expertise, we really feel that visiting Bwaise with AFFCAD undoubtedly ends in total constructive outcomes.

We took our strolling tour with Jaffar, one of many 4 founders of AFFCAD. We visited the assorted AFFCAD buildings the place they provide vocational coaching. It was not a “school” day, so it was a comparatively quiet day, however we noticed the assorted instruments used for educating expertise together with computer systems and stitching machines. The tour then took us on foot across the Bwaise neighborhood to get extra of an understanding of the challenges confronted by the residents.

Finally, we had been served a conventional meal of kikkomondo, which is mainly beans and chapati, and is scrumptious. A pleasant technique to finish the tour.

Our tour lasted about 2.5 hours and included transport from our resort in Kampala. We did it in 2023 and the fee was $35 per particular person. We paid in money at first of the tour of their workplace.

The proceeds from the tour go on to serving to AFFCAD enhance the lives of a few of Uganda’s poorest, and may make an actual distinction. It’s additionally an excellent technique to get insights from a neighborhood about life on this a part of Kampala.

You can discover out extra about visiting AFFCAD at their web site right here. These excursions do should be booked upfront. The finest technique to arrange a tour is to e-mail them instantly, which you are able to do at information@affcad.org.

Book a Walking Tour of Central Kampala

We can extremely advocate reserving a guided strolling tour for a minimum of a few of your time in Kampala, particularly if you wish to navigate the native markets and monuments, or in order for you another person to deal with transportation.

Kampala generally is a bit chaotic, particularly for a primary time customer, and letting another person cope with logistics and route planning will allow you to give attention to the sights. It can even enable you navigate a few of the language boundaries and safety points that you could be come throughout.

We took this glorious strolling tour of the highlights of central Kampala with information Arthur who is part of the ImmersionUG tour firm. It is the highest firm we will personally advocate for strolling excursions as we have now taken a number of strolling and meals excursions from them throughout our visits to Uganda.

This firm was setup by a gaggle of younger native Ugandans eager to showcase one of the best of their nation, and we additionally took excursions with them in Entebbe and Jinja. They additionally ran the meals strolling tour we did in Kampala. You can see extra of their excursions right here.

The tour we did with Arthur coated a few of the primary highlights of central Kampala, and included sampling of a Rolex, visits to Nakasero Market, Owino Market, a Hindu temple, Parliament Square, and the Old Taxi Park, a neighborhood espresso on the 1000 Cups Cafe, and time at a few of the monuments in Kampala together with the Independence Monument. We additionally took the choice to go to the Uganda National Mosque.

Overall, we will extremely advocate reserving a strolling tour of Kampala as a part of your go to to town. Ideally we advocate doing one thing like this at the start of your time in Uganda because it helps provide you with an excellent introduction and an opportunity to ask plenty of questions.

Day Trips and 2-Day Trips from Kampala

Obviously, there’s much more to do in Kampala itself, however if you’re within the metropolis for just a few days (maybe as a part of a convention or one thing), you is likely to be questioning what choices there are for exploring additional afield.

The excellent news is that there are many good day journey choices from Kampala, in addition to choices for 2-day journeys. Most of those will be performed as a part of a day tour. Here are some to think about:

A day journey to Jinja and the supply of the Nile. Jinja is a comparatively laid-back metropolis on the shores of Lake Victoria, round a 2-hour drive to the east of Kampala. It’s famous as being thought to be one of many sources of the River Nile, as that is the place Lake Victoria begins to feed into this mighty river. A tour from Kampala is an efficient technique to see the sights of town in a day.
Entebbe day journey – Most guests to Uganda will cross by way of Entebbe as that is the place the worldwide airport is situated. It’s solely about half an hours drive from Kampala and will be simply reached with a ride-share or shuttle bus service. There is so much to do right here on a day-trip, together with visiting the zoo and the botanical gardens. See our information to Things to do in Entebbe for some concepts.
Visit the Chimpanzees at Ngamba Island. Chimpanzee trekking is a well-liked exercise in Uganda, however the majority of the chimpanzees are too far-off from the capital metropolis to make a day journey possible. However, there’s a inhabitants of chimps on Ngamba Island on Lake Victoria. This tour consists of round-trip transport from Kampala with a boat-cruise, in addition to a guided chimpanzee trek, snacks, and lunch. Note that that is additionally one of the best place to see chimps in Uganda in case you have youngsters as all different websites have minimal age restrictions.
See the shoebill storks at Mabamba Swamp. One of our favourite experiences in Uganda was our boat birding safari on Mabamba Swamp to see the superior trying shoebill stork. These birds have an unimaginable shovel formed beak, and are solely present in just a few places in Uganda. The boat tour additionally consists of the chance to see many different birds, however the shoebill stork is the spotlight.
A day journey to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which is at the moment the one place to see rhino in Uganda. Includes round-trip transfers and admission to the park. We’ve visited Ziwa twice and have all the time seen rhino, a extra outstanding expertise since you truly trek and discover the rhino on foot. You will even doubtless see plenty of birds and different wildlife as properly right here. Highly really useful.
If you actually wish to go on safari in Uganda however don’t have plenty of time to spare, then take into account this 2-day in a single day journey to Murchison Falls. It is round a 4 hour drive every means, however you’ll nonetheless have time to see the spectacular Murchison Falls, take a ship experience, and do a morning recreation drive. There’s additionally the choice to incorporate a cease at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
There are additionally many multi-day safari centered excursions from Kampala, together with excursions which function chimpanzee trekking and gorilla trekking. You can see a few of the finest choices on GetYourGuide right here and Viator right here.

There are after all many extra choices for journeys from Kampala, particularly in case you have extra time. You can see a vary of choices right here. The solely factor we’d all the time advocate is to verify driving distances. Uganda is pretty giant, and also you don’t wish to spend all of your time simply sitting in a automobile getting from Point A to B.

Practicalities for Visiting Kampala

How to Get to Kampala

As the primary metropolis in Uganda, Kampala is properly related to the remainder of the nation by street. The primary airport in Uganda is in close by Entebbe, with an categorical freeway between the 2, which solely takes round half-hour to journey by automotive. Note this can be a toll street, however the payment is properly value paying because the outdated Entebbe-Kampala street can take over 2 hours to traverse because of site visitors.

If you might be arriving into Entebbe airport and staying in Entebbe or Kampala, your resort would possibly have the ability to organize an airport switch for you. You can even e-book this your self utilizing a service like this.

There can be a shared shuttle bus service from Entebbe to Kampala and Jinja often called the Pineapple Express. This affords an reasonably priced scheduled service from various Entebbe places together with the airport, and you’ll e-book this on-line right here.

How to Get Around Kampala

There are various alternative ways of getting round Kampala. The metropolis and its points of interest are fairly unfold out, so while you’ll be able to stroll to see some points of interest, it’s doubtless you will want some type of transport throughout your go to.

There are various choices, together with bike taxis (boda boda), minivan taxis (matatu), experience sharing apps like Safe Boda and Uber, in addition to non-public drivers and tour corporations. You might additionally hire a automotive and drive your self, though given the site visitors and a few of the street conditons we’d most likely advise in opposition to that.

As a global traveler, your two primary choices for fast journey are to both use a automotive (both a personal taxi or by way of experience sharing app) or to get a boda boda. The boda boda is unquestionably the quickest and least expensive possibility of the 2 and if you want to get someplace fast, these are sometimes the one possibility. They will be hailed from nearly any road. But we caught to vehicles as a result of there was the 2 of us and we felt extra protected in vehicles.

For nearly all of our Kampala sightseeing we used a ride-sharing app (Uber) to get across the metropolis. This made issues simple as we might pay by way of the app. However, we did have points with drivers probably not understanding tips on how to use the app accurately or nonetheless asking us to pay in money (we’d refuse and nonetheless pay by way of app). So simply know many drivers are new to Uber so there can nonetheless be points.

Another in style possibility is SafeBoda, which lets you specify in order for you a automotive or a boda boda (motorcycle). If you do wish to take motorcycle taxis, we do advocate reserving by way of them as you’ll be able to pay by way of the app they usually embody a helmet and security vest.

For a few of the sights we visited they had been shut sufficient to our resort that we visited them on foot. So strolling is an possibility, simply make sure you put on snug footwear you don’t thoughts getting soiled (our footwear bought a pleasant layer of reddish brown mud from our walks).

On one in all our later visits to Kampala we walked out so much, sufficient in order that the native safety individuals within the space would say whats up to us and finally stopped asking if we wished them to name us a taxi. While we felt protected wandering round on foot, it could not really feel snug or be an excellent possibility for some individuals as you’ll doubtless draw consideration. We solely walked throughout sunlight hours, and wouldn’t advocate strolling by yourself after darkish.

Of course, if you’re doing a tour that features transportation in Kampala (or a part of a a lot larger Uganda tour), then that can be a preferred means for guests to get round. On our first go to to Kampala, our driver simply dropped us off and picked us up at designated locations, making it very simple.

If you might be visiting by yourself (and not using a tour information), simply know it isn’t that arduous to get round Kampala by yourself. If you have got any questions or need assistance getting a taxi or boda boda, your resort can simply enable you organize this.

Where to Stay in Kampala

There’s a variety of inns to remain at in Kampala, throughout numerous value factors. Here are some choices to think about, together with the inns we’ve stayed at throughout our time within the metropolis.

Bushpig Backpackers – when you’re in search of a hostel in Kampala (or only a finances pleasant lodging possibility), then this is a wonderful selection. Both non-public rooms and shared dormitory rooms can be found, and it’s only a brief stroll from the Uganda Museum. There’s additionally an on-site bar and restaurant the place the included breakfast is served.
ONOMO Hotel Kampala – we’ve stayed right here twice and had a cushty keep every time. This is likely one of the newer and extra trendy inns in Kampala. There’s free WiFi, snug air-conditioned rooms, a pool, an on-site restaurant, and glorious buffet breakfast.
Humura Resorts – we stayed on this pretty stress-free boutique resort on our first go to to Kampala. Rooms are very snug and provide air-conditioning, and there’s an on-site restaurant and pool. It’s a really peaceable place that gives an oasis of calm away from the bustle of town.
Kampala Serena – we have now stayed in various Serena properties and all the time had an excellent keep, so we’re completely happy to advocate this 4* resort. Featuring a big swimming pool, air-conditioned rooms, and on-site eating places, this resort would make an incredible base for exploring town
Sheraton Kampala – This 5-star Sheraton resort is one other luxurious possibility discovered within the metropolis middle proper subsequent to the Independence Monument. It has a pool, various eating places, snug air-conditioned rooms, a health middle, a sauna, and a magnificence salon.

Of course there are lots of extra choices throughout Kampala, you’ll be able to see an entire vary of properties at various value factors on reserving.com right here.

Safety in Kampala

Lots of people ask is Kampala protected? This is inconceivable to essentially completely reply however it’s safer than many different African cities however it does have its share of violent crimes, petty crimes, dangers of terrorism, and well being threats.

That stated, we have now personally felt fairly protected in Kampala as international guests on our 4 visits to town. But you do must take regular precautions for touring in a big metropolis.

The primary dangers most vacationers will face in Kampala will probably be pickpockets and thieves. Keep in thoughts {that a} $1,000 digital camera or smartphone could also be regular to you however could imply an entire lot to somebody residing on just a few {dollars} a day. So, you’ll want to be vigilant along with your valuables and carry a minimal amount of cash on you.

The danger will doubtless be larger in busier areas like crowded markets, or on a public bus. Keeping any valuables like costly jewellery, watches, smartphones, or cameras out of sight is a clever concept. If you don’t want them, I’d preserve them within the resort. You’ll most likely discover in a few of the pictures that whilst a photographer I left my huge digital camera at residence most days and simply carried a little bit compact digital camera with a thick neck strap.

A cash belt, corresponding to this Eagle Creek one (which is the one we personal), is an efficient technique to retailer cash, bank cards, resort key, passports, and many others. You will wish to guarantee something that may be snatched is secured, so for instance a cross-body purse or digital camera strap that goes round your neck goes to be higher than having one thing slung over a shoulder that may be extra simply taken. If you select to put on a backpack, make sure that the closures/zippers will be secured.

Having a information or becoming a member of a tour will assist scale back your danger; nonetheless, observe you continue to should be vigilant even with a information as they’ll’t all the time be watching you and your valuables.

If you select to hire a automotive (not really useful for most individuals), keep away from leaving valuables in your automotive and park it in a safe spot at evening.

As with anyplace on the planet, the chance will increase at evening, and it’s usually finest to keep away from strolling alone at evening in most areas. Taking a ride-share as a part of a gaggle, or simply touring with a personal information, is probably going going to be safer.

A particular consideration for journey to Uganda ought to be made for LGBTQ+ vacationers after the passing of the May 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act. According to the U.S. Department of State, LGBT individuals (or individuals perceived as such and people selling LGBT points) are at elevated danger for fines, violence, harassment, imprisonment, and may even face the dying penalty.

Language in Kampala

The official languages of Uganda are English and Swahili; nonetheless, there are plenty of native languages spoken in Uganda.

The most generally spoken language within the space is Luganda. Luganda is the language of the Baganda individuals (Kampala is a part of the Buganda area, the biggest of the normal kingdoms in Uganda).

Although Swahili has been made an official language, we not often heard locals talking it until chatting with guests from different East African nations. Some instructed us they like to not communicate the language because it reminds them of the time of Amin and army violence. However, it’s the language they share with many of the remainder of East Africa.

As a vacationer in Entebbe and Kampala, you may get by fairly properly with English as most individuals within the tourism business right here communicate a minimum of some English. At points of interest and museums, the data is commonly written in English.

If you don’t communicate English, Swahili, or a neighborhood language corresponding to Luganda, it is best to take into account hiring a information or translator to get essentially the most of your time in Kampala. Or a minimum of carry an excellent written guidebook with you.

Currency in Kampala

The primary forex in Uganda is the Ugandan Shilling, or UGX. This is accepted all over the place.

The US greenback can be usually accepted, however try to be conscious that they should be current payments in superb form. Any type of marking or injury to the invoice means it’s unlikely to be accepted because of a worry of the financial institution not accepting it. We had this occur various instances in Uganda (and different African nations). So it’s usually simpler to only discover an ATM and withdraw UGX.

Credit playing cards are additionally accepted at most inns and bigger eating places, however this isn’t common, so it’s finest to all the time carry some forex with you.

Health in Kampala

As with many international locations around the globe, you’ll want to take some precautions to make sure you keep wholesome as a customer to Uganda.

Before you go to you’ll want to guarantee you might be updated on any vaccinations you want. You also needs to talk about any present suggestions for journey to Uganda, which is able to doubtless embody anti-malarial remedy.

You can get malaria in Kampala though the chance is decrease than in most different elements of Uganda. Note that along with malaria, mosquitoes can carry and transmit various different illnesses so prevention is essential (insect repellent, carrying lengthy sleeves and pants, and many others.)

We additionally extremely advocate studying the well being recommendation given by your native authorities for vacationers to Uganda. You can see the U.S. CDC journey well being info and proposals to vacationers right here, and from the UK authorities right here.

Reading the well being warnings issued by governments generally is a bit scary as there have been outbreaks of some fairly critical issues like ebola, mpox (monkeypox), cholera, and yellow fever in Uganda. But simply know that these are usually small outbreaks and you aren’t prone to come into contact with them as a vacationer. But it is best to nonetheless be educated and take obligatory precautions.

The primary well being situation most travellers are prone to face goes to be an upset abdomen. This will be attributable to quite a lot of issues, however is most frequently attributable to consuming or ingesting one thing with contaminated water.

When it involves water, you’ll want to keep on with filtered, handled, or bottled water. You’ll additionally wish to keep away from contemporary salads, raw greens and fruits (until you’ll be able to peel it), unpasteurized milk, cooked meals that aren’t served sizzling, and many others. until you understand they’re from a good and licensed meals vendor (corresponding to your resort restaurant).

If you’d choose to keep away from shopping for bottled water in Kampala, you’ll be able to learn this text on protected ingesting water when touring for tactics that you may deal with water when touring. We used a Grayl water filter bottle for filtering faucet water for ingesting, cooking (e.g, washing fruits), and brushing our tooth whereas in Kampala on our final journey. This made it in order that we didn’t want to purchase any bottled water.

For meals, it’s finest to try to eat at respected institutions the place attainable. If you wish to be extra adventurous, a good suggestion is to take a meals tour like this one that we did, the place the tour information will steer you in direction of protected dishes and take you to locations which have good hygiene requirements.

As individuals who have been sick in Uganda (most definitely from consuming contemporary greens on a sandwich), we extremely advocate being cautious and following the really useful tips. We had been in Uganda for just a few weeks at that time and let our guard down for a day which was a mistake that left us sick for a number of days.

Tours of Kampala

There are various excursions of Kampala that you may take, which is able to give you a protected, guided expertise in Uganda’s capital metropolis. We’ve taken various strolling excursions in Kampala they usually had been all glorious, with pleasant, educated guides who helped us actually perceive what we had been seeing. Here are some excursions we advocate.

This meals tour, which incorporates a variety of tasty meals, from road meals classics by way of to a sit-down buffet meal. We’ve taken this tour.
This strolling tour, which incorporates most of the highlights of Kampala that we point out on this information. We’ve taken this tour as properly.
This is one other tour of Kampala, which additionally visits various highlights within the metropolis. We haven’t personally taken this one however it’s extremely reviewed.

Getting Online in Uganda

You have just a few choices for getting on-line whenever you go to Uganda. First, many locations together with nearly all of inns have free WiFi, so it is possible for you to to attach a smartphone, pill, or laptop computer to WiFi. There can be typically free WiFi at espresso outlets and eating places, particularly these catering to vacationers.

However, you might be doubtless additionally going to wish to be on-line even when not in vary of a free WiFi hotspot. Most guides for instance use WhatsApp for communication, which works over the web. If you wish to use a ride-sharing service like Uber you’ll additionally want to have the ability to get on-line.

So which means you’ll want a SIM card with information connectivty. We have used Airtel, and we purchased a SIM card from the Airtel kiosk on the arrivals corridor within the airport. There are just a few totally different carriers, however Airtel labored properly for us and was an excellent value. It additionally had the benefit that as we had been visiting just a few totally different East African international locations we had been in a position to buy a roaming information bundle which coated us in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania as properly.

Another possibility could be to make use of an eSIM service in case your telephone helps it. We’ve used Airalo in Uganda. We typically use Airalo after we journey (see our full Airalo evaluation right here). It’s usually barely costlier than shopping for a neighborhood SIM, however will allow you to get on-line as quickly as you land and skip having to discover a SIM card and undergo the native technique of registering it.

If you need extra recommendation on web entry when touring, see our information to getting on-line when touring for some ideas and recommendation.

Power Outlets / Travel Adapters for Uganda

Uganda makes use of a three-pin plug (Type G plug), as one can find within the UK and various different international locations in East Africa. If you might be coming from the UK or different nation that makes use of the British plug, then your tools will probably be effective and also you shouldn’t want a journey adapter.

If you might be visiting from a unique nation, corresponding to from the USA, Canada, or most of Europe, then you will want a journey adaptor like this.

Additionally, Uganda makes use of a 220v-240v system. This is just like a lot of the world except for elements of the Americas, together with Canada and the USA, the place 110v is the norm. If you might be travelling from one in all these international locations, you will want to verify in case your tools helps the upper voltage. It ought to be written on the plug.

Generally, decrease powered units like cameras, laptops, and telephone chargers assist 110v – 240v, while larger energy units like hairdryers don’t. See our information to journey adapters for extra on this subject.