Kampala
Uganda's capital on its hills above Lake Victoria, with the thatched tombs of the Buganda kings at Kasubi and the lakeshore of Munyonyo ten kilometres from the centre.
- Arrival
- Entebbe International · EBB
- To the city
- About 40 km by road
- Private jets
- Into EBB, a 24-hour airport of entry
- Best time
- January to February · June to September
The city
Hills, kings and the lake.
Kampala is a city of hills: Nakasero with its offices and the old Apolo Hotel of 1967, now the Sheraton; Kasubi, where the kings of Buganda lie under a great thatched dome; Mengo, seat of the Kabaka. To the south-east the city runs down to Lake Victoria at Munyonyo, where the Commonwealth heads of government met in 2007 and where boats now tie up at a resort marina.
The airport is at Entebbe, forty kilometres away by road, so a night in the capital is optional. It is worth it for the Kasubi Tombs, restored after the fire of 2010, and for the lake at sunset. The heat barely changes through the year; January and February and the months from June to September are the driest.
Arriving
By way of Entebbe.
Every arrival comes through Entebbe International, on the lake shore about forty kilometres south-west of the centre by road.
- Kigali 50 min
- Addis Ababa 1 h 55
- Abu Dhabi 4 h 55
- Munich 7 h 40 long-range jet
- Beijing 12 h 30 long-range jet
When to go
January to February, and June to September.
Very steady: 26 to 29 °C by day in every month. Two rainy seasons, March to May and October to December, bring most of the year's rain. January and February, and June to September, are the drier spells.
- 29° J 67
- 29° F 75
- 28° M 141
- 28° A 194
- 27° M 172
- 27° J 83
- 26° J 64
- 27° A 86
- 27° S 94
- 28° O 129
- 28° N 163
- 28° D 101
What to see and do
Days in and around Kampala.
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Landmark
Kasubi Tombs
A royal palace of 1882 that became the burial ground of four Kabakas, rebuilt in wood, reed and thatch after a fire in 2010, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
-
Landmark
Mengo Palace
The palace of the Kabaka of Buganda, on Mengo hill.
-
Landmark
Munyonyo
The lakeshore south-east of the centre, with a marina, riding stables and boats out onto Lake Victoria.
-
Culture
Uganda Museum
Founded in 1908 and on Kira Road since 1954, the national museum shows ethnography, archaeology, natural history and a gallery of traditional musical instruments.
Official site -
Opera & music
Ndere Cultural Centre
Home of the Ndere Troupe, this Kira Road centre stages Ugandan dance, poetry and drama on Wednesday and Sunday evenings, served with a meal.
Official site -
Wildlife
Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary
Run by the Chimpanzee Trust since 1998, the island 23 km out on Lake Victoria cares for rescued chimpanzees, reached by speedboat from Entebbe in about 45 minutes.
Official site -
Wildlife
Mabamba Bay Wetland
On the northern shore of Lake Victoria, this Ramsar wetland and Important Bird Area is one of Uganda's best places to see the shoebill from a boat.
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Culture
Uganda Martyrs Shrine Namugongo
Pope Paul VI laid the foundation stone of this Catholic basilica in 1969, and the shrine opened on 3 June 1975 after some eight years of building.
Where to stay
On Nakasero and by the lake.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Kampala Serena Hotel Set in seventeen acres of water gardens in central Kampala.
- Sheraton Kampala Hotel Opened in 1967 as the Apolo Hotel: fourteen floors and 233 rooms beside the public gardens that now carry its name.
-
Speke Resort Munyonyo Opened in time for the Commonwealth summit of 2007, now 335 rooms on the lake with a marina and an equestrian centre.
- Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa Mediterranean-style buildings on the lakeshore, with a championship golf course and a marina.
- Protea Hotel by Marriott Kampala Skyz Graded four-star by the Uganda Tourism Board in its latest round.
- Protea Hotel by Marriott Kampala The second Protea in the capital, also holding a four-star grade from the tourism board.
- Four Points by Sheraton Kampala A four-star Marriott hotel in the capital, confirmed in the tourism board's 2025 grading.
- Hotel Africana In the capital, rated four-star in the national grading.
- Kabira Country Club A country club with rooms, graded four-star by the tourism board.
- Mestil Hotel A four-star hotel under the national grading published in 2026.
Where to dine
The best table in town.
No restaurant guide covers Uganda. This is the fine-dining room of the Kampala Serena Hotel.
- The Pearl Restaurant Signature restaurant, Kampala Serena Hotel Cosmopolitan Kampala Serena Hotel, city centre
Elsewhere in Uganda
More reasons to come.
- Entebbe The airport, and botanical gardens on Lake Victoria.
- Jinja Where the Nile leaves Lake Victoria.
- Murchison Falls The Nile forced through a gap seven metres wide.
- Queen Elizabeth A national park whose lions climb trees in the Ishasha sector.
- Bwindi Impenetrable forest, home to about half the world's mountain gorillas.
Flying to Kampala?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.