Five-star City centre, Kampala
Kampala Serena Hotel
One hundred and eighty-six rooms in seventeen acres of water gardens on Kintu Road, close to the business district and the embassies of central Kampala.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Rooms
- 186 rooms and suites
- Opened
- July 2006, on the site of the Nile Hotel
- Grounds
- About 17 acres of water gardens
- From the airport
- About an hour from Entebbe, our estimate
The hotel
The old Nile Hotel, rebuilt.
The conference hall next door went up in 1975 for a summit of the Organisation of African Unity, a hexagonal building raised by a Yugoslav contractor. Under Idi Amin the complex, with the Nile Hotel International beside it, was taken over for the regime's own use. Serena Hotels took the property over, closed it for about eighteen months of near-total rebuilding, and opened the Kampala Serena on 31 July 2006.
A year later Queen Elizabeth II spent four nights here during the Commonwealth summit of 2007. The hotel joined The Leading Hotels of the World in 2008, and a later expansion added rooms and a second Presidential Suite. The grounds remain the draw: seventeen acres of lawns, pools and streams in the middle of the capital. The main shareholder is the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development.
- Water gardens Seventeen acres of lawns, ponds and streams, with an outdoor pool, a children's pool and a pool bar among them.
- Maisha Spa A spa and health club built in the style of a Moroccan palace, with a gym, sauna and steam room.
- Serena Conference Centre The hexagonal hall of 1975, seating up to 1,500 people for conferences and weddings.
Rooms & suites
From a garden room to a presidential floor.
Every room is non-smoking, and many look over the gardens. Interconnecting rooms and cots are available for families.
- Rooms Deluxe and Superior Deluxe From 47 to 52 square metres, with king or twin beds; the Garden View rooms face the water gardens.
- Suites Executive Suite About 95 square metres. Six of them overlook the gardens; the Executive Club Suite runs to 106.
- Top floor Royal and Presidential Suites The Royal Suite covers 262 square metres and the Presidential Suite 372.
Dining
Six places to eat and drink.
Restaurants and bars as listed by the hotel. Shown for information.
- The Pearl Restaurant & Champagne Bar Fine dining with Ugandan touches Evenings only
- The Lakes Restaurant International Breakfast, lunch, themed dinners and Sunday brunch
- Explorer Italian Bistro Italian Handmade pasta and wood-fired pizza
- The Ssese Patisserie Ugandan coffee and pastries Cakes made to order
- The Mist Bar Wine, cocktails and whisky Drinks made with local botanicals
Recognition
Grades and memberships.
- Uganda Tourism Board Five stars, 2025 grading
- The Leading Hotels of the World Member since 2008
Good to know
Before you go.
- Children Welcome. Extra beds, cots and babysitting can be arranged with notice.
- Smoking All rooms are non-smoking.
- Airport The hotel can send a car or limousine to Entebbe on request.
Getting there
Flying to Kampala.
All flights, scheduled and private, arrive at Entebbe International, about 40 kilometres south-west by road. Allow about an hour for the drive, our estimate, depending on traffic in town. The hotel can send a car to meet you.
- Nairobi 1 h 00
- Johannesburg 4 h 15
- Dubai 5 h 15
- Geneva 7 h 55 long-range jet
- London 8 h 55 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- How far is the Kampala Serena from Entebbe airport?
- About 40 kilometres by road, or roughly an hour by car by our estimate, depending on traffic in town.
- Is the Kampala Serena a five-star hotel?
- Yes. It holds five stars in the Uganda Tourism Board's 2025 grading.
- Does the Kampala Serena have a pool and a spa?
- Yes. There is an outdoor pool with a children's pool beside it, and the Maisha Spa & Health Club with a gym, sauna and steam room.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Kampala?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Kampala, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Kampala
Other hotels worth the trip.
- 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.
Staying at Kampala Serena Hotel?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Kampala, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.