Guide to Entebbe City

Entebbe is a peninsula town on the northern shores of Lake Victoria. It is the most charming town, a summer-like lake resort where residents do no more business than is necessary. The town spreads passively, carelessly over the peninsula, in an equally lazy fashion, to the lake. Its houses are more like lost among the trees, for a significant part of Entebbe is heavily wooded.

Entebbe is even more attractive when seen close at hand than when viewed from afar. It is a picnic-suggesting haven amid a well-timbered botanical gardens park, where the grass comes down to the water’s edge.

When you hike up to the high ground, like on Nsamizi Hill, you can see a glimpse of Lake Victoria through a gap in trees or a barrier of palm trunks from every point.

The view from the height upon which the State House stands is unequaled for charm. It shows a broad arm of the sea, alive with islands, stretching inland to recede from view among the tree-covered hills. It is a flood of blue water pouring eagerly into the great green forest.

Sprawling along the Lake Victoria shore, some 35 kilometers south of Kampala, Entebbe exudes a tropical languor atmosphere. And particularly for those with a strong interest in natural history (and who aren’t looking for budget accommodation), it makes for an altogether more appealing introduction to Uganda than the capital, Kampala.

And even if you stay in Kampala, this pretty lakeside town is only worth visiting for its lush green golf course, spectacular scenery, and wonderful botanical garden. The garden, teeming with birds, practically guarantees close-up views of black-and-white colobus monkeys. 

Entebbe’s attractions, like Ngamba Chimpanzee Island, Mabamba Swamps, and Ssese (Kalangala) Islands on Lake Victoria and UWEC Zoo, are a rewarding introduction to Uganda’s incredible gifts.

Entebbe is a popular choice for Ugandans on holiday. Most inbound travelers can’t avoid it because it is the only international airport in Uganda. Many tourists spend a day or two here before or after their countryside journey. 

There’s accommodation to cater to all travel styles. From budget hostels to upmarket luxury hotels, restaurants, and bars, Entebbe cuts off the crowded and noisy Kampala experience.

Getting to Entebbe and around

Entebbe is connected to the mainland with a single road like United Kindom and Bahrain and is the only connection to international air traffic. Also, by water, like the famous colonial explorer John Hanning Speke, you can leisurely float between Entebbe, Tanzania, Kenya, and other Ugandan ports on Lake Victoria.

Entebbe can be one of your most exciting African cities on large water bodies to explore with just a bike. Even traveling between Entebbe and the mainland is exciting because the first city you enter inland is the bustling Ugandan capital, Kampala. Where local and international cultures mix and mingle to create a vibrant environment for evolving modern new cultures.

Minibus taxis from Kampala to Entebbe leave from the old taxi park every ten minutes or so and take up to an hour. Entebbe has a central taxi park in Kitooro town, about 3 km from the International Airport, where you can catch a Kampala-bound public taxi.

You’ll find the other taxi park between the police station and Victoria Mall in the main colonial town. You can catch a direct ride from here to Kampala for about 6,000 UGX.