Uganda

My Uganda travel summary:

Visited: February 2005, January 2025

Duration of visit: 10 days

Capital city: Kampala

Population: 28 million (2026)

Uganda travel blog reading time: 11 minutes

• Extremely warm and humble people, showing respect appreciation in a calm way.
• Unsuccessful chimpanzees trekking in Budongo Forest Reserve.
• Kampala – one of the fastest growing cities in the world is hectic, but still easy going.
• Jinja – the adventure capital of East Africa.
• The power of falling Nile River at Murchison Falls.
• The traditions and customs of the Kingdom of Buganda.

Named The Pearl of Africa by Winston Churchill … for magnificence, for variety of form and color, for profusion of brilliant life — bird, insect, reptile, beast — for vast scale and natural attractions.

Well known for wild animals’ safaris, endangered mountain gorillas and chimpanzees trekking. It also offers the second-largest freshwater lake, Lake Victoria, white-water rafting, and many other natural beauties and things to do. Furthermore, with friendly, warm, and humble people, Uganda is becoming a stable African country with a bright future.

Uganda straddles the Equator, enjoys plenty of sunny days and rainfall, creating exuberant vegetation, rainforest and voluminous rivers.

Uganda was part of my overland trip from Europe, through the Middle East and East Africa – the African Big Tour.

Since I had already visited many national parks in Kenya and my budget couldn’t afford gorilla trekking, I avoided these two activities in Uganda.

Nevertheless, I traveled around the country long enough to enjoy the main cities, meet locals, taste the food, and discover exciting places to visit.

Crossing the border from Kenya was straightforward, since my visa was previously arranged at the embassy in Nairobi. Emigration officers on both sides were efficient, but rude when returning my passport. Matatu (minivan) was small, offering very limited space under the seats. It was hard to fit my backpack and stretch my legs, but it was no different from other neighboring countries.

The adventure capital of East Africa – the town of Jinja – was my first stop on my Uganda travel adventure. The white-water rafting, the Source of the Nile, and bungee jumping are the main reasons why so many backpackers stop in this city, located on the north shores of Lake Victoria.

However, I will remember Jinja mainly for its friendly people and the many bicycle boda bodas.

Jinja welcomed me with friendly people and a colorful market full of cheap fruits and clothes. The seamstresses worked right on the street without being bothered by people or traffic. The stable power supply has attracted many factories to the area. This is slowly changing local life and creating more jobs for young people.

People are quiet, fit, calm and amiable, reminding me on Sudanese; the opposite of intrusive, overweight Kenyans. The bicycle riders, called boda bodas, have an especially elegant posture as they carry passengers and goods over short distances. I sat on a cushioned seat above the rear carrier, held my luggage, and enjoyed the smooth ride.

The basic condition for the service of bicycles boda bodas is flat area, without exaggerated climbs up the streets. It would be impossible to ride uphill on these heavy bikes with so much weight.

Football is a synonym for sport in East Africa.

Well, when we talk about football, it means English Premiership League. It seems that a big majority of fans in Jinja support either Arsenal or Manchester City. I don’t have any preferences, but simply like to enjoy a good match with plenty of goals. Everybody was happy when Chelsea lost the game that was transmitted on a big screen in a kind of improvised cinema, where a symbolic fee has to be paid to enter and enjoy the game.

Predominantly male fans were frenetic like the biggest fanatics in the stadium. They jumped out of the chairs at any good pass, play, defense or action.

Watching a football match with the fans turned out to be the most exciting thing to do in Jinja.

After almost a year of travelling through the Middle East and East Africa my budget was very limited and I was running out of money for expensive adventures available in Jinja. Still, I booked rafting on the Nile with a local agency, but the next morning I was not feeling very well and I had to cancel the participation. Unfortunately, my stomach did not allow me to try one of the most exciting adventures on the famous river.

I was really disappointed, since there are not many opportunities for this kind of adventures in Africa.

Pleasantly green capital city of Uganda is much bigger and hilly than Jinja. Bicycle boda boda was replaced by moto boda boda, but the kindness and calmness of the drivers remained unchanged. It felt safe and secure, and nobody pushed me to buy goods or services. I noticed many Indian and Bangladeshi expats, and they run many good Indian restaurants.

I visited the Uganda Museum, the oldest museum in East Africa, opened in 1908. It shows traditional culture, daily life, music with playable instruments, hunting tools, archaeology, science, and natural history.

Religious buildings in Uganda show a mix of different faiths, including mosques, churches, and the Bahai temple. The Bahai Temple was the first of its kind in Africa. When it was completed in 1962, it stood as the tallest landmark in East Africa.

A reasonable alternative to expensive gorilla trekking is watching monkeys and chimpanzees in a national park. Budongo Central Forest Reserve in the Murchison Falls National Park is a mahogany tree-lined home to the largest number of chimpanzees in Uganda.

About 600 chimpanzees are estimated to live in the forest.

Driving from Kampala to Masindi was a pure pleasure … for our matatu driver.

The road was in perfect condition. The driver pushed the matatu up to 160 km/h on some sections and 120 km/h on dirt roads. I really suffered and felt scared, as the speed made the ride very stressful and unsafe. I didn’t feel comfortable in a small van going so fast when you can’t predict what other drivers will do.

We arrived to the camp to early. There were no employees at the site yet, only a few drunk farmers who invited me to visit the nearby village. During a short walk the situation turned out to be unpleasant, when drugged guys became aggressive and forced me to follow them. Somehow, I managed to get away from them and check into my room.

The real action in the wilderness began at night, while I was lying in the comfortable hut of my cottage inside the park. Monkeys and chimpanzees started to scream loud, sounding like whooping bark or roar.

They seemed to be in the trees around the cottage, calling to each other and scaring visitors.

The next morning, we went for a walk in the forest to look for chimpanzees. In a distance we heard many noises, but we couldn’t spot a single one. I only saw red-tailed monkeys and black-and-white colobus monkeys. It was not the highlight of my Uganda travel adventure, but it was still a pleasant experience.

Entebbe was the old capital before independence and lies on the northern shores of Lake Victoria.

It is famous for its National Botanical Gardens and the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, which also serves as the national zoo.

I spotted many primates in botanical gardens and finally saw chimpanzees in an overpriced zoo.

Of course, it is not the same as seeing animals in the wild, where they live freely in their natural environment.

Botanical Gardens were established in 1898 on the shores of Lake Victoria. They are one of the oldest botanical gardens in Africa, with over 300 species, impressive collection of trees and plants. They also offer home to a number of monkeys and good location for birdwatching.

In 2026, I returned to Uganda for a short stay after exploring South Sudan. I visited Murchison Falls National Park as a day trip, driving from Pakwach to Masindi as part of my Uganda travel adventure.

Although the game viewing is highly promoted thing to do in the park, I was very disappointed by little animal I spotted. Even more, most of them were partly covered by high grass or to far to really appreciate them properly (elephants and giraffes). Since I also missed the lion family, I can say that the first part of my visit to Murchison National Park was a waste of money.

At midday, I reached Murchison Falls, one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world. Here, the Nile River is forced through a very narrow gap in the rocks and drops with great force.

After a short introduction by a local guide, I walked along the well-planned trail that led me to several viewpoints. I watched the falls from a distance as the strong current of the Victoria Nile rushes down to a lower level and then continues more slowly toward Lake Albert.

As I got closer to the circular falls, I could feel the great power of the water as it fell with a loud roar. I got wet while standing only a few meters above the edge, as a beautiful rainbow appeared over the water.

The second part of the trip made the visit to the park worthwhile.

I ended my day in Masindi, where I explored the main highlights of the town: the bustling central market and a lively Café Milano at night.

The second part of the trip made the visit to the park worthwhile.

I ended my day in Masindi, where I explored the main highlights of the town: the bustling central market and a lively Café Milano at night.

In 2026 I returned to Kampala and spent a few days exploring some landmarks and popular places to visit. I was surprised, how much the city traffic had grown in the last 20 years. I spent my time moving around the capital on boda bodas to feel the atmosphere of different parts of the city. The riders were very friendly and always offered a fair price and an exciting ride.

My only request was: “Please drive slowly, calmly, and safely.”

After the drivers nodded and agreed, I relaxed on the back seat and watched how the boda bodas went through red lights, avoided potholes, and passed slower vehicles. In the end, it always worked out well in a surprisingly calm way, without shouting, honking, or getting angry at other drivers.

Tasting good Indian food, sweet mangoes, cold beer, and Western desserts at a Java Coffee restaurant were the highlights of my culinary experience.

Beside other landmarks in Kampala, I also visited three most important buildings of the kingdom of Buganda: the Kasubi Tombs, the Buganda Parliament (Bulange), and the Kabaka’s Palace (the residence of the king of Buganda). Through the words of the local guides I learned a lot about the history of one of the most important kingdoms in Uganda.

The kingdom of the Baganda people is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day East Africa. It brings together a rich traditional monarchy, a complex clan-based society, enduring cultural traditions, and a strong identity that continues in modern Uganda.

The royal contribution to Uganda’s development is significant. The kings also played an important role in working with the British so the country could become independent in a peaceful way.

The Kasubi Tombs are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the burial place of four kings of Buganda.

The main building, called Muzibu Azaala Mpanga, is a large traditional hut made mostly from natural materials. The largest grass-thatched building in the world is precisely designed to be practical and comfortable inside. This building is a masterpiece of traditional Baganda architecture. It is 31 meters wide and almost 8 meters tall.

Although the king of Buganda no longer has political power, his role as the protector of culture and tradition is still very important in the 21^st century.

Uganda was not my main destination on my North and East Africa trip in 2005, so I stayed in the country for only a short time. Still enough to appreciate extremely friendly, calm and honest people, who seem to treat foreigners as their bosses. For the moments I was feeling almost uncomfortably when treated and named in such a humble way.

Rather unusually high percentage of the population lives in rural areas (80%), which reflects decentralized system that has so far maintained cities enjoyable and not overcrowded. Almost half of the population is below 14 years old, making Uganda the second most youthful country.

All these are key factors, why Uganda will probably convert into one of the fastest growing countries in Africa in the next decades, in population and economy.

If the country manages to avoid internal ethnical conflicts, political tensions and suppress corruption ambitions, it possesses a strong potential to emerge as one of the most successful nations in Africa.

During my second visit to Uganda in 2026, I noticed strong population growth and a warm welcome for visitors. The Uganda travel experience showed me how different religious communities live together in harmony, making the country a pleasant place to visit and live.