Uganda

Travellers are flocking to Uganda's beautiful mountains, trekking opportunities and communities of mountain gorillas. Kampala is now the modern, bustling capital of a new Uganda, a country with one of the fastest growing economies in Africa.

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Uganda has a heady tropical climate tempered by altitude, which averages more than 1000m (3281ft). December to February are the hottest months, with the heat lingering around 29°C (84°F) during the day, and cooler temperatures in the mountains. The rainy seasons in the south are from March to May and October to November, the wettest month being April. In the north the wet season is from April to October.

Transport

Getting around

Uganda Airlines has no scheduled internal flights; however, there are several smaller airlines offering both scheduled and charter flights. Eagle Air and Unite Airlines offer flights throughout the country. Most locals get around by share minibuses (known as taxis), and there's never a shortage of them. Fares are fixed and vehicles leave when full.

Buses connect the major towns on a daily basis and Ugandan postal service minibuses travel from Kampala to all major centres several times a week. The latter cost less and are safer and faster than the former. Kampala also has bicycle taxis (known locally as boda-boda, as they originally used to shuttle people between border, or boda, posts).

There's an excellent system of roads between most major centres in the southern part of Uganda, though some require a 4WD. Rental car companies are based near the airport in Entebbe, Kampala and other major towns. Drivers need an international drivers licence and must drive on the left. Note that road signs are non-existent and fuel is horrifically expensive.

Getting there and away

Kampala's international airport is actually in Entebbe, 35km (22mi) southwest of the capital. Plenty of taxis and minibuses ply between the airport and Kampala. Few travellers enter Uganda by air because most flights to east Africa from Europe and north America use the Kenyan capital of Nairobi as a gateway.

From Nairobi, most people then travel by bus to Uganda. There are flights to Entebbe from Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. If you leave Uganda by air there's a departure tax of 40.00.

The two border posts used by most visitors travelling by bus from Kenya are Malaba and Busia. The route into Uganda from Tanzania goes through the Kagera salient on the western side of Lake Victoria between Bukoba and Masaka. From Rawanda the main crossing point is located between Kabale and Kigali, via Katuna (Uganda) and Gatuna (Rwanda).

From The Democratic Republic of Congo, the two main crossing points are west from Kisoro to Rutshuru via Bunagana, and northwest from Kasese to Beni. However, even with the advent of peace there are still several rival rebel factions roaming the countryside. For this reason, we do not recommend crossing at any border, except the Bunagana crossing, and even in this case, check, check and check again in Kampala and Kisoro. Entry from Sudan, which entails travelling through the dangerous north of Uganda is not recommended at present.

Direct buses operate between Kampala and Nairobi daily, and take around 12 to 14 hours. All Ugandan passenger-train services have been suspended for several years and, until a large injection of cash is found, the situation is unlikely to change.

Health & Legal Requirements

Visas overview

Citizens of most countries require visas to enter Uganda. Ugandan visas are available at all major land borders and the international airport at Entebbe. All nationalities require an International Health Certificate showing proof of a yellow fever vaccination within the past 10 years.