Entebbe

The main gateway to Uganda — around 70,000 people on the northern shore of Lake Victoria, 40 km from the capital, Kampala. The country's principal international airport (EBB) is here. Entebbe was the capital of the British Protectorate of Uganda from 1894 to 1962. Today it is a relaxed lakeside town, far quieter than Kampala, and an ideal first or last stop on a trip to Uganda. Outside the country it is known above all for the Entebbe raid of 1976, when Israeli special forces rescued the hostages from a hijacked Air France aircraft.

Main sights

• Lake Victoria — the largest lake in Africa and the second largest in the world, and Entebbe's defining water. Boat trips and fishing.
• Entebbe Botanical Gardens — the oldest in East Africa (1898), covering 40 hectares. The 1948 Tarzan film was shot here. Colobus monkeys and more than 200 bird species.
• Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) — the country's main zoo and a rehabilitation centre for wild animals.
• Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary — a refuge for around 50 chimpanzees on an island in Lake Victoria, an hour away by boat. A half-day visit costs $50-80, or you can stay overnight.
• Mabamba Bay Wetlands — the best place in the world to see the shoebill, Africa's great prehistoric-looking bird. An hour by boat through the papyrus, with an early start.
• The Baháʼí House of Worship — the only one on the continent, on Kikaaya Hill in Kampala, 40 minutes away.
• Mabira Forest — the largest rainforest in southern Uganda.
• The Ssese Islands — an archipelago of 84 islands in Lake Victoria with Uganda's best beaches, though bilharzia is present in the water, so do not swim without checking.
• Speke Resort — the leading luxury hotel in Entebbe.
• The Entebbe raid memorial — a monument to the four people who died in the 1976 operation.
• Kampala — the capital, 40 km away (see its own page).
• Jinja — 110 km away, the source of the Nile and the country's rafting centre.

Food and prices

The cooking is Ugandan: matoke (steamed plantain, the national staple), posho, the rolex (an omelette rolled in chapati, the great street food), and smoked Nile perch from the lake. Lunch at a hotel is $6-12, dinner in a restaurant $15-30. Local Nile Special beer costs $2. A litre of petrol is $1.30, a taxi across town $5-10, and a boda-boda motorcycle taxi $1-3 — more reliable booked through the SafeBoda app; Uber and Bolt run $3-8. Prices are as of 2026.

Getting there and getting around

Entebbe International Airport (EBB) is 4 km from the centre, served by Brussels Airlines, KLM, Qatar, Turkish, Emirates, Ethiopian and RwandAir. A taxi from the airport into Entebbe costs $5-7, to Kampala $25-35, and the shuttle $10-15. Around town, walk or use boda-bodas, Uber and Bolt.

When to go

June to August and December to February are the dry seasons, at 18-28°C. The rains (March to May, September to November) bring afternoon downpours. At 1,145 m the climate is mild all year. For the shoebill at Mabamba, dawn is best, and the birds are there year-round.