Traveling to Uganda is less known among travelers. Many people think this is a dangerous place and that is exactly why you should put it on your travel map! Almost no tourists, good prices, friendly people and amazing nature speak for themselves.
To start with your Uganda travel organization read the following travel guide and find out, why Uganda is so special to me and other travelers.
Table of Contents
Uganda travel guide and travel tips
Uganda tourist visa
Visa is needed in Uganda, but luckily you can get it at the border. All you have to prepare is 50 USD and you can start with your Uganda travel.
Uganda transportation
There are buses widely available, but you will need a lot of time to go far, as they are slow and breakable. Don’t be nervous because of it as this is Africa! A good option for Uganda travel is also renting your own vehicle and it is not as costly as you might think. Check out the company Road Trip Uganda, where you can rent a 4×4 Toyota RAV4, with complete camping equipment with no additional charges. My husband and I rented their car and this was probably the best decision we made – freedom which you get is indescribable, especially if you like photography, as the best motives are always in places, where buses don’t stop.
We have also wrote our self-drive Uganda travel itinerary in a special blog post here.
Accommodation in Uganda
If you are traveling on a tight budget, you can get a modest double room for 2-4 EUR/night or even less. A clean and comfortable double room with a private bathroom and breakfast will cost you about 20 EUR/night. Touristic areas have many camping places and you can pitch your tent for about 3-6 EUR/pp or you can rent a more comfortable tent for about 30-35 EUR/night. National parks have many amazing and very luxury lodges, but don’t dare to think about them if you are traveling low budget as the cheapest ones start from about 90 EUR/night.
Ugandan food
Food in Uganda is not just matoke and chapati, but due to landscape with lots of water, Uganda is rich with different vegetables, fruit and even fish. There are even some crocodile farms, where you can try the crocodile steak. Simon and I did some cooking by ourselves and bought all the needed things at the local markets. Whenever you want to eat in a local restaurant or at a small family campsite, prepare yourself to wait long… and I really mean long! The best thing to do is, to order your meal at least 3-4 hours in advance and it will be ready at the agreed hour, otherwise, you’ll wait and wait… Everything we ate, was delicious and not very expensive. (dinner / lunch 3-6 EUR, chapati 0,15-0,30 EUR, The Nile beer 1,00-1,50 EUR, Big bottle of water 0,60-0,85 EUR, Coca-cola 0,50-0,60 EUR)
Bargain for price
You can try your bargain skills at the local markets or when looking for some local guides for manyata tour. Otherwise people are pretty honest and when we bought something at the market, we normally were told to pay the same as the locals do.
Woman traveler in Uganda
I was traveling to Uganda with my husband, but everyone thought we are brother and sister, as we have not got any kids. I guess I am already so old, that according to their standards, I should already have at least two or three kids. Whenever I was walking around by myself, some men started to talk to me immediately, but they were never pushy.
Things to do in Uganda
Uganda has so many things to offer, you will always say your travel is too short to do and see everything. Uganda is rich with diverse landscape, wild animal life, Karamojong tribe and their manyatas, Crater lakes, The River Nile and probably the highlight of your trip – Silverback Gorillas. Read, what are my TOP things to do in Uganda.
Safety in Uganda
If you are not wandering around Kampala late at night, I can say without doubt, that Uganda is a safe country. Media are talking about Uganda differently, but don’t be scared to travel here. Simon and I were traveling completely by our selves, stopping at god forsaken places, where some people saw white people for the very first time, and we never felt endangered. We were welcomed with smiles and curiosity every time and everywhere! Maybe the most frightening thing is to be beaten by a mosquito, having a malaria – so don’t forget to protect yourself against it.
Communication language in Uganda
Uganda was a formal UK colony and that is why English is widely spoken. Maybe you will have some problems with understanding, due to their dialect, but longer you will be here, fewer problems you will have. If someone does not speak English, there will always be someone around, who does speak it, so don’t worry and just enjoy your Uganda travel.
When to go in Uganda
Uganda has two rainy seasons and if you want to have a nice sunny weather and good conditions on the road, you will need to come here during the dry season, which is from December to March and during July and August. The driest month is January and that is also the safest time to travel to Kidepo national park, as the road conditions are the best then. You can travel to Uganda also in the rainy season, but some regions might be close, due to mud on the road. There will also be more mosquitoes and other insect in the rainy season, which you might like to avoid.
Don’t wait too long and travel to Uganda before massive tourism discovers this beautiful country !
Good to know that there are bus services in Uganda.
Hey Joe, of course they are buses in Uganda 🙂 Have not tried them though, as I only used the rented car for doing a roadtrip in Uganda.
Hello Nina. I have just read here on your blog some interesting stuff. For example it is surprising how you visitors come here and know a lot about our country and yet we the indigenous have no clue what is around us. Personally, i did not know that there is a place where one can find crocodile meat! Where is that place, i know many Ugandans are very particular when it comes to food but i like trying out things.
Hi Moses,
so happy to read you enjoyed our Uganda travel guide. It is even more rewarding coming from you, as a local in Uganda. 🙂 But you are right – sometimes we know our country less than travellers visiting us.
The crocodile farm is on the road from Bunyonyi Lake to Kampala – but pretty close to Kampalla. I’ll have to check my notes, to see where exactly it is.
There are not only buses, there are even postbuses – leaving from Kampala in all directions. The postbuses are the most reliable ones, as they leave on a schedule. All the others wait until there are enough passengers …
Hi Michael,
thankls for this useful information. I am sure it will help many, who read this blog psot about Uganda travel.
Cheers, Nina
Great post! Thanks so much for sharing this information 🙂
Thank you for reading it. I hope the Uganda travel guide will come useful soon. 🙂
This guide here is worth reading for anyone coming to Uganda or Africa for the first time. It makes every traveler feel safe especially the women. Thanks Nina!!
Thank YOU Jack! 🙂 I am glad this Uganda travel guide is so helpful and encouraging. 🙂 Cheers, Nina
Dear Nina, I love your travel report and the way you travelled through Uganda is very inspiring. My husband, my two daughters (7 and 4) and me would like to go to Uganda this summer. What is your opinion about travelling with kids in Uganda (as self-driver)? Which accomondations did you use (tends – roof or bottom?)? And can you estimate how much your entire Uganda trip was? Thanks a lot for your answers. It is not easy to find people who travelled through Uganda as you did and lots of people tell us that we should take a guided tour through Uganda, which we rather not like to do.
Dear Stephanie,
thank you so much for your comment and I am so happy you are planning to do a self-drive tour through Uganda. 🙂 I would not want to do it any other way. We are having a 2 year old boy at home and I have a plan to visit Uganda with him too..Not just yet, but in couple of years for sure. I don’t think you need a guide, especially if you have already been traveling and use to it. Sometimes it might be a bit confuzing, but we did not have any problems and enjoyed every minute of it. We joined camping (bottom) and gust houses/simple hotels and all was ok. The guest houses were very basic though and it was cleaner to stay in the tent, but sometimes we juts did not have any other option. Hmmm… I think we paid 2500 EUR for 2 with all expenses, including plane tickets from Europe, so it is actually not that expensive if you are not too picky.If you have any other questions, let me know. I will be kore than happy to help. 🙂
Happy travels, Nina
Thanks a lot, Nina, for your extensive and helpful answer. It was good to read again, that you don’t have any doubts regarding a self-drive trip through Uganda with kids :). So did I understand you correctly that you drove by car and rent tents on camping sites, so you did “lazy camping” respectively? One other question regarding drumming: do you know if there is the possibility for kind of drum courses in Uganda? My husband and me love to drum and we would like to buy a drum in Uganda and it would be sooo great to attend a course as well. Thanks a lot for your help!
Hi Stephanie,
we rented the complete camping equipment tigether with the car, so we had it with us all the time, including dishes, gas etc for cooking. We just brought our own sleeping bag. We got them too, but we rather use our own. No idea regarding the drum courses, but you will have lots of shops before reaching Kempala again on the main street coming from the south. You can stop and try the drums and maybe ask the local seller to show you something. Unfortunately that is all I can help you with.
Enjoy Uganda 🙂
Cheers, Nina