Lake Victoria & Other Things to do in ENTEBBE UGANDA

Entebbe is a former capital city of British Rule. It is an attractive and charming city on the shores of gorgeous Lake Victoria. It serves as a main travel hub with the only International airport in Uganda. As Entebbe is located on the Lake Victoria peninsula, so you can mark a few top things to do while your stay in Uganda. It is approximately 36 kilometers (22 miles) southwest of the Ugandan capital city of Kampala. Indeed, we can spend a week here and do many things to explore in and around Entebbe Uganda. The list may include the serene Botanical Garden to the beautiful islands of Lake Victoria.

How to Get to Entebbe?

Uganda has only one international airport that is at Entebbe. So, all the international tourists land at Entebbe and then come to the Capital city of Kampala.

In addition, the buses are the secondary way to reach Entebbe from Kampala. As Entebbe is about 40km from Kampala, so it takes around one hour to reach there. Furthermore, you can take a seat in Kampala to Entebbe Matatus from Nasser Road Kampala. Also, the exact place is marked on the map.

How to Get Around Entebbe?

Entebbe is a small yet modern town in Uganda. Most of its top attractions are located within a couple of km of distance. However, other than a walking tour, you can use the following means of transportation within Entebbe.

• Boda Bodas are essentially motorcycle taxis that are very popular in all of the east African countries. You expect to pay about 3000/4000USh for within city. However, you can get an estimated price idea from your hotel before going to any of the place. Even you can get a Boda Bodas to the airport too.
• Matatus are the minibuses that follow relatively pre-set routes all over town. As the town is around the main road, so you can easly get to and from your desired destination.
• Taxis are the most expensive way of getting around Entebbe and the most comfortable too. Whereas, you can get this option, if you have luggage with you.

Where to Stay in Entebbe?

You can find a good range of budget, mid-range, and top-end lodging options in Entebbe. I stayed at Elementis Entebbe which is located just beside Lake Victoria. In addition, it was a quiet place and good for a couple of days of relaxation.

Things to Do in Entebbe Uganda

I came to Entebbe after visiting Jinja and Kampala. It was my last stop in Uganda before my flight to Kigali(Rwanda). Here is the map of the top attractions in Entebbe that I have marked in Blue. You can follow my route or can take your own route of visiting Entebbe’s top attractions.

Lake Victoria, The center of fun things in Entebbe Uganda

It is the main activity center in Entebbe. It is the largest freshwater lake of Africa and the lifeline of east African countries. Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda share this mighty lake. However, Uganda is the most beneficial from other East African countries as the only outlet of Lake Victoria is in Uganda. Lake Victoria offers transportation means to different Islands of Uganda. Moreover, you can get many Island tours, fishing trips, sunset cruise tours, and simple boat ride into Lake Victoria.

Entebbe Botanical GArden, the must visit place in Entebbe Uganda

After checking into my hostel, I decided to take a turn into the streets of Entebbe. In addition, my host at Entebbe Elementis(Rebeka) advised me to take a guided tour to Botanical Garden. I found it pleasant as my Guide Mr. Peter was a knowledgeable guide and a kind guy too. So, I turned on my google map and took the way to the botanical garden. It was a 20minutes of pleasant walk to the Botanical Garden.

Entebbe Botanical Gardens is an expansive green area on the Lake Victoria peninsula in Entebbe. It is the oldest Botanical Garden in Uganda. The best part of this garden is its Rainforests. Here we recall the Tarzan Movie that was filmed in these rain forests. In addition to different species of plants, we can see many types of colorful birds like hornbills, marabou storks, eagles, and a few others. Besides you can chit-chat with black and white species of monkeys. These include Colobus and Vervet Monkeys. Botanical Gardens were established in 1898 to preserve exotic plant species as well as local birdlife.

Entebbe Crafts Village

There are a couple of Sovnier Markets in Entebbe from where you can get souvenirs and crafts as your way back gifts. These markets are also called Crafts Villages. While a few that I have visited were Entebbe Craft Village and Entebbe Juakali Center. Whereas, I visited these craft markets after my visit to Botanical Garden. However, Entebbe Crafts center was my first stop which was located on the main Entebbe expressway. So, I selected a few things like kids’ jewelry from there.

After visiting the Entebbe Crafts center I followed the Expressway route to Victoria Mall. On the way and on the opposite side of Victoria Mall, I spotted the Entebbe Juakali Center. This was, even more, better than the previous one. Rates were more economical too. Besides, these crafts centers are home to authentic Ugandan pieces of jewelry and art galleries. Here you can find the crafts made by the Ugandans. Most of the shopkeepers have fixed prices. Although the prices are reasonable for handicraft items.

Victoria MAll

For shopping lovers, Victoria mall has all you need in one place. I saw this mall while my way to Botanical Garden and give it a little time on my way back to the hostel. However, due to Covid Pandemic, it was semi-operational with many of the shops were still closed. Entebbe Botanic Gardens is one of the tourist attractions close to the mall. So, you can visit it while coming from Botanical Gardens. After visiting the Mall, I took my way to Hostel. On the way, I spotted a beautiful red and white St Mark’s Church.

Try the Smoked Fish of Lake Victoria

I still remember the large stalls of Smoked omul Fish at Lake Baikal in Listvyanka. Here in Entebbe, you can taste the smoked fish of lake Victoria from a couple of fish shops by local women. The fish they offer were Nile Tilapia and Nile Perch.

Aero Beach, the shore side of Entebbe

Aero Beach is a private beach and is located on the shores of Lake Victoria. It is just beside Entebbe’s old airport. Here we can take a sunny Bask beside the white beach. Moreover, we can also see the scrappy old planes and learn about their stories.

Day trips from Entebbe Uganda to Near by Places

You can find many day trips as well as multi-day trips from Entebbe to Kampala, Jinja, and other parts of Uganda. These include but are not limited to the following list.

• Ngamba Island. It is a beautiful Island in lake Victoria where you can visit the Rehabliation Center for Orphan Chimanzies. You can take a half day or full day tour to Ngamba Island from Entebbe.
• Equator Tour. Aquator passes through Entebbe Region and one can easily take a day tour from Entebbe to Equator line. For this purpose, we have to go to Kayabwe that is 70 km from Entebbe city.
• For acouple of days, you can take a tour of Ssese Island. It is an archipelago of 84 small landmasses in Lake Victoria. More than half of these 84 islands are inhabited. It lies on the north west of Lake Victoria. the islands offer a variety of water-related activities. From Nakiwogo in Entebba, you will find the MV Ferry Kalangala that heads to the Ssese Islands.