Entebbe

Entebbe is a pleasant town built on the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda.

Entebbe offers a relaxed stop-over alternative to Kampala if you're flying into or out of Uganda, as the air is clean, the streets are safe to walk, and the old colonial gardens and parks with the lake in the background make for a serene atmosphere. Despite its quaint exterior, you may encounter the President of Uganda or some beautiful wildlife at any turn. If you're not in a rush to the capital, it's worth a stay.

Understand
Entebbe hosts Uganda's international airport. The drive from Kampala is about an hour in light traffic, and more than two hours when it is heavy. The United Nations increasingly use a heavily guarded airport compound at Entebbe as a depot and staging area for their heavy equipment and vehicles that are used in peacekeeping missions in the region of Central Africa. They have their own immigration and customs procedures and a heavy lift capability using Antonovs.

Entebbe is perhaps most famous for an Israeli commando raid on 4 July 1976, when over one hundred mainly Jewish hostages held on a hijacked Air France plane were rescued. The rescue was complicated by the fact that Uganda's president at the time, Idi Amin, was supporting the hijackers. Over 40 Ugandan troops were killed by the Israelis during the rescue.

, is the official residence of the President of Uganda. It has a nice hilltop view of Lake Victoria, the second largest body of fresh water in the world after Lake Baikal. Like Addis Ababa, Entebbe grew up in a rather haphazard way (for example, there is a meteorological college on the corner of the long ceremonial entrance drive of the President) and the centre of things is moving closer to the airport but lots of banks, a supermarket and the public hospital are all just a left turn away when leaving State House.

Climate
For a town pretty well slap bang on the equator, Entebbe is a few degrees cooler than you might expect because of its elevation. Instead of the day-time temperatures hovering around 32°C as residents of Guayaquil, Cayenne, Singapore or Pontianak, Indonesia might expect, maximums are usually closer to 26°C or 27°C. However, humidity is consistently high.

By plane


The airport looks in need of renovation, with the aerobridges looking rather unused, and walking to your plane wherever it happens to be on the tarmac seems the usual way to embark and disembark. There is a collection of ATMs in the building, as well as a café or two, and a small collection of souvenirs. The Karibuni lounge is open to a selection of club members, Star Alliance Gold frequent flyer members, and can also be accessed for a fee. It has decent coffee and drinks, internet terminals, and a pool table.

Taxis are abundant in the parking lot outside the terminal. Security keeps all vehicles away from the terminal proper, so when departing you have to walk from the parking lot up the upper roadway to departures. Officially you can't enter the terminal from ground level (arrivals). However, if you ask the guard nicely he will let you use the single lift rather than hump your baggage up the concrete external stairs. Taxis can't drop you at departures. There are numerous porters to help you with this trek.

By road
To get to Entebbe from the rest of Uganda will usually involve passing through Kampala. Small minibuses ("taxis" in Ugandan English or Matatus in Swahili) go to Entebbe from Kampala every 30 minutes or so. The fare is USh 3,500 but, for foreigners, sometimes the driver will ask for USh 7,000. The journey takes 45 minutes to 1 hour, much quicker when you avoid Kampala's chaotic rush hours. You can take the minibus in the minibus station near to the Kampala central market, with signs for every destination served. You can get off wherever you want en route, but if you ride to the bitter end, your journey will terminate at the in Entebbe.

To and from the airport
A special-hire taxi from the Entebbe airport to Entebbe town cost USh 15,000, or you can walk to the airport gate 500 m and get a Boda-boda motorbike taxi to Entebbe town for USh 5000.

Get around
There are three types of public transport: boda-bodas, matatu and special hires.

By boda-boda
The fastest and most dangerous method is the boda-boda: motorcycles that you see all over town. You won't be in Entebbe long before being propositioned by a boda rider. If you're not interested, a simple 'no' will get them to leave you alone. You can get most anywhere on the back of one for USh 2000–5000, but make sure to agree on the fare before the ride begins. Men usually ride facing forward while women are expected to ride side saddle; very risky. Females can get away with riding facing the front, but may be accused of riding "like a man," though the locals are fairly understanding of female tourists doing this.

Boda-bodas are extremely dangerous as their riders will do whatever it takes to get you to your destination quickly. Expect to dart in front of and against traffic and even through crowds of pedestrians when necessary. Boda-boda accidents account for most of the hospital visits and traffic fatalities in Entebbe; you have been warned!

Boda-bodas got their name from the bicycle taxis that operated at some of the busy border crossing points. Buses had to discharge their passengers at the exit border control, who then had to walk to the entry border control. The distance across no man's land at some borders can be considerable. Hence the bicycle taxis would cry "boda-boda" (a corruption of the English "border to border") to the weary travellers. These bicycle taxis can still be found in most smaller Ugandan towns; however, in Entebbe, they have been replaced by motorcycles.

As boda-boda collisions are one of the most common medical concerns in Uganda, hiring a taxi from a trusted source (decent hotel, friend, or colleague recommendation) may be wiser.

By matatu
Matatus are a series of licensed minibus taxis that follow relatively pre-set routes all over town (and many other parts of the country). It might be a bit confusing in the beginning how to use the matatus to efficiently get where you want to go, but it's really not so difficult.

Their routes usually go between the matatu park at the back of the 7Seasons Hotel and Kampala (or, more rarely, some suburb of Entebbe).

Matatus will stand in the park until they are full, something that normally takes less than 15 minutes, but can take over half an hour (or even over one hour late at night or on Sundays). Matatus that leave the area around the park are hence full, which makes it difficult to hop on a matatu at other places in the town centre. Unless you're very lucky, you'll have to go to where the matatus start in order to leave the town centre.

Each matatu has a driver and a conductor who opens the sliding door, takes fares and yells the destination. Don't be frightened if you can't understand what they're saying. Ask one of them for your destination and you'll be told yes or no. When you get in, expect to be squeezed. Each vehicle is licensed to carry 14 people, but they will pack in as many as will fit (and their belongings). If you don't like this, it's a good idea to sit in the back of the vehicle, since usually the squeezing is limited to the first 2 rows or, alternatively, pay double for the whole of the front seat next to the driver. Once the matatu starts moving people can get off at any time. When you reach your destination, tell your conductor "Stage" and they will stop the van.

Whenever a matatu has empty space the driver will go slowly and honk repeatedly. If you want to get on, just make some gesture and it will slow further down and shout out the destination, just shout your destination as response and they will pick you up if it's along the way. There are often also a number of further staging points along the way where the driver will again stop and wait until they can fill the vehicle. This can take a few seconds or several minutes; just be patient. In some cases drivers won't take you if you only go relatively short distances, since that will mean they'll risk losing money if they can't fill your place quickly once you're dropped. You pay the conductor when you exit, although some people give the conductor money while the vehicle is moving so that he can make change ahead of time. The normal fare is UGX3,500 per person for a trip all the way into Kampala (October 2015).

Going with a matatu is generally cheap, safe, slow and nice. Ugandans are often happy to start up a conversation or help you out, and if the conductor tries to overcharge you or make you take an inefficient route, passengers are likely to point that out to you and scold him. People also complain if a driver takes too long to wait for passengers or drives recklessly and will even collectively quit the matatu in protest if a driver drives badly.

By special hire
If you aren't up for the thrill of the bodas and don't have time for a matatu, then saloon car taxis - also called special hires - are readily available near the matatu park. A very few taxis have meters, but most have not. Be sure to agree on the fare before you get in the car or you may be in for a nasty shock. Don't be afraid to haggle either; most destinations can be reached for USh 10,000 or 15,000.

Do

 * Boat trips on Lake Victoria. These include fishing trips and a visit to see the chimpanzees on Ngamba island. Companies offering such trips include Wild Frontiers.

Eat

 * Casual diners can also book at the Boma; see below
 * Casual diners can also book at the Boma; see below
 * Casual diners can also book at the Boma; see below
 * Casual diners can also book at the Boma; see below
 * Casual diners can also book at the Boma; see below
 * Casual diners can also book at the Boma; see below
 * Casual diners can also book at the Boma; see below

Drink

 * See also listing for 4 Points above.
 * See also listing for 4 Points above.
 * See also listing for 4 Points above.

Sleep
Partly because of the increasing number of UN and NGO visitors passing through, there is a lot of accommodation available, particularly in the mid-range section. Much of it is distinctly over-priced and some have got shabby and dilapidated rather quickly when (often absent) owners either lost interest or failed to generate the profits they expected. Mattresses and bedding are usually clean, but rooms are rarely fastidiously cleaned even when some outrageous prices are charged.

Budget

 * Dormitory accommodation & camping is also available at "the Zoo" See the listing for the Uganda Wildlife Educational Centre above

Splurge




Stay safe
Compared to other places in Uganda, Entebbe is safe and clean. One major risk are the boda-bodas, both for riders and other traffic including pedestrians.

Go next

 * Uganda's capital Kampala is 35 km to the north, and can be reached by bus, taxi or shared taxi. Entebbe is located on a peninsula with the largest road going up to Kampala, and as mentioned above overland travel to anywhere will usually involve going to Kampala first.
 * The island of Buggala in Lake Victoria is a popular weekend beach destination for locals. There's a daily ferry from, about 4 km northwest of central Entebbe.