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Entebbe

Uganda's lakeside airport town - botanical gardens, chimpanzee island and a calm first or last night.

Overview

Entebbe sits on a peninsula in Lake Victoria 40 kilometres south of Kampala, and it is where almost every visitor to Uganda arrives and departs. It is far quieter than the capital, and staying here rather than in Kampala at the start and end of a trip saves two hours of traffic each way. The Entebbe Botanical Gardens, laid out in 1898, run down to the lakeshore and are excellent for birds and colobus monkeys; the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre next door is a rescue centre rather than a zoo and is genuinely worth an hour. Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, 45 minutes by boat, houses around fifty orphaned chimpanzees on a forested island and offers feeding platform visits and, for a few people at a time, overnight stays. The old airport terminal is where the 1976 Israeli raid took place, and the site is still visible. The lakeside is where Kampala comes to eat fish at the weekend.

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Operators serving Entebbe

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Where these are, around Entebbe

5 listings with a mapped location.

Map of 5 listings
  • Listed

When to visit Entebbe

Month by month: wildlife, weather and how busy it gets.

October

Long rains — some tracks impassable and some camps closed. Lowest prices.

Wildlife
—
Weather
Weather: 2 / 5
Crowds
Crowds: 3 / 5
Rainfall
160 mm
Temperature
18–26 °C
Show all twelve months
When to visit Entebbe
Best time to visitWildlifeWeatherCrowdsRainfallTemperature
JanuaryShort rains — brief afternoon storms, green landscapes, fewer visitors.—Weather: 4 / 5Crowds: 3 / 570 mm18–28 °C
FebruaryShort rains — brief afternoon storms, green landscapes, fewer visitors.—Weather: 4 / 5Crowds: 3 / 580 mm18–28 °C
MarchWet month — expect rain most days, and lush, difficult country.—Weather: 3 / 5Crowds: 3 / 5130 mm18–27 °C
AprilLong rains — some tracks impassable and some camps closed. Lowest prices.—Weather: 2 / 5Crowds: 2 / 5180 mm18–26 °C
MayLong rains — some tracks impassable and some camps closed. Lowest prices.—Weather: 2 / 5Crowds: 2 / 5150 mm18–26 °C
JuneShort rains — brief afternoon storms, green landscapes, fewer visitors.—Weather: 4 / 5Crowds: 3 / 560 mm17–27 °C
JulyPeak seasonShort rains — brief afternoon storms, green landscapes, fewer visitors.—Weather: 5 / 5Crowds: 4 / 560 mm17–27 °C
AugustPeak seasonShort rains — brief afternoon storms, green landscapes, fewer visitors.—Weather: 4 / 5Crowds: 4 / 590 mm17–27 °C
SeptemberWet month — expect rain most days, and lush, difficult country.—Weather: 3 / 5Crowds: 3 / 5130 mm18–27 °C
OctoberLong rains — some tracks impassable and some camps closed. Lowest prices.—Weather: 2 / 5Crowds: 3 / 5160 mm18–26 °C
NovemberWet month — expect rain most days, and lush, difficult country.—Weather: 2 / 5Crowds: 3 / 5140 mm18–26 °C
DecemberPeak seasonWet month — expect rain most days, and lush, difficult country.—Weather: 3 / 5Crowds: 4 / 5100 mm18–27 °C

Quieter alternatives to Entebbe

Entebbe is on nearly every itinerary, which is both why it is good and why it is busy. These are the places travellers choose when they want the same thing with fewer vehicles — each with what it costs you to go there instead.

  • Ssese Islands

    Eighty-four islands in Lake Victoria a ferry ride from the mainland, with sand beaches, forest and no schedule. A better last night before a flight home than another hotel by the airport.

    The trade-off: The ferry keeps its own timetable and weather delays it, which is a poor thing to discover the day before an international departure. Rooms are basic and power is not continuous everywhere.

    Plan a trip to Ssese Islands

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