Kampala

Kampala

Dining out

Uganda as a nation loves food, and no celebration is ever complete without a feast. As a result, there is no shortage of eating places in the country. Food is generally cheap and there is something to suit every pocket and taste. Prices range from a mere Ush2000 to 60,000 a head depending on what you have and where you choose to dine. For those who want to try the delicious Buganda traditional dish called “oluwombo,” don’t miss Ekitobeero Restaurant on Kintate Road near Fairway Hotel on your Kampala Safari.

Going out

Ugandans like to party and thus there is no shortage of nightspots to let your hair down. In the old industrial area are SILK and ANGE NOIR relatively close to each other, so if you get tired of one, just take a stroll to the other. Out of town is the other, PULSATIONS. There are also numerous drinking places and bars. The Sheraton also has a British style Pub serving ales from around the world … at a price!

Exploring Kampala City, Uganda’s Economic and Social Hub

The capital city, an economic and social hub of Uganda, is also the country’s largest urban center, with a population of 3.1 million (Microtrends 2020). Kampala, like Rome, was originally built across seven hills. Today, that figure is more like two dozen hills.

Although Captain Fredrick Lugard is generally considered the founder for setting up camp on Kampala Hill in 1890, the surrounding hills had lain at the Buganda Kingdom’s political center for several decades before Lugard’s arrival. Kasubi Hill, only 2.5km northwest of the modern city center, served briefly as Kabaka Suuna II’s capital in the 1850s. It also housed the palace of Kabaka Mutesa I from 1882-84. Mengo Hill formed the capital of Mutesa’s successor Mwanga, as it has every subsequent Kabaka.

Kampala derives from the Luganda saying ‘Kosozi Kampala,’ meaning ‘Hill of Antelope.’ A reference to the domestic impala antelope that grazed the lawns of Mengo during Mutesa’s reign in the 1880s.

Kampala lies at the Kingdom of Buganda’s political and geographical heart, home to the Baganda tribe, which makes up the largest Ugandan ethnic group. However, they represent only about 17 percent of the population.

Attractions in Kampala

Most Uganda travelers restrict traditional sightseeing within the city limits, the Kasubi Tombs and the National Museum, but several other worthwhile interest sites lie within day-tripping distance. These include organized excursions to raft the White Nile grade five rapids near Jinja or visit the chimpanzees of Ngamba Island and more low-key goals such as the Entebbe Botanical Garden, Mabira, and Mpanga forest reserves and Mabamba Swamp.

In addition to these conventional attractions, be sure to take a walk through the city’s various other quarters for a fascinating (if somewhat depressing) cross-section of the extremes of wealth and poverty that characterize so much of Africa. The overcrowded back streets running downhill from Kampala Road, congested with hooting minibus-taxis and swerving boda-boda drivers, reveal a more representative facet of Kampala. The city as most of its residents see it —yet, even so, the rundown streets sparkle with an economic dynamism that was absent as recently as 1995.

Looking to spend a bit of cash? Kampala has five Casinos for your gambling pleasure and the list is growing. Kampala nightlife is lively and fun as the youth and old alike fill Kampala night places to have fun Safari. In the last couple of years, several places of nightlife have sprung up in Kampala to such an extent that it’s almost impossible for first-time visitors to Kampala to believe the serenity and enjoyment the Kampalans have every day. Some of the places to be at night in Kampala are: Kampala Casino, Garden City, Al’s Bar, Wagadugu, Just Kicking, and DV8.