Perched on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, Entebbe is located in the Wakiso District of Uganda, just under 40 km south of Uganda's capital, Kampala. It’s a verdant, safe city. You can use it as a launch pad to explore the rest of Uganda—or focus on experiencing the city in its own right.
Having served as the capital during British colonial rule (which ended in the 1920s), Entebbe is endowed with a generous share of leafy boulevards and old colonial buildings, which you can easily explore on foot. The city also boasts a generous number of white sand beaches beside Lake Victoria. These beaches are lined with hotels, restaurants, and nightlife venues and have become extremely popular with local and international tourists. It’s worth noting that the beaches are very crowded on weekends, but they’re relatively empty during the week. However, you must resist the urge to dive in, as the water isn’t suited to swimming.
Some of the best things to do in Entebbe involve the city’s abundant wildlife attractions. The city’s botanic gardens are a haven for bird watching, while the nearby Mabamba wetlands are home to the elusive shoebill. Visitors can also get up close and personal with wildlife at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, popularly known as Entebbe Zoo, which is dedicated to rehabilitating and rehoming animals orphaned by poachers.
Entebbe is also a great springboard to Lake Victoria’s many islands, most notably the stunning Ssese Islands and Chimpanzee Island, which, as the name suggests, is a chimpanzee sanctuary.
Entebbe has a significant population of residents from India; as a result, the city’s food culture takes a distinct Asian slant, although the rise in the number of international restaurants nods towards Entebbe’s increasing cosmopolitanism. In short, Entebbe has it all: beaches, culture, stunning wildlife, and great food.