Although landlocked, Uganda is one of the most beautiful countries in Africa bordering Kenya, DRC, Sudan, Rwanda and Tanzania.

Said to be the safest country in the region, it provides a more or less serene environment for traversing form one part of the country to the other.

More or less because some parts are still ridden with traces of rebel activity, especially at the borders therefore calling for careful decision-making when planning your routes.

The main entry point to Uganda is Entebbe International Airport 35km southwest of Kampala, the capital city. Regular flights are available from London via Alliance Air and British Airways. Alliance Air operates flights to Entebbe from Heathrow on Monday and Friday, with returning flights on Thursday and Sunday. British Airways flies three times a week: Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Other airlines flying to Entebbe are Sabena which flies from London via Brussels.

Air France also has regular flight into Uganda. Alliance and Ethiopian Airlines both connect with the main cities of East and Central Africa. However, it’s important to note that most flights to East Africa from Europe and North America use the Kenyan capital of Nairobi as a gateway so few travelers enter Uganda directly by air. Many travel form Nairobi to Uganda by bus. There are flights to Entebbe from Kenya, Rwanda South Africa and Tanzania.

A tech savvy search for travel deals and discounts is necessary when planning your trip to Uganda and one of the tricks is to check out bootsnall.com for consolidated airfare prices. Other than this there are few ways around getting to Uganda cost-effectively. Flying into Nairobi and catching a connecting flight on one of Africa’s budget carriers is one of the ways to do this.

Travelling overland by bus or train from any nearby airport will definitely reduce your cost by a considerable margin and finally, try to depart on midweek low volume travel days. Note that as much as cost cutting is high on your agenda, you should be careful which routes you use to enter Uganda because some areas of the country are still volatile with rebel groups.

If you fancy a bus ride to Uganda, there are daily bus services available between Kampala and Nairobi and on to Mombasa. There’s also a twice-weekly service between Kampala and Kigali, Rwanda. There are two border posts used by most visitors, Malaba and Busia. From Tanzania the route goes through Kagera on the Western side of Lake Victoria between Bukoba and Masaka. From Rwanda, the main crossing point is placed between Kabale and Kigali through Katuna in Uganda and Gatuna in Rwanda. From Congo, it’s advisable to use only the Bunanga crossing due to the several rival rebel factions still roaming the countryside. Travelling from Sudan entails getting in through the North of Uganda and is highly discouraged.

For the adventurous who want to get to the Pearl by car, there are several routes from Kenya with a few points to note; Carry all necessary vehicle documents, including registration and insurance, as well as an international driving license, and vehicle logbook. Drivers are charged a temporary license fee.

To kick back and relax a few hours in the old school colonial style, book a train ticket from Nairobi or Mombasa. There is a twice weekly rail service available all year long. On the rare occasion that you enter Uganda by Lake, there are local boat services linking Entebbe to the Ssese Islands.

Once in Uganda, there are plenty of Taxis operating between the airport and Kampala at reasonable prices which you could still bring down with a little bargaining skill. Licensed taxis found mainly at larger hotels, or by calling a dispatcher. Agree on the price of the trip before boarding. The Special Hire taxis are shared taxis that drive between cities or to some game reserves. High charges are common, so on top of bargaining, it would be best to seek advice on what is a fair price for the trip you’re planning.

You might be in need of your own moving around freedom and therefore looking to hire a car. In such a case you would have to get into Kampala for the services of renowned rental car agents such as City Cars and Rhino. Uganda has an excellent road system even though most are still unpaved and might require slow driving.

Miscellaneous facts to ponder include the fact that Traffic drives on the left, the roads radiate from Kampala, although the network is sparse in the north. There are police checkpoints and the speed limit is 50 mph (80kph) or 62 mph (100kph) on highways. You should always keep your doors locked.

For a cheap way around the city, take the bus. More often than not you will get into a UTC one since it’s the main bus carrier chain with stations in almost all the towns. Kigatis are white minibus taxis operating from the same bus stations but charging almost twice the amount charged by UTC. They are generally not as safe but they are definitely faster than the main bus carrier.

To enter Uganda, you will need a visa. They are available at all major land borders and the International airport at Entebbe. You will also need an International Health Certificate showing proof of a yellow fever vaccination within the past 10 years.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 at 8:48 am and is filed under Africa. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.