Uganda Travel Information
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Uganda is well known to be a classic adventure tourism destination in Africa with an impressive variety of wildlife, equatorial location that determine its favorable climatic condition, and its Friendly people all that make it to be the pearl of Africa.
Gate way to Uganda
The gate way to Uganda is Entebbe International Airport that lies 40 km from the Capital city called Kampala. Entebbe is serviced by a number of International Airlines, including SN Brussels, SAA South African Airways, KQ Kenya Airways, WB Rwanda Express, MS Egypt Air, ET Ethiopian Airlines, EK Emirates Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines QR Qarter Airway and TK Turkish Airlines. Get Cheap Airline Tickets from Travelers Link Africa.
Alliance Express is in partnership with South African Airways (SAA) which flies direct Kigali (Rwanda), Entebbe (Uganda), Johannesburg (SA), Nairobi (Kenya), and Bujumbura (Burundi).
Charter flights can be arranged between domestic tourist attractions in advance if needed.
Uganda can also be accessed overland from Tanzania, Kenya, and Rwanda.
Upon Arrival
Visa
Customs and immigration officials are polite and efficient, but note that Uganda immigration policies are not always constantly applied and may change without notice. Therefore Travellers should pay close attention to the validity of their Visa or special pass to avoid fines or Travel interruptions.
A passport valid for 6 months beyond the date of entry is required. Visas are available at Entebbe Airport upon arrival or may be obtained or may be obtained from the embassy of the republic of Uganda. But it’s recommended that travellers obtain Visas to Uganda in advance of Travel online, in particular those travellers who will arrive via land.
If you plan to obtain your visa upon landing at Entebbe Airport, you should confirm in advance that your Airline allows you to board without a visa. Note that it’s important to apply for East African visa in advance to avoid disappointments.
Visas and Passes
Any person intending to enter into Uganda should do so only for lawful purposes and in accordance with national immigration laws, guidelines and formalities. Foreign nationals intending to enter Uganda for purposes of employment should comply with requirements for expatriate employment in Uganda.
- All visa prone nationalities must obtain Uganda visas to facilitate their entry into the country.
- Uganda visas may be obtained at Uganda missions abroad or on arrival at the ports of entry in the country.
- All travelers to the Republic of Uganda MUST have a valid Yellow Fever Immunization card
Visas & Passes
| Category/description of visa | Cost |
|---|---|
|
Single entry |
US$ 50 per individual |
|
Multiple entry visa 6-12 months |
US$ 100 |
|
Multiple entry visa 24 months |
US$ 150 |
|
Multiple entry visa 36 months |
US$ 200 |
|
Students (Entry Visa for students who are not nationals of East African Cooperation.) |
US$ 100 |
|
East African Tourist Visa (Three months Multiple Entry for Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda) |
US$ 100 |
|
Residents of Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda travelling to any of the three countries can now enter the alternative Partner State. Without paying for visas. |
Fee Nil |
Corresponding fees
Note: visas do not permit gainful or voluntary employment in Uganda
- Entry into or exit from Uganda should be made only through gazetted ports of entry/exit
- List of visa exempt nationalities i.e. nationals of countries that do not pay for Uganda visas
Alias:
| Comesa | East Africa | Others |
|---|---|---|
|
Angola Eritrea Malawi Madagascar Seychelles Swaziland Zambia Comoros Kenya Mauritius Zimbabwe Botswana |
Tanzania Rwanda Kenya Burundi |
Antigua Barbados Fiji Grenada Lesotho Sierra Leone Solomon Islands, The Grenadines Vanuatu Ghana Cyprus Bahamas Belize Gambia Jamaica Malta Singapore St. Vincent-Tonga Ireland Libya |
Requirements for Entry into Uganda
Note that Cheques are not accepted!
Health
Visit your doctor 4-6 weeks before your wildlife safari trip to get the vaccines or medicines you may need. Some Vaccines may also be required for travel.
Yellow fever vaccine is essential prior to your arrival in the country. Yellow fever Certificate is issued once the vaccine has been administered and they are valid for 10 years. It’s also recommended that Hepatitis A and B, Tetanus, Polio, typhoid vaccine be administered.
Therefore a certificate of Yellow fever vaccination is required and all visitors should take Malaria prophylactic drugs and it’s advisable to drink bottled rather than Tap water.
Money
The unit of currency is the Ugandan shillings. The US dollar is traditionally the hard currency of preference in cash, but Euro and pound sterling are also widely accepted in cash as well. Hard currency cash can be changed for local currency at banks and private forex bureau in all towns, but traveller’s cheques are not widely accepted outside Kampala. Local currency can be drawn against Visa and other major credit cards at selected ATMs in Kampala, at Entebbe International Airport, and in other few large towns with in the country.
The Forex bureau offer slightly better exchange rate than the banks. At most of the banks and forex bureaus, small US dollar bills attract a much lower exchange rate than do US$50 and $100 notes which are called big bill and older notes below 2006 are always refused or exchanged at much lower exchange rate as do the torn notes.
Language
Educated Ugandans are generally fluent in English, which is the official Language. Although Swahili and other multiple languages can be spoken in the country, luganda and other Bantu languages with Nilo- Saharan languages can be spoken.
Tipping
The question of when and when not to Tip can be difficult in a foreign country, In Uganda, tipping is not a standard practice at local hotels and restaurants, but it will always be appreciated. It is normal to tip10% at tourist oriented restaurants. Besides that, it is customary to tip your guide/driver at the end of the safari or hike, as well as porters if any that accompany you.
Food & drinks
Tourist oriented hotels and restaurants serve good western style meals, while local restaurants serve Ugandan dishes, typically matoke (cooked bananas) eaten with stewed beans and ugali (a stiff maize porridge).
Electricity 240 volts at 50HZ
Business hours
Uganda is on East Africa standard time zone which is GMT+3
The official time for opening business in Uganda is 8:00AM while the closing hours is 4:00 PM in the evening basing on banks and government offices and from Monday to Saturday mid- day where as private business can run till 6:30pm depending on the nature of the business same week days.
Local People & safety
People of Uganda are friendly and always willing to interact with you. To start any conversation, it’s advisable to share greetings first. On safety, we recommend you to take care of your valuable at all times though Uganda is safe, it’s not advisable to leave your valuables like money passport in your hotel room carry with you if going to restaurant for meals or drinks cameras too. If you are to leave valuable item like camera, lock them in your baggage in your hotel rooms as most of the hotels and lodges will not be liable to loss of valuables not declared with them at receptions.
When to visit Uganda
Uganda can be visited at any time of the year, though we have two dry season and two wet season; dry season stretches from mid- May up to the end of August, and wet season stretches from September up to the whole of November, then dry season again December up to the whole of February, rain march up to May. In rain seasons, travelers who intend to track Mountain Gorillas are always given a discount on the Gorilla Permit purchased.