"Entebbe and its surrounding area" Top 5 Page for this destination Entebbe by grets

Entebbe Travel Guide: 50 reviews and 166 photos

We land at the surprisingly modern Entebbe airport and are whisked the ten minutes to Sophie's Motel for a briefing.

Entebbe is located on the shores of Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa, not far from Kampala, the capital. The population of Entebbe is just short of 100,000

Attractions in and around Entebbe include The Botanical Gardens, the Zoo, Lake Victoria and trips to nearby Ngambe Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. There is a golf course on the shores of Lake Victoria.

From my diary:

Arrival at Entebbe Airport is painless. There is a small queue for Visa applications, and some locals push in front of us. Once in the office the procedure is very smooth and quick, and before we know it, we’ve collected our bags, gone through customs and have met Robert, our guide/driver. The first stop is a rendezvous with Jane, the rep for Wild Frontiers at Sophie’s Motel. Jane goes through our itinerary, gets us to fill in a couple of forms, takes our “Local Payment” and checks out our insurance details. She explains that the hotels en route are fairly basic, but adequate, goes through guidelines regarding tipping and just generally tries to reassure us. She seems quite nice, although a typically white African!

As we near Kampala on our return journey, the buildings change considerably; there is more modernity but also more squalor. The clothing is also much more fashionable, especially for the girls. We even come across a traffic jam! It’s amazing what a difference there is between urban and rural Uganda, had we come just to Kampala, we would have gotten the totally wrong impression of Uganda!

On the last day Jane, the Wild Frontiers’ rep, joins us on the terrace to find out how we got on. She seems genuinely surprised when we explain that everything went really well, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and that we have no complaints despite the fact that there has been no running water or electricity since the first night. She concludes that we must be well-travelled and experienced! I can’t help but wonder what sort of people normally go on these trips; and consider ourselves lucky that our travelling companions were so laid back and easy going too. Having previously been on a tour with a group of arrogant, unreasonable, demanding whingers, I know how miserable they can make a holiday!

Last visit to Entebbe: Aug 2004
Intro Updated Sep 2, 2004
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Reviews (8)

Chimpanzees Things to Do (1)

Ngamba Island is a 100-acre sanctuary with lush vegetation and many species of food trees. A total of 39 chimps are kept... more travel advice

I'm afraid I stopped being adventurous by now.... - Entebbe

I'm afraid I stopped being adventurous... Restaurants (2)

Dinner is very un-traditional burger and fish fingers with French Fries and I am ashamed to say I enjoy it a lot! Much... more travel advice

Run down but pleasant Hotels (1)

Sophie’s Motel is a little run down, but still quite pleasant. The rooms are named after African countries, we are in... more travel advice

Fruit Market Favorites (1)

We stop at a fruit market to buy some mangoes and pineapple to eat on the journey. Neither is really suitable to consume... more travel advice

Local Customs (1)
Papyrus

Off The Beaten Path (2)
See All Watching the water flow....

Comments (7)

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muguruki Jul 23, 2007 at 6:22 AM

Just had a look at the photo of the market. I had no idea what ffene were in English, so now I know they are jack fruit! Up until now I had only known them by their Lugandan name, not surprisingly you never get to see them in my local Tescos.
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diamonddog Jun 7, 2006 at 3:53 AM

Great pictures and very helpfull tips! how long takes the trip to the equator?
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matcrazy1 Dec 9, 2004 at 2:34 PM

Haha, I never crossed the equator yet. I would have to celebrate it somehow. Maybe in local restaurants with local specialities...
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herzog63 Oct 27, 2004 at 12:11 PM

The 3% weightloss at the equator is because it's so dang hot!! hahahah I love Jackfruit!! I hope you didn't use that knife on the pineapple while riding down the road......hehe
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sachara Sep 28, 2004 at 2:13 AM

Nice to read your diary, the last paragraph is very recognizable. Always intriguing, the waterflow south and north of the equator !!
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BarbaraForza Sep 23, 2004 at 8:37 AM

When are you leaving exactly? as always you introduced another great place to visit...Entebbe is new for me...
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kyoub Sep 3, 2004 at 3:35 AM

Very interesting page on Entebbe. Enjoyed your photos also.