Entebbe

Understand

thumbnail|Aerial view of Entebbe and its airport Entebbe hosts Uganda's international airport. The drive from Kampala is about an hour in light traffic, and more than two hours when it is heavy. The United Nations increasingly use a heavily guarded airport compound at Entebbe as a depot and staging area for their heavy equipment and vehicles that are used in peacekeeping missions in the region of Central Africa. They have their own immigration and customs procedures and a heavy lift capability using Antonovs.

Entebbe is perhaps most famous for an Israeli commando raid on 4 July 1976, when over one hundred mainly Jewish hostages held on a hijacked Air France plane were rescued. The rescue was complicated by the fact that Uganda's president at the time, Idi Amin, was supporting the hijackers. Over 40 Ugandan troops were killed by the Israelis during the rescue. Being part of central Uganda, Luganda is the dominant local language spoken, although other languages are spoken too.

Get around

There are three types of public transport: boda-bodas, matatu and special hires.

See

thumb|Sitting Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre thumb|Entebbe Botanical Gardens

Do

thumb|Shore of Lake Victoria Boat trips on Lake Victoria. These include fishing trips and a visit to see the chimpanzees on Ngamba island. Companies offering such trips include Wild Frontiers.

Eat

thumb|Roadside food stand thumb|Can we get some service on table 3, please? Casual diners can also book at the Boma; see below

Drink

See also listing for 4 Points above.

Sleep

Partly because of the increasing number of UN and NGO visitors passing through, there is a lot of accommodation available, particularly in the mid-range section. Much of it is distinctly over-priced and some have got shabby and dilapidated rather quickly when (often absent) owners either lost interest or failed to generate the profits they expected. Mattresses and bedding are usually clean, but rooms are rarely fastidiously cleaned even when some outrageous prices are charged.

Stay safe

Compared to other places in Uganda, Entebbe is safe and clean. One major risk are the boda-bodas, both for riders and other traffic including pedestrians.

Go next

Uganda's capital Kampala is 35 km to the north, and can be reached by bus, taxi or shared taxi. Entebbe is located on a peninsula with the largest road going up to Kampala, and as mentioned above overland travel to anywhere will usually involve going to Kampala first. The island of Buggala on Lake Victoria is a popular weekend beach destination for locals. There's a daily ferry from , about 4 km northwest of central Entebbe.