Kampala

Kampala is loud, fast and much more interesting than a transfer stop. Built across seven hills like Rome, it is the seat of the Buganda Kingdom as well as the national capital, and those two identities sit side side everywhere you look.

The Kasubi Tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, hold the burial ground of four Buganda kings under an enormous thatched dome rebuilt after a fire in 2010. The Uganda Museum, the oldest in East Africa, is worth an hour for its ethnographic and instrument collections. The Gaddafi National Mosque gives the best view in the city from the top of its minaret.

For most travellers the real experience is a guided boda-boda tour on the back of a motorbike with an experienced driver who knows the routes, through Owino market, the Kabaka's lake and the old taxi park. It is the fastest way to understand a city that does not reveal much from a car window.

Highlights

• Kasubi Tombs (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
• Gaddafi National Mosque and the minaret view
• Uganda Museum
• Owino (St Balikuddembe) market
• Guided boda-boda city tour
• Ndere Centre traditional dance evening

Best time to visit

Year-round. Avoid weekday rush hours in either direction; Sunday mornings are the calmest time to move around.

Getting there

An hour from Entebbe airport in normal traffic. Almost every western-circuit itinerary passes through or around it on day one.