Everyone desires to live in Kampala but time reaches when you will feel the need to escape from the city bustle. And weekend trips are definitely the best alternative to you that city escape and you will experience something unique. Choosing that one exceptional place for your weekend trips from Kampala may also seem challenging but with the check list below, you will get back home when filled with lots of memories.
Entebbe
Entebbe is that one place anyone planning for weekend trip from Kampala should consider a must-visit while on Uganda safari. A visit to Entebbe offers the best relaxation and chilling experience for anyone in need for affordable weekend trip. It is set on the scenic shores of Lake Victoria the world’s largest fresh water lake, approximately one hour’s drive off Kampala capital city. It is accessible by special hire taxi, private vehicle or matatu bus. Its strategic location makes it a perfect weekend/romantic getaway in Uganda. There are many places for visitors to stay, bars and restaurants as well as a lot more for you do including visiting the Botanical gardens, boat trip on Lake Victoria, visit to the reptile village, relax on its beautiful sandy beaches.
A visit to Entebbe also lets you explore the Uganda Wildlife Education Center where most rescued wildlife species are taken care of. Move around or embark on an exceptional behind the scene tour for you to interact with locals.
Jinja
Popular as adrenaline adventure capital in East Africa, Jinja prides itself as a home to the source of the Nile. Jinja is about 2-3 hours’ drive from Kampala capital city and straddles just on the banks of the River Nile. A weekend trip in Jinja lets you take part in various thrilling adventure experiences including white water rafting, kayaking, boat cruise, boat cruise, jet boating, bungee jumping, horseback riding around the local communities adjacent the Nile.
Sipi Falls
Head out to Sipi Falls in Eastern Uganda to explore and experience this scenic site. The Sipi Falls is comprised of 3 magical waterfalls and it is approximately 6 hours’ drive from Kampala. It is set at elevation 1775 at th foothills of Mount Elgon and it is perfect to explore on Uganda safari especially by enthusiastic hikers. Hiking to the Sipi Falls lets you feel and refresh yourself with fresh air and get the best of its breathtaking sceneries.
Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park is 4 hours’ drive away from Kampala making Uganda’s most accessible park. Its easy access makes it the perfect weekend getaway from Kampala capital city. Lake Mburo National Park was established in 1983 and sits in an area of about 270sq.kms which also makes it one of the smallest national parks in Uganda.
A visit to Lake Mburo National Park while on Uganda safari lets you explore and experience its diverse wildlife species which sprawl in its vast savanna grassland including among others lions, leopards, buffaloes, Rothschild giraffes, impalas, warthogs, klipspringer, burchells zebras, hippos, topis, elands, jackals and over 350 bird species including martial eagles and red-faced barbets in the acacia-wooded savannah, pelicans, fish eagles, herons, papyrus yellow warblers and African fin foots in the wetlands, bronze tailed starling, crested crane, Coqui Francolin, Emerald-spotted Wood, Rufous-bellied Heron, Bateleur, blue napped coucal, Nubian woodpecker, pennant winged nightjars, swamp flycatchers, go away bird, bronze tailed starling, shoebill stork.
A weekend gateway to Lake Mburo National Park allows you take part in different activities including game drives through its magical savannas, bird watching, boat cruise, horseback riding to mention but a few.
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Founded in 1997, the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is set in Nakasongola district about 7 kilometers away from the Kampala-Gulu highway and about 176 kilometers from Kampala. It is where the wild Rhinos thrive which makes them the major attractions within the Sanctuary. However, it also inhabits about 300 species of birds including among others the African pied wagtails, Barred warblers, Curlew Sandpiper, African pygmy kingfisher, Fan-tailed widow cuckoo, the Dark-caped yellow warblers, the double-toothed barbets, Eurasian Hobby, Emerald-spotted wood Dove, Africa morning Dove, Egyptian goose, Common waxbills, African open-billed storks, crested francolins, the African Paradise Flycatcher, Augur buzzard, Crowned hornbills, Dusky tit, Bare-faced go-away bird, Black and white Manikin, Eastern grey plantain eater, Barn swallow, Bat Hawk, Red-knobbed coot, the red-rumped swallow, Red-throated Wryneck, red-winged Doves, Ross’ turaco, Sacred Ibis, Rufus-billed herons, Saddle-billed storks, the Sand Martins, Black and white shrike flycatcher, Goliath Herons, Black-crowned waxbills, giant kingfishers, yellow-fronted canary, black crowned Tchagra, foxes weaver, the black-bellied Bustard, shoebill storks, Red-headed weavers, Scaly-throated honey guide, Scarlet-chested sunbirds, sedge warblers, wood sandpiper, semi-colored flycatcher, the grey-backed fiscal shrike, Blue-napped mouse bird, grey-backed Camaroptera, blue-cheeked bee-eater, Green wood hoopoe, blue-breasted kingfisher, green crombec, white0winhged terns, Black-winged bishop, greater blue-eared starlings, black-shouldered kites, great sparrow hawks, black kites, grey crowned cranes, great reed warblers, great egret, black-headed gonoleks, yellow-billed shrike, grassland Pipit, black Cuckoo, Senegal Coucal.
Visitors on Uganda safari to Murchison Falls National Park the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the best stopover point. While here, you can embark on rhino tracking, nature walks among other activities.
Murchison Falls National Park
Set in Northwestern Uganda about 4-5 hours’ drive away from Kampala, Murchison Falls National Park is of no doubt a premier safari destination in the pearl of Africa. It is an exceptional weekend gateway destination worth exploring while on Uganda safari. Murchison Falls National Park sits in an area of about 3840 square kilometers which makes it the largest of all the ten national parks in Uganda. Its iconic tourist attraction is Murchison falls-which is one of the world’s most powerful waterfalls which you can witness squeezing itself in a narrow gorge of not more than 8 meters before plunging about 43 meters. A weekend trip in this national park offers you a chance to explore its huge concentration of wildlife including among others the African bush elephants, lions, buffaloes, leopards, chimpanzees, hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, warthogs, as well as over 451 bird species including the rare shoe-billed stork, dwarf kingfisher, Goliath heron, white-thighed hornbill and great blue Turaco.
Kibale Forest National Park
Set in Western Uganda, approximately 5 hours’ drive away from Kampala, Kibale Forest National Park is another most incredible site worth exploring on weekend trip. It is a perfect site to visit by primate lovers, especially if you are interested in chimpanzee tracking experiences. Kibale Forest National Park is the ultimate destination for primate safaris in Uganda given its unique concentration of 14 different primate species. It sits in an area of about 795sq.kms, inhabiting about 13 primate species including over 1500 chimpanzees, red tailed monkeys, red colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, pottos, bush babies, olive baboons, L’Hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys as well as over 350 bird species.
Ssese Islands
Ssese Islands are magical islands on Lake Victoria and comprised of 8 different islands. They feature untouched pristine rain-forest with Bugala Island being the largest of all, about 3 hours by ferry. These islands are perfect for weekend trips and offer the best relaxation and chilling environment for you and your dear ones. Others include Banda Island which is about 4 hours boat ride from Entebbe, Bulago Island to popular Pineapple Bay Resort.
In summary, think of weekend gateway and think not beyond the above listed places and you won’t be left regrets in your life!
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