Kampala Capital – Uganda, Getting Around
Providing you with quality Practical Information on Getting Around Kampala – Uganda
Lifetime Experience Safaris – Your Africa Travel Resource!
Kampala – Getting Around
Visitors to Kampala have very few options of getting around; these are limited to ground transportation and mostly by, car, bus, or taxis. Also, Motorbike taxis locally known as boda-boda (moped taxi) is the easiest way to get around Kampala’s increasingly congested traffic system. However you shouldn’t hop aboard without reading about their road safety record.
Trains travel used to be possible from Kampala through much of Uganda by two internal rail services. Neither service was much used by travelers because the train the trains were very slow and unreliable.
Driving remains a simpler way to see Kampala and all of Uganda. However, first time visitors should check out this Driving in Uganda page before deciding to get behind the wheel of a car. There are numerous car rental companies based around the city. If you are planning to rent/hire a car in Kampala – Uganda, better you check out this advice link.
There are many buses available in Kampala that travel around the city as well as to other areas of the country. The Bus Station, which is located in the city center, is a good place to go for route, fare and timetable information. There are various classes and styles of buses to choose from, which can be comfortable as well as overcrowded and hot.
Basic taxis and minibuses (which work as taxis) are widely available throughout the city of Kampala. Both can be found at major public areas such as the airport, train station, bus station, and taxi ranks. Kampala minivan-taxi Park was once the most chaotic in East Africa: several hundred minivans, identical in appearance bar the odd bit of panel-beating with no identification as to their destination, all sardine-parked into a couple of acres of seething madness. Solving this problem, the city council built a second taxi station about 100M from the first – which means that now Kampala boasts of the two chaotic taxi parks in East Africa. Minivans to most destinations west of Kampala leave from the new taxi park while minivans to Port Bell and destinations east of Kampala leave from the Old taxi park
Local minivans leave for Entebbe from both taxi parks every few minutes. Prices are generally slightly higher than the bus fares, but departures are far more-regular before noon, you are likely to wait for more than 30 minutes for a minibus to leave for Jinja, Tororo, Mbale, Kasese, Mityana, Mubende, Fortpotal, Masindi, Gulu, or Hoima.
Most bus services operate out of, or from sites close to, the central bus station which lies between the two tax parks, enhancing the general atmosphere of chaos in this congested part of town. There are regular departures-everyone to two hours from around 7.00 until noon for most of destinations listed above, though it’s worth checking out departure times and book a day ahead to save waiting around on the day. Sorry we are unable to provide current fares because of the increasing fuel prices which may cause them to change in a very short time.
We give you free advice and helpful information on transportation and rentals in Kampala – Uganda. Email us by clicking here or call us using the numbers on this site.
