The 5 top tourist attractions to visit in Kampala
Kampala is the capital city of Uganda perched on several hills. It is a small city and you could pretty much visit all the attractions in one day. If you are visiting Uganda to explore the mountain gorillas or perhaps you are going on a safari to a national park, it is worthwhile staying in Kampala for a day after your adventures.
History of Kampala
Before Kampala became a city, it was comprised of hills covered with grassland and wetlands. This housed several antelopes, of which one species was referred to as the “Impala”. The King of the Baganda (a tribe in Uganda) had at that time reserved the grounds of Kampala as a hunting reserve.
When the British arrived, they referred to it as the “Hills of the Impala”. The Baganda translated this to “Kasozi” meaning “Hills”, “Ke” meaning “of”, “Empala” plural for “Impala”. Over time, this shortened to Kampala.
The top 5 tourist attractions to see in Kampala
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The Seven Hills
Kampala is referred to as the city of the seven hills. This is an attraction in itself. Even though Kampala has now expanded covering several hills, the original seven hills remain very important. The original seven hills of significance are:
- Old Kampala
- Mengo
- Namirembe
- Lubaga
- Nsambya
- Kasubi
- Kibuli
No matter where you are standing in Kampala, you will always be surrounded by hills.
You’ll find older buildings and historical attractions as well as the Gaddafi Mosque in Old Kampala.
The Kasubi tombs are located on Kasubi Hill.
The Kabaka’s Palace/Idi-Amin’s torture grounds can be found on Mengo Hill.
Several cathedrals can be found on Namirembe Hill and Lubaga Hill, some dating back to 1885.
Kibuli Hill is a pre-dominantly muslim area with the Kibuli mosque being located here.
As Kampala has expanded, several other hills are now quite important such as Nakasero, Kololo, Ntinda, Naguru, Makindye, Mulago and Tank Hill.
The State House is located in Nakasero with several up-market hotels and financial companies. Our hotel, The Prestige Hotel Suites, is located in Nakasero as well. Several embassies such as the French and Dutch embassy are located in the Nakasero area.
You’ll find some lovely bars, restaurants and clubs in Kololo. Bigger houses and the elite also tend to stay on this hill. There are also some embassies and military barracks on Kololo Hill.
There is a large expat community in Tank Hill. However, Tank Hill is quite far from the city center compared to Nakasero and Kololo Hill. Ntinda, Naguru and Makindye Hill also has some good housing options.
The national hospital, Mulago Hospital is located on Mulago Hill.
It would be easy to see most of the hills as you live in and experience Kampala. Enjoy a quiet night’s stay on Nakasero/Kololo Hill and enjoy food at one of the lovely restaurants in Kololo, spending the rest of your time exploring other attractions on the other hills.
2. Kasubi Tombs
The Kasubi Tombs is located on Kasubi Hill and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It has been described as “one of the most remarkable buildings using purely vegetal materials in the entire region of sub-Saharan Africa”.
The Kasubi Tombs are located within the Baganda Kingdom and are of great importance to the Baganda. It is the burial site for 4 Baganda Kings and other royal family members. The King of Baganda referred to as the Kabaka is a very important figure and is an unquestioned symbol of the spiritual, political and social state of the Baganda Kingdom. It is an active religious place and century old rituals are still carried out by the Baganda.
Some of the major buildings in the Kasubi tombs were destroyed in a fire in 2010 and the cause is still unknown. During this period, riots broke out and 2 rioters were killed with five seriously injured. The Kasubi tombs have now been placed on the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger.
Opening hours are from 8:00am – 5:00pm.
Entrance is 10,000/-
History of the Kasubi Tombs
The Baganda belong to the Bantu speaking people and their civilization dates back to the 13th century AD. According to oral traditions, the first Kabaka of Buganda was called Kintu. He is said to have arrived with his wife Nambi, whose hand he won by performing heroic deeds at the command of her father Ggulu, the god of the sky.
At Kasubi and in all other royal tombs, there is an area behind a bark cloth (lubugo) curtain known as Kibira or forest where certain secret ceremonies are performed. At the Kasubi Tombs the Kibira is the area where the real tombs of the Kabakas are, while in front of the curtain there are raised platforms corresponding to the position of each Kabaka’s tomb behind the curtain.
The first Kabaka to be buried at Kasubi was Muteesa I, who was the 35th King.
Getting there
Kasubi Tombs are located on Kasubi Hill close to Old Kampala Hill. You can easily get there by boda or Uber or a privately arranged taxi. Please note the traffic in Kampala is very bad and it can take very long to get to any destination if you get stuck in traffic.
From our Kampala city center hotel, it takes about 17 minutes by car with the usual traffic. If you are staying on other hills such as Naguru, Ntinda, Tank Hill, Makindye Hill, it can take over an hour to get there should you get stuck in traffic.
3. Gaddafi National Mosque
The Gaddafi National Mosque, also referred to as the Uganda National Mosque, was commissioned by Colonel Gaddafi of Libya as a gift to the Ugandan people of Muslim faith. On the death of Colonel Gaddafi, the mosque was renamed and is now the Uganda National Mosque. (On Google maps, it is called the Kampala Central Mosque)
It is located on Old Kampala Hill close to the Kasubi tombs and you can visit both these places as they are in the vicinity. The Mosque can be viewed from anywhere in Kampala and forms part of the Kampala Skyline. It is open to all, however, women have to follow the Muslim dress code and must be veiled as per the Islamic custom.
It is one of the biggest mosques in Africa and is able to accommodate upto 35,000 people. It stands on the original spot where the British hoisted their flag to declare Uganda a British colony.
Climb the Minaret to get a 360 degree view of Kampala city and from here you’ll be able to see all seven hills of Kampala and more. The mosque is open from 9:00am to 6:00pm daily, except for Fridays, when it closes for prayers between 2:00pm-6:00pm.
Entrance is 10,000/-
Getting there
You can easily get there by boda or Uber or a privately arranged taxi. Please note the traffic in Kampala is very bad and it can take very long to get to any destination if you get stuck in traffic.
From our hotel in Kampala, it takes about 15 minutes by car with the usual traffic.
4. The Uganda Museum
Even though we have added the Uganda Museum to the top attractions to visit in Kampala, it would not fall under OUR top picks. When visiting the Uganda Museum, please do not expect to find anything along the lines of the British Museum.
It is a small museum, largely unvisited by the locals, hence expect to find a hint of dust – some may say it is so old that it is a curiosity within itself.
You are bound to get a glimpse into some of Uganda’s history as you discover some fossils, local tools, musical instruments etc. Perhaps going there with a guide would make it more interesting as they would be able to give you more insight and tell you tales about the tools and instruments.
With a bit of funding and care, the Uganda Museum could probably do with a make-over. Given that East Africa is the cradle of man i.e. the birthplace of man-kind, you would expect to find a lot of interesting history here.
So, we would urge you to visit the Uganda Museum because your donation would help a great deal in re-vamping this place. Also, you can not say you have visited Kampala city without dropping into the national museum!
Opening hours are 10:00am-5pm.
Entrance is 3,000/-.
Getting there:
You can easily get there by boda or Uber or a privately arranged taxi. Please note the traffic in Kampala is very bad and it can take very long to get to any destination if you get stuck in traffic.
From our Kampala hotel, it takes about 15 minutes by car with the usual traffic.
5. The Kabaka’s Palace and Idi Amin’s torture chambers (Lubiri/Mengo Palace)
The Kabaka’s palace is located on Mengo Hill and is worth a visit, mainly because of Uganda’s past involving Idi Amin. The whole world knows about Idi Amin’s dictatorship and standing on the site where Idi Amin’s torture chambers were located may be quite humbling. Perhaps going with a guide would make it an even more interesting experience.
It is thought that over 30,000 people were executed in these chambers. Ranging from electrocution to death by Amin’s operatives, these chambers’ walls leave a glimpse of the slow death that was suffered in blood and excrement.
On a brighter note, the Kabaka’s Palace also forms the historic seat of the Baganda King.
Opening hours are 8:00am-5:00pm.
Entrance is 10,000/-
Getting there:
You can easily get there by boda or Uber or a privately arranged taxi. Please note the traffic in Kampala is very bad and it can take very long to get to any destination if you get stuck in traffic.
From our Uganda hotel, it takes about 15 minutes by car with the usual traffic.
The TOP 5 PLACES TO VISIT IN KAMPALA
We hope you enjoyed reading through our article on the top 5 tourist attractions in Kampala and hope it provides you with sufficient information on what to see when you in Kampala!
We hope you have a lovely time exploring our city!