Honestly, according to the degree of brainwashing, drama and vampirism, Ugandan myths easily make anyone. Where are the Greek gods with their sluggish tangled adultery. Listen to the legend of the origin of the mythical people of Bachwesi, whose descendants are the present inhabitants of Uganda.

Once upon a time, the throne in the Ugandan kingdom was taken over by one usurper .And he had a beautiful daughter, whose father was very afraid of .Or rather, not the daughter, but her future son, who will claim the throne .He even imprisoned his daughter in the tower, but it did not help: a beautiful young man got there and lived with the princess for three months, as a result of which the latter gave birth to a boy .The evil usurper in anger punctured his own daughter with one eye and cut off one breast, which he threw together with the newborn into the cave .But expecting that the heir would be dying of hunger, the scoundrel miscalculated cruelly: the baby survived, because he ate milk ... yes, you correctly thought, grew up safely, stole his grandfather and became the new king! The

Uganda is a state in East Africa, part of the British Commonwealth. In the north, Uganda borders Sudan, in the west - with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the south with Rwanda and Tanzania, and in the east with Kenya.

The capital and the largest city is Kampala. A complete list of the country's cities can be found on the city page and the resorts of Uganda.

About when it is best to come here and what to do on the site, is told on the page tours to Uganda.

How to get to

Central and the only international airport in Uganda is located in the suburbs of the capital city of Entebbe. It is located on the shore of Lake Victoria and almost at the equator.

The airport serves several international air carriers, so you can get to Uganda several options for flights:

1. Regular flight Egypt Air on the route: Moscow - Cairo - Entebbe
   Flight takes off from Domodedovo airport, transit to another plane in Cairo, arrives in Entebbe.
   The journey takes about 11 hours, including: Moscow - Cairo - about 4 hours, transit - 1 hour, Cairo - Entebbe - about 5 hours.
   Flight Moscow-Cairo-Entebbe performed by Airbus 320.
2. Regular flight of Turkish Airlines on the route Moscow - Istanbul - Entebbe.
   The flight departs from the Sheremetyevo F airport (former terminal 2), transit to another plane at Istanbul airport, arrives in Entebbe.
   On the way about 11 hours, from them (one of the many options is indicated, since the Moscow-Istanbul flight is operated 4 times a day): Moscow-Istanbul-about 3 hours, transit-4 hours, Istanbul-Entebbe-about 6 hours. >
   Flight Moscow - Istanbul - Entebbe performed by Airbus A320.
3. Regular flight Emirates on the route Moscow - Dubai - Entebbe.
   Flight takes off from Domodedovo airport, transit change to another plane at Dubai airport, arrives in Entebbe.
   Flight Moscow - Dubai - Entebbe performed by Airbus A320.
4. Regular flight KLM on the route Moscow - Amsterdam - Entebbe.
   Flight takes off from Domodedovo airport, transit change to another plane at Amsterdam airport, arrives in Entebbe.
   Flight Moscow - Amsterdam is performed by airplane "Boeing 737-700"
   Flight Amsterdam - Entebbe is performed by airplane "Airbus A320-200".
   On the way about 14 hours, including: Moscow - Amsterdam - 3 and a half hours, transit - about 4 hours, Amsterdam - Entebbe - about 7 hours.
5. There is an opportunity to reach other routes, for example, first to Nairobi, then by domestic airlines to Entebbe.

Visa to Uganda

For Russian citizens, a visa is required to travel to Uganda, which can be issued both in Moscow and at the airport upon arrival.

Customs office

The country is allowed duty-free import of two hundred cigarettes and one liter of spirits. It is forbidden to import fruits, seedlings and seeds, drugs, explosives, firearms. It is forbidden to export gold and diamonds, ivory and animal skins without a special license from the customs authorities.

Import of foreign currency is not limited. Export of national currency is prohibited (at least formally: tourists still usually drag several bills as souvenirs).

Phone Numbers

For calls to Uganda, a standard set of symbols is used from Russia: an exit to the intercity 8, an international call 10, then the country code 256 is added, then the city code is:

• Kampala - 41
• Jinja - 43
• Mbale - 45
• Fort Portal - 483
• Masindi - 465
• Masaka - 481.

Transport

The transport system in Uganda is not particularly developed, but at the same time, the main roads passing through the whole country are of good quality. The city is connected by regular transport links, mainly it is operated by minibuses with a capacity of 8-10 people or on small buses (20-30 passengers). Taxi-bus (like our Gazelle) is called "Matata". Dirty inside and not always a positive ambience. In each "matat" a conductor travels, he also called the "manager" of trips.

Car rental in Uganda

The rent of vehicles in Uganda, as well as all over the world, are handled by specialized companies, the so-called "rent-a-car". The average cost of a mid-range car varies from $ 50 to $ 75, the average cost of an off-road car from $ 100 to $ 150, you can rent a minivan for $ 180- $ 250.

In this case, it is necessary to take into account that the movement in Uganda is left-side, and all cars with right-hand drive. Therefore, those who are "not confident in their abilities" on the "back" road, advice: to take a car with a driver. The driver can act as an interpreter, as well as a guide.

Safety of tourists

Uganda is safe for tourists. A distinctive feature of Uganda's cities is the absence of adherent merchants of souvenirs and unnecessary trifles. You can safely stroll through the national parks, and through the cities. Yet it is necessary to be careful outside the cities, since animals (elephants, lions, hippos and others) are free in their movements.

Before the trip, it is necessary to put a vaccine against yellow fever, which ensures the safety of tourists around the world in countries with tropical climate. Malaria prophylaxis is also superfluous.

The nature of Uganda

The Ugandan Elephant

The life of the villages of Uganda

Language

In Uganda, in the kingdom of Buganda led by its Kabaka-king, there is a people of Baganda speaking in the language of Luganda. A feature of the language of Luganda is that any changes are made by changing the front part of the word, and not at the end. For example, in the singular, the word begins in mu ..., and in the plural it begins in ba ...: munafu - a slacker, banafu - slackers.

Climate of Uganda

In Uganda, a very pleasant mild climate, characteristic of countries located on the equator. Its geographical location causes a large amount of sunlight. The average temperature is 25 to 30 degrees Celsius all year round.

The so-called "rainy season" is April and October, while rains are local in nature, that is, the rain goes in places abundantly, but not for long.

The abundance of fresh water has led to the presence in the country of a large number of forests and flowering fields.

See also the current weather forecast for the main resorts and cities in Uganda for the coming days.

Uganda Hotels

There are good hotels in the country, mainly they are in Kampala. In National Parks, the hotel base is represented by lodges and camping sites, where lodges can be equated to 5 * and 4 * hotels, and campsites to 3 * hotels (there are camping sites not suitable for "star classification", and many coming to Uganda, themselves are looking for such an inexpensive accommodation option).

Banks and exchange offices

The main bank of Uganda is the Bank of Uganda. But in terms of the number of offices working with clients and exchange points, Barclays Bank is leading. Exchange points can be found in any city.

There is a "bad tradition": Underestimation of the exchange rate of US dollars, if they are issued before 2001.

Shopping and Shopping in Uganda

The cities and villages of Uganda are like big stores, and in general the impression is that everyone is going somewhere to sell or buy something. This erroneous impression is created because corporations and trading companies pay local residents, for the use of their houses, as advertising platforms. The houses of local residents along the route are fully painted in the corporate colors of the sponsors, so often the blank wall of the house is an advertising poster.

In the cities there are large shops and supermarkets with a large range of products and consumer goods. You can also find minimarkets. There are markets and trade collapses everywhere where you can buy various fruits and vegetables. Many meat shops and bread boxes. Strange impression is caused by meat shops, in which the meat is simply laid out on the shelves or hung on hooks. However, meat does not deteriorate, the cause of the "phenomenon" is not yet clear.

Funny event - buying carbonated water such as "Coca-Cola": buying a drink you "must" return the bottle to the place where it was bought, and in order not to force Tourists to return, the store "puts" a boy to him who gently follows him until he gets his drink and returns the bottle.

Kitchen and Restaurants

The kitchen is not the most refined. In restaurants, a standard set of dishes that can be found all over the world. At the same time, an extremely common food is potatoes, which locals call "irish pottatos". Also widespread is the use of freshwater fish, which is caught in local lakes. They eat poultry and meat. But the most important product in Uganda is Matoki.

Matoki is a kind of banana that does not have a sweet taste and is used by local residents for food in different variations. In chopped form, matoki replaces potatoes, in ground and cooked form - puree, in baked form - chips and so on.

Entertainment, excursions and attractions in Uganda

The main attraction of Uganda is its national parks. One of them, namely Queen Elizabeth National Park - the world's first natural national park. One of the outstanding attractions is Bwindy Forest, a place where mountain gorillas live. Murchison Falls - the largest waterfall on the Nile, attracts many tourists from all over the world with its beauty and amazing power.

Excursions to national parks are conducted by local rangers. In some places, tourists are also escorted by armed guards.

In large settlements there are bars and discos. Prices in bars are not high, the local public is not aggressive. At discos, basically, you can hear local modern music and have fun, while not spending much.

Photos of Uganda (38)