Kampala is a beautiful city that is often overlooked on trips throughout the African continent. Because of this, you will find Kampala to be quite a bit cheaper than many East African capital cities.
Kampala is a great jumping off point for rafting the Nile, gorilla trekking and exploring the National Parks but it’s worth staying in the city for a few days to enjoy the culture and history.
| Population | 1,700,000 |
| Area | 1,700,000 |
| Timezone | UTC+3 |
| Currency | Ugandan Shilling |
| Airports | Entebbe International Airport (EBB) |
There is a huge range of restaurants, bars and street stalls in Kampala. Local food is very cheaply priced while tourist haunts can be nearly as much as a mid range American restaurant.
| Budget breakfast | Almost all hotels will include breakfast in the price of the room. If not, local stalls and small cafes have cheap and simple breakfast options | $0.80 - $1.60 |
| Budget lunch | There are street vendors and small local cafes that cater to both local residents and tourists | $1.07 - $2.14 |
| Budget dinner | Smaller, local restaurants offer daily “specials” depending on what they were able to purchase. Always delicious and normally the cheapest option | $2.14 - $5.35 |
| Beer .5L | Most East African beer is sold in .5L bottles and you can find alcohol in almost all sit down restaurants | $0.53 - $0.94 |
| Soda and water | Tap water isn’t safe to drink, but you can easily buy water and sodas at any restaurant, bar or small shop | $0.40 - $0.67 |
| Month | High F | Low F | PRECIP (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 83 | 64 | 2.8 |
| February | 85 | 65 | 2.1 |
| March | 84 | 65 | 4.7 |
| April | 82 | 65 | 6.9 |
| May | 81 | 64 | 4.9 |
| June | 80 | 64 | 2.6 |
| July | 80 | 63 | 2.2 |
| August | 81 | 63 | 2.6 |
| September | 82 | 63 | 4.2 |
| October | 82 | 64 | 5.0 |
| November | 81 | 64 | 6.0 |
| December | 82 | 64 | 3.4 |
The temperature in Kampala doesn’t fluctuate a great deal throughout the year. It is warm during the day and cools off to a very comfortable temperature in the evenings.
The best time to visit is the dry seasons which run from mid May until mid October and December until February.
The long rains (March to mid May) make travel slow and may sometimes cause small flooding problems in the city center. The shorter rains (mid-October and November) normally consist of bursts of heavy rains that last only a short time before giving way to bright skies and shouldn’t trouble you too much in the city.
| 21 Mar | 6:54am | 7:00pm |
| 21 Jun | 6:47am | 6:56pm |
| 21 Sep | 6:40am | 6:46pm |
| 21 Dec | 6:46pm | 6:51pm |
Hotels are available in every budget range throughout the city center and surrounding areas. In lower-end accommodations, make sure you ask to see the room before agreeing as similarly priced hotels can have incredibly different standards.
Because of a small tourist industry, hotel prices do not vary greatly throughout the year. There are a few hostels with great atmosphere, but you may be able to find private rooms with shared bathrooms for cheaper rates.
If you are staying for multiple nights, many budget accommodations will offer discounts if requested regardless of the time of year.
| Rating | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
 | 24.10 - 28.92 |
| 26.03 - 51.09 |
| 29.88 - 67.48 |
| 116.64 - 187.01 |
| 431.85 |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Hostel | 7.71 - 17.35 |
Transportation costs around the city are reasonable. Motorcycle taxis, called boda-bodas, will cheaply whisk you around the city, zipping through traffic much faster but much less safely than cars and buses. In Uganda, the word “taxi” has become the term used for local mini-buses that travel throughout the country. If you are looking for a private taxi, ask for a “special hire” or “private hire”. Be sure to negotiate prices with private hires and boda-bodas before beginning your journey or you may be in for a shock at the end of the trip! Mini-buses travel the city and country for cheap prices. Just tell the driver your desired destination and he will tell you if he’s going there.
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Taxi from airport to city center | 16.04 - 21.39 |
| Minibus from airport to city center | 0.67 |
| 3-km taxi ride in Kampala | 2.67 |
| Boda Boda 3-km ride in Kampala | 0.80 - 1.34 |
| Uber ride in Kampala | 0.40 - 0.94 |