What to do and see at the Kampala Serena Hotel
The hotel is ideally placed in the centre of Kampala, within walking distance of the main shopping and business districts and a short taxi ride away from such attractions as the Kasubi Tombs, the National Museum and the craft markets.
Just 20 minute's drive from Entebbe and Lake Victoria, the hotel is also ideally placed for access to the many beach and sporting opportunities on offer there. Of particular note is the Lake Victoria Serena Resort, our 4-star leisure resort, which has been designed to compliment the 5-star facilities of our flagship Kampala Serena Hotel by offering a delightful and relaxing lakeside retreat. Shuttle services run between the two hotels and complimentary packages can be arranged.
Other ideas include:
- The Kampala City Tour, a comprehensive tour of this bustling city that also takes in the African Craft Village and the National Museum.
- The Uganda Wildlife Centre, a small collection of buffalo, zebra, chimpanzees, monkeys, lion antelopes, crocodiles and hyenas plus numerous birds, the centre is also in Entebbe.
- The Namugongo Martyrs' Shrine, the site where in 1886 twenty newly converted Christians were burnt alive by Kabaka Mwanga II whose order to ‘renounce the white man's religion' they had disobeyed.
Entebbe
Visits to Entebbe, which offers a range of hotels, a popular beach and numerous boating excursions.
The Entebbe Botanical Gardens, these 2.6 sq km gardens were founded in 1898 and offer a wide selection of exotic flora, small mammals, monkeys and excellent bird-spotting.
Jinja
Visits to Jinja, the source of the Nile. Uganda's second largest city, Jinja lies 80km from Kampala and offers numerous leisure options (to include white-water rafting and bungy jumping on the Nile) a yacht club and the renowned Jinja Golf Course.
Visits to the Owen Falls, Sezibwa Falls and Bujagali Falls on the Nile.
Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
The Mabira Forest, a virgin tract of indigenous forest, which offers hundreds of butterflies, 300 bird species, guided walks and the chance of seeing both red-tailed and black-and-white colobus monkeys.
What to see and do beyond Kampala
The ‘Land of Lakes'
25 per cent of Uganda's entire surface is covered by a glittering skein of lakes and rivers, earning her the title ‘The Land of Lakes'. As to scenery, Uganda has been dubbed ‘The Switzerland of Africa' thanks to its impressive mountain ranges, which include the legendary ‘Mountains of the Moon', the snow-capped Ruwenzoris, and the enormous and immeasurably ancient Mount Elgon which, at 4,324 metres is all that remains of a massive volcano, now extinct, which forms the boundary between Uganda and Kenya.
The national parks and reserves
The national parks of Uganda (11, 023 sq km) have been set aside as wildlife and botanical sanctuaries. There are 10 national parks and a number of game reserves. The main national parks are; Bwindi Impenetrable, Kibale, Kidepo Valley, Lake Mburo, Mgahinga Gorilla, Mount Elgon, Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Ruwenzori, and Semuliki.
Fauna and avifauna
Uganda offers 50 large mammal species all members of the ‘Big Five' (elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard and rhinoceros) and she is particularly famous for her primates - especially the mountain gorillas (western lowland, eastern lowland and mountain). There are also 1000 species of birds and 300 species of butterfly.
National museums and historical sites
The Uganda National Museum, Kampala; Bigo Bya Mugenyi, Kabaka Mwanga's Lake, The Kakoro Rock Paintings, Kamukazi, The Kasubi Tombs, Masaka Hill, The Mparo Tombs, Mubende Hill, he Munsa Earthworks, The Namugongo Shrine, The Nkokonjeru Tomb, Ntusi, Numagabwe Cave, The Nyero Rock Paintings.
