Uganda Day Trips Starting from Kampala
Kampala is where most Uganda day trips begin. Multiple day trips start from Kampala and each option presents holidaymakers a chance to experience something unusual. Kampala is the official Capital City of Uganda and is strategically set near Africa’s largest freshwater lake – Lake Victoria. Within Kampala alone, visitors have plenty of options to discover what the pearl of Africa has to offer the world.
Day Trips in Kampala
Plenty of attractions await to be explored by holidaymakers in Kampala. The attractions range from history to cultural sites. On a single day, it is possible to connect to great sites including the Uganda Martyrs Shrine and Baha’i Temple. These are perfect sites for tourists who are interested in faith-based tourism to explore on Uganda safaris.
The Uganda Martyrs Shrine sits on Namugongo Hill, about 11 km through the Northern bypass highway. At the Martyrs shrine, you get to learn more about the devoted faith worshipers who lost their lives during the reign of the Buganda King. Each year, the Uganda Martyrs attracts one of the biggest Christmas pilgrimages on the African continent.
The Baha’i Temple isn’t only a faith-based tourism site but also a perfect place to enjoy a birding tour in Kampala city. The common birds to spot in the Bahai Temple include the great blue turacos, black and white casqued hornbill, grey parrot, palm-nut vultures, ring-necked dove, double-toothed barbet, blue spotted wood dove, speckled mouse bird, and others.
Mabamba Wetland Day Tour
Spending a day in Mabamba Wetland is a great chance for you to explore different aquatic birds. Mabamba isn’t only popular for its elusive shoebill storks but also other countless birds. Additional birds that make Mabamba a great birding site include Papyrus gonoleks, black-faced rufous warblers, Goliath heron, orange weavers, spur-winged lapwings, common squacco heron, blue-cheeked bee-eaters, African pygmy goose, white-browed cuckoos, wood sandpiper, long-tailed cormorant, black-crowned waxbill, woodland kingfisher, hammerkop, great white pelican, little egret, pied kingfishers and many more.
Birding tours in Mabamba can be enjoyed the full day or in the morning/afternoon. Over 300 species of birds exist in this wetland. Visitors can embark on a birding excursion with the presence of an experienced guide.
Mabira Forest walk
Located in Buikwe, Central Uganda, Mabira Forest is one of the best birding destinations that can be explored within a day. A day trip in Mabira can involve engaging in several activities or a single activity depending on the visitors’ interest. Birding is one of the most rewarding experiences awaiting you on a Uganda day trip in Mabira. The birds to expect to sight in Mabira Forest include hooded vulture, yellow-billed kit, black-headed heron, reed cormorant, European honey-buzzard, Jameson’s wattle eye, tit hylia, Nahan’s francolins, purple throated cuckoos, and the Great blue turacos.
Additional birds include the hairy-breasted barbet, tambourine dove, black and white manikin, African harrier hawks, African shrike flycatchers, velvet-mantled drongo, and red-headed malimbe. These diverse birds can also be spotted during guided nature or forest walks.
Nature walks are a special way to appreciate the natural beauty of Mabira. On a guided nature walk, expect to search for different primates and birds as well as floral species. The different species to encounter on a guided nature walk in Mabira Forest include primates such as the red-tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabey monkeys. Mabira also offers support to over 97 species of moths, 200 species of trees, and 218 colorful butterfly species.
Entanda Cultural Centre Visit
For visitors who desire to experience different dishes or cultures in Uganda, Entanda Cultural Centre should be a must-visit on Uganda holiday. At the Entanda, visitors are taken through the traditional garden and explore the various foods then observe or engage in the preparation stages. You can also experience the unique cultures and traditions within Kampala on a visit to nearby cultural sites or Buganda Kingdom.
Lake Mburo National Park day trips
Lake Mburo Game Park is one of the most accessible destinations in the heart of Kampala making it an ideal place to explore on day trips in Uganda. It takes visitors only 4-5 hours to drive from the heart of Kampala to Lake Mburo National Park to enjoy wildlife or game viewing. Lake Mburo Park is found in Western Uganda and is home to abundant wildlife including zebras, buffaloes, impalas, topis, elands, waterbucks, and many birds.
Lake Mburo Park also provides support to birds such as the black-headed gonoleks, malachite kingfishers, pied kingfishers, red-faced barbets, shoebill storks, African wattled lapwings, ross’s turacos, yellow-rumped tinker bird, and many others. The best experiences that await you on Uganda safaris in Lake Mburo National Park include guided game drives, launch cruises, bird watching, cycling or biking, horseback riding, and guided nature walks.
Jinja Tours
Explore Jinja on a day tour. Get to enjoy enriching adventures such as whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, boat cruising, jet boating, kayaking, tubing, and more. The majority of the adrenaline adventures in Jinja are enjoyable on the Source of the Nile River.
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary Tours
Located in Nakitoma is the charming Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, a perfect place to enjoy the best of rhino trekking. Visitors can reach Ziwa within a day and explore its wonders. The key highlights of the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary tour include rhino tracking, birding, and nature walks.
The different wildlife to find at Ziwa include rhinos, waterbucks, giraffes, duikers, warthogs, mongoose, and others. Birds in Ziwa include the African pygmy kingfishers, shoebill storks, broad-bill rollers, African black crake, brown-backed scrub-robin, brown rufous chatterer, Abyssinian ground hornbill, African fish eagle, bruce’s green pigeon, bronze mankini, and others.
The different Ziwa birds thrive in various habitats. The notable bird habitats in Ziwa include savanna, grassland, wetland, and woodland. A guided bird-watching excursion at Ziwa guarantees incredible sights of birds and other avifaunal species.
Entebbe tours
Entebbe is a tourist city of its own. It is the first town or city to be reached as soon as you exit the airport. There are different sites to explore on Entebbe day tours. Including the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, the Botanical Gardens, the reptile village, and others. At the botanical gardens, expect to come across birds such as the grey-headed gulls, swamp flycatchers, giant kingfishers, pied kingfishers, gull-billed tern, little stint, white-browed coucal, grey-headed sparrow, striated heron, purple-banded sunbird, African open-billed stork, wood sandpiper, pink-backed pelican, eastern grey plantain-eater, green sandpiper, sedge warbler, yellow-rumped tinker bird, great blue turacos, broad-billed rollers, African palm swift, and orange weaver birds.
Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC)
At the Entebbe Zoo (Uganda Wildlife Education Centre), there are different animals to see on your day tour. They include leopards, cheetahs, rhinos, giraffes, pythons, Uganda Kobs, plus over 120 different bird species. The birds at the Entebbe Zoo include the African fish eagles, gray crowned cranes, pink-backed pelicans, Indian peafowl, and more. There are different ways to explore Entebbe Zoo including a guided walk, behind-the-scenes experience, keep for a day experience, vet for the day experience, bird watching, forest walks, and many others.
Conclusively, multiple Uganda day trips start from Kampala. Most of the day trips in Uganda that begin from Kampala are perfect for destinations close to the city including Lake Mburo National Park, Jinja (Source of the Nile), Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Ngamba Island, and more. Book a Uganda day Trip starting from Kampala HERE and create everlasting memories.
