Tour of the capital of Uganda, Kampala. The large city on Lake Victoria is a little-known tourist destination, full of attractions not to be missed.
Kampala is there capital of Uganda, a large city of two million inhabitants at the center of a vast urban area overlooking the shores of Lake Victoria in central-eastern Africa. The name Kampala comes from a translation of the name the English gave to the region around the city, "the impala hills", referring to the large number of these animals that lived in the area.
In the past Kampala it was a hunting reserve of the sovereign of Buganda, the kingdom that historically insisted on the region around Lake Victoria and which during the nineteenth century became part of the orbit of the British Empire, spontaneously becoming a protectorate. The city was founded from a small military fort built by the British East Africa Company in 1890.
From that moment it began to develop and grow in importance until it became the capital of the State of Uganda instead of nearby Entebbe. In 1979, when the Idi Amin regime was overthrown and civil war broke out, Kampala was seriously damaged in the clashes that broke out in the city.
Today Kampala is one of the most important cities in the macro-region surrounding Lake Victoria and although it has not yet become a destination for mass tourism, those who visit Uganda to discover its beautiful natural parks habitat of the splendid gorillas, offers real wonders to discover.
Uganda is a relatively safe African country and in particular Kampala is one of the cities with the least problems in East Africa but despite this it is always essential to inform the Italian diplomatic centers of your movements during a trip to this region and not to move away from the central areas of the city at night. In this guide we will discover the most interesting destinations and attractions not to be missed on a trip to Kampala, the capital of Uganda.
The center of Kampala is spread over a series of basse colline which embrace the heart of the city accompanying the difference in altitude that leads to the shores of Lake Victoria, and is made up of a network of streets often congested by chaotic traffic. There are usually two means of transport in Kampala, the boda-boda and the matatus: the former are small motorcycles used to transport a single passenger which speed dangerously through traffic, while the latter are scheduled buses used as urban buses, which are promptly blocked in traffic.
An unforgettable experience is waiting for the Sunday morning, when the city is still asleep and you meet almost no one on its streets and then ask a boda-boda driver to do a complete tour of the city, crossing the most interesting places.
In the heart of Kampala you can start a visit by going to the Uganda National Cultural Centre, the most important cultural center in the country where you can visit the spectacular National Theatre, a large library and the large African Crafts Village which houses an infinite number of handcrafted products give it traditional craftsmen locals. In the Cultural Center complex there is also a cinema, various restaurants and numerous auditorium rooms where cultural initiatives, concerts and exhibitions of all kinds are regularly held.
A short distance from the Cultural Center you can visit the Parliament building, the heart of the State of Uganda, where it is possible to take part in a guided tour that illustrates the history of this country and its complex social structure made up of a complex network of alliances between groups and clans coming from all over the nation.
After this introduction to Ugandan history it is worth reaching the two major museum institutions in the state, the Nommo Gallery and the National Museum of Uganda. The first is Uganda's most famous art gallery, which collects, exhibits and offers the possibility of purchasing a large selection of works by the major contemporary artists of East Africa.
In addition to the art collections, a visit to this gallery offers the wonderful experience of walking in the green heart of the city, thanks to a splendid public garden at the center of the structure. Just outside the gallery you can visit the Independence Monument, the symbol of the political autonomy achieved in 1962 by Uganda from Great Britain.
On the top of the Kitante hill there is, however, the National Museum of Uganda, a vast collection of finds that illustrate both the natural history of this territory and the folklore and popular traditions handed down over the centuries by the indigenous populations who lived around Lake Victoria.
Moving east you can first reach the University campus of Makerere, one of the most prestigious universities in all of central-eastern Africa where teaching is currently suspended due to the anti-government protests that broke out between 2015 and 2016, and just beyond the site of the Kasubi Tombs, the place of traditional burial of the ruling families of the Buganda kingdom.
The site of Tombe Kasubi it hosts numerous buildings with the characteristic conical shape where the Buganda rulers were buried and although a fire damaged some of the most important structures in 2010, the restoration work has almost been completed and it is possible to visit a good part of the structures.
Before leaving Kampala it is worth heading to a couple of interesting buildings. The first is one of the most particular religious buildings in Uganda, the Bahai temple, dedicated to this religion of Persian origin, which is located about 5 kilometers from the historic center. The temple is located in a beautiful park where you can walk freely and admire the beautiful landscape that extends over the hills around Kampala. The second is the presidential palace, just outside the centre, in the Mengo area.
