Mix cultural activities with some relaxing downtime over a week in Uganda. After arriving in Entebbe, you’ll embark on community tourism activities that involve music, dance, crafting, cooking classes, and more. Not only will you meet local tribespeople, but you’ll immerse yourself in their culture on food tours, visits to art galleries, and local markets before finishing the trip with a relaxing day on the beach.
Day 1: Arrive in Entebbe, Optional Activities
Welcome to Uganda! This nation in East Africa is filled with natural wonders that include the Nile River, virgin rainforests home to wild mountain gorillas, and Lake Victoria, the second-largest freshwater lake in the world. It’s also home to four different ethnic groups who have inhabited these lands since antiquity. On this weeklong adventure, you’ll meet some of the Indigenous residents of Uganda, learn about their culture, eat some great food, and make new friends in the process.
You’ll arrive in Entebbe, a city on a peninsula at the north end of Lake Victoria. This metropolis is known for its friendliness and laid-back atmosphere, which you’ll notice upon arrival when you meet your driver. After transferring to your hotel in the city, you can head out for a self-guided walking tour. Perhaps take a stroll along the lakeshore, shop at Victoria Mall, and sample the local cuisine. Try the tilapia, the tastiest fish in the country.
Day 2: Day Trip to Etanda, Transfer to Kampala
In the morning, you’ll transfer a couple of hours northwest of Entebbe to the town of Mityana, located in central Uganda. Your destination is a nearby village of Kijjudde, where there’s a community tourism initiative called Etanda, a local word that loosely translates to “care package.” The goal is to preserve the culture of the Baganda people, members of the Bantu tribe who come from the Buganda Kingdom, one of the largest pre-colonial kingdoms in East Africa.
Upon arrival, you’ll participate in various activities that will give your insight into the Baganda way of life. Your introduction to this culture is through its joyful traditions of music and dance. Among other things, you’ll hear residents play the sekitulege, a traditional stringed instrument fashioned out of a hunting bow. Locals will also demonstrate the ancient craft of making backcloth, which involves fashioning garments out of the interior of native trees. Next, you’ll embark on a bushwalk with a ssenga (female elder) to learn how the Baganda use local herbs as medicine to treat the sick.
Afterward, it’s time for lunch, which you’ll help prepare. You’ll learn to make authentic luwombo, a dish of various ingredients cooked in banana leaves and which is popular among all Baganda, including royalty. You’ll enjoy the meal the traditional way: sitting on a mat and using your hands to eat. In the afternoon, you’ll participate in a soccer game and/or archery before finishing the day with a wrestling lesson, a sport that has been practiced in the kingdom since ancient times. Then you’ll transfer an hour to the capital of Kampala, where you’ll overnight.
Day 3: Kampala Culture & Culinary Tour, Cooking Class.
After breakfast, head out on a full-day tour to discover the culture and cuisine of Kampala. It starts at the Uganda Museum, where you’ll explore the country’s rich cultural and historical heritage. Then, head to Nakasero Market, which is over 100 years old and one of the city’s largest municipal markets. Here you’ll meet local artisans, shopkeepers, and food purveyors. You’ll even take a cooking class with a local street food vendor to learn how to make traditional Ugandan fast food dishes.
In the afternoon, continue exploring on a city tour, during which you’ll stop at landmarks like Kabaka’s Palace. This grand palace dates to 1885 and since then has been home to the monarchs of the Kingdom of Buganda. Your day ends with a visit to the Ndere Cultural Center. Here, you’ll enjoy a home-cooked meal, listen to traditional music, and watch a dance performance. Afterward, you’ll return to the hotel.
Day 4: Visit a Local School in Matuga.
Your guide will pick you up this morning for a half-day trip north of the city to the suburbs of Kampala. Here, you’ll visit the Matuga Community School, a local school that educates both girls and boys and is committed to creating a better future for its students. When you arrive, you’ll receive a warm greeting from the teachers and students. Then your guide will take you on a tour, showing you the classrooms, dormitories, kitchens, library, and other facilities. You’ll have the opportunity to meet other teachers who will discuss the education experience in Uganda.
You’ll also have the chance to meet some students and learn about their lives over a chat. After the tour, those same students will treat you to a cultural dance performance, which showcases their talent and passion. After the show, you’ll enjoy lunch before returning to your hotel.
Day 5: Transfer to Entebbe, Fishing Village & Beach Time
After breakfast, you’ll hop in a car for the ride back to Entebbe. A few miles before the city, however, you’ll stop at the Kasenyi Fish Landing Site, a busy trading center on the shores of Lake Victoria where fishermen deliver their catch. During a tour here, you’ll see women selling smoked fish, sweet potatoes, yams, and other foodstuffs, plus sample fried tilapia at a local restaurant. Your local guide will also share valuable insights on local fishing practices and how they change over the seasons.
After visiting Kasenyi, you’ll head over to the tranquil shores of nearby White Sands Beach. Soak up the sun, kick off your shoes, and enjoy a beer or other refreshing beverage as you relax and unwind. At the end of the day, you’ll transfer to your hotel in Entebbe.
Day 6: Visit Entebbe Art Galleries & Craft Markets.
Today you’ll discover the artistic side of Entebbe. In the morning, you’ll leave your hotel on a two-hour tour of the city’s craft markets and art galleries, which offer a wide range of unique handmade crafts, paintings, African shoes, fabrics, jewelry, home decor, and much more. As a bonus, you’ll take part in a small-group painting class where you’ll learn how to create your own masterpiece. Afterward, you’ll have the chance to purchase paintings from local artists.
After the class, you’ll sit down for a delicious local lunch. Then you can spend the remainder of the day shopping and visiting more craft markets. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in the local culture, support local artisans, and bring home authentic African crafts as a souvenir of your time in Entebbe.
Day 7: Depart Entebbe
No one likes goodbyes, but rest easy in knowing you’ve made new friends and created memories to last a lifetime. At the appropriate hour, your driver will pick you up at the hotel and transfer you to the airport in Entebbe, where you’ll catch your flight home. Until next time!
