Entebbe

We can arrange one of our staff to come and pick you up from the airport and drive you to the base for a fee. The airport is between 3 – 6 hours away from the base, depending on the day and time of arrival. Please contact us to make airport pickup arrangements.

Yes, the cost is $50 per person. It is best to apply online at least 10 days before you travel to Uganda.

The website is https://www.visas.immigration.go.ug/

Please follow the menu patter: Apply for Visa, Uganda Ordinary/Tourist Visa, Single Entry

A return ticket is needed as evidence (Tourism)

It’s generally warm/hot year round in Jinja, though it does cool off in the evenings and mornings, and we do get a good amount of rain. Bring a jumper or a light jacket, closed-toe shoes, and an umbrella or rain jacket. A minimum of 16.5°C (61.7°F) and maximum of 24.7°C (76.5°F).

As you are packing, bear in mind that you will be washing your clothes by hand. Heavy clothes are more difficult to wash well. Soap can be purchased in the snack shop or in larger quantities in town. Clothes are dried on the line. If you don’t want to retrieve your clothes from the bushes, bring clothespins. Undergarments are not put out on the community clotheslines bring a line or rope to hang them in your room.

Ugandan food is high in carbohydrates and includes rice, pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, posho (a mash of white corn powder cooked in water), matooke (cooked green bananas), chapatti (fried flatbread), beans, lentils, cabbage, and rarely beef or chicken. The diet can be a little low in protein, so many visitors find it helpful to bring protein-rich snacks from home (nuts, protein bars, protein shakes, etc.) to supplement their diet while here. Local vegetables and fruits are abundant, delicious, and inexpensive at the local markets: avocados, pineapple, watermelon, mangos, guavas, tomatoes, and bell peppers, depending on the season. Food is served buffet style and all piled on one plate.

Do not drink water straight from the tap. Treated water is available to everyone in the kitchen. Bottled drinking water can be bought in town or in the base snack shop. Between the heat and the long distances you’ll be walking, it is easy to get dehydrated. Make sure to drink plenty of water during your stay. Water filters are useful if you want to purify your own water but mostly you just need a good travel water bottle.

Malaria remains a big killer in sub-Saharan Africa, but taking preventative medicine regularly, sleeping under a mosquito net, covering up, and applying insect repellent in the early morning and evening can minimize its threat. Most locals have developed some level of tolerance, but Western immune systems are not well- prepared to handle malaria. For this reason, we recommend that all visitors be taking some form of anti-malarial drug. Your doctor can advise you about the most appropriate anti-malarial for you. Doxycycline and mefloquine can be purchased locally, and are much cheaper in Uganda so you can purchase one in town if needed. You will also need to sleep under a mosquito net.

Yellow fever vaccination is required to enter or leave Uganda. Make sure that you take the vaccination latest ten days before arrival, and that you carry the documentation for it in your hand luggage. Most times they ask you to show the documentation on the border, before you can enter the country.

Typhoid vaccines are recommended by some travel doctors, but it can be avoided by drinking purified or bottled water.

The local currency is the Ugandan Shilling. Spending money can be drawn from several ATMs in Jinja town. These work with most VISA debit cards (Master card may also be accepted but much less widely). Be aware that most banks will charge a small fee each time you use an ATM from another bank. You should also alert your bank ahead of time that you will be traveling, or you risk having your card canceled when you use it out of country. Bills should be USD in denominations of $50 or greater, 2009 or newer, and in good condition without marks or tears. ]

Greetings are a very important part of Ugandan culture. Taking the time to greet someone thoroughly is a sign of courtesy and respect– it’s rare to see a passing “hello”. When greeting, a gentle handshake is typical between most people, though close friends will hug twice, once with the face to the left and once to the right. Greetings follow a set pattern, which is easy to pick up, and often include a series of questions about how your home and family are doing.

Generally, teams are housed in a bunkhouse/dorm. They will have their own bathroom/shower facilities. Nights can get cooler, if you tend to get cold at night bring an additional blanket or sleeping bag. Mosquito nets will be supplied for shorter stays but if you are staying for an extended time you can purchase one after you arrive. Hot water does not flow from the tap.

Mwiri Hill, behind the base, is worth a climb up and down. Sunrises and sunsets are particularly impressive for those who enjoy beginning their mornings in an early and energetic fashion, or who like to wind down the day with some exercise.

Jinja town boasts several nice restaurants (Indian, Chinese, and Western food) and coffee shops. For shopping, Jinja has a handful of supermarkets with just about everything you might have forgotten to pack, and a large, bustling market with secondhand clothes, fresh fruits and vegetables, and household goods for remarkably cheap prices. Jinja is about a 30-minute journey from the base by minibus-taxi. We can provide you with contacts of someone who can arrange a safari, but most of the safari locations are several hours drive away from the base.

Uganda offers three main forms of transport: minibus taxis, motorbikes (called bodas), and walking. Matatus (minibus taxis) are the most common means of getting around, whether in and out of town or on journeys between towns. They offer very consistent and inexpensive transport and can generally get you near where you want to go, for one set price. For the brave, bodas are motorbikes that have a seat on the back you negotiate a price with the driver, tell him where you want to go, and hop on!