Although they lie 35km apart on the Northern Lake Victoria hinterland, the twin cities of Kampala and Entebbe- present and former capital of Uganda respectively- could scarcely be more different in character. Situated on rolling hills some 10km inland of the lake, Kampala is the archetypal African capital- more verdant than many of its counterparts, not quite so populous or chaotic as others- but essentially the familiar juxtaposition of bustling compact high rise city centre rising from leafy suburban sprawl, increasing organic in appearance as on reaches its rustic periphery.



Entebbe, by contrast, scarcely feels like a town at all. Straddling the Equator some 30mins’ drive south of Kampala, it is a remarkably unfocused urban centre, carved haphazardly into the tropical lakeshore jungle in such a manner that one might reasonably wonder whether most of its 50,000-plus residents haven’t packed up their tents and gone on holiday. Indeed Entebbe is quite possibly the only African capital past or present to enter the new millennium with a golf course more expansive than its normal city centre or whose tallest buildings are dwarfed by the antiquated trees of botanical garden.



With their contrasting atmospheres of modern urban bustle and time-warped equatorial languor, Kampala and Entebbe- linked by smooth surfaced road passing through a lush cover of broad-leaved plantains and other tropical cultivation- make for a fascinating introduction to Uganda. Coming by air, you will land at Entebbe International Airport, 3km from town centre, andd if your main interest is natural history then you would be well advised to stay over in Entebbe rather than heading on to the capital. Kampala on the other hand, is pulsating heart of Uganda’s cultural and intellectual life- not to mention its nightlife- and it also lies at the hub of the international and domestic long-haul bus network, making it the more attractive base to independent travellers seeking a taste of urban Africa.