Old Kampala National Mosque and the Lake Victoria Shore

To grasp Kampala's scale, start at the exact spot where the modern city was born on Old Kampala Hill, then follow the valleys south where the hills give way to the papyrus-fringed bays of Lake Victoria, the largest tropical lake in the world and the reservoir of the White Nile.

Uganda National Mosque (Gaddafi Mosque) on Old Kampala Hill

Old Kampala Hill is where Captain Frederick Lugard raised the flag of the Imperial British East Africa Company in 1890 over a small earthwork fort. Today the hilltop is crowned by the Uganda National Mosque (widely known as the Gaddafi National Mosque, completed in 2007), which can accommodate over 15,000 worshippers inside its main hall, gallery and terrace. Guided tours welcome non-Muslim visitors throughout the day outside prayer times (modest wraps and headscarves are provided at the ticket desk). Inside the prayer hall, admire the floral stained-glass windows, carved Egyptian woodwork and giant crystal chandelier above a woven carpet from Libya.

The highlight is climbing the 304 steps up the 50-metre minaret. From the open upper balcony, the custodian will point out all of Kampala's historic hills in a complete circle: Mengo Palace and the twin cathedrals of Namirembe and Rubaga to the west, Makerere University and Kasubi to the north, the skyscrapers of Nakasero and leafy Kololo to the east, and the silver sheen of Lake Victoria to the south.

Lake Victoria waterfront: Ggaba Landing Site and Munyonyo

In the afternoon, drive twenty minutes south-east past Muyenga Hill to the shores of Murchison Bay on Lake Victoria, where two contrasting lakeside stops await:

• Ggaba Landing Site and Fish Market: a lively working lakeshore port where wooden plank canoes painted in bright blues and yellows unload fresh Nile perch and tilapia, marabou storks patrol the pier, and casual open-air beach tables serve whole deep-fried fish with chips and lime right by the water.
• Munyonyo and Lake Victoria boat cruises: just west of Ggaba, Munyonyo holds peaceful waterfront resort gardens, marina jetties for late-afternoon sunset boat rides toward the Equator line and Bulago Island, and the circular Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine marking where the Ugandan Martyrs began their final walk to Namugongo in 1886.

Pair your afternoon by the lake with an evening performance in our street food and Ndere Cultural Centre overview.