Page 119 - Oct-Dec 2024 Edition

Quick Facts The airport gained global fame in 1976 during
Operation Entebbe, when Israeli forces covert-
● Distance from Kampala: 34 km ly rescued 100 hostages from a hijacked Air
● Approx. drive time from Kampala: 1-2 hours, France plane. Uganda’s President Idi Amin was
depending on traffic reportedly caught off guard by the raid.
● Average Temperature: 21°C Attractions
● Entebbe has a tropical climate with relatively Lake Victoria is Entebbe’s biggest attraction,
constant temperatures throughout the year. whether for ferries to the Ssese islands, the
January is the city’s driest month. Entebbe’s town’s (small) beaches or the leisure boat
wettest months are April and May. rides.
● Elevation: ? Out and about
● National Botanical Gardens: established in
● Latitude and Longitude: 0°03’00.0”N,
32°27’36.0”E check this (Latitude: 0.0500; 1898, the lakeshore gardens are home to a
diverse collection of tropical plants, birds and
Longitude: 32.4600)
monkeys.
● Population (2024 census): see email ● Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC)
● Monarch: Kabaka Ronald Edward Freder- is a sanctuary for various indigenous wildlife
ick Kimera Muwenda Mutebi II is the 35th and a day out for the family.
Kabaka of Buganda Kingdom. ● Ngamba Island chimpanzee sanctuary.
Boats depart from near UWEC
History and Background
● Reptiles Village: Ugandan snakes, croco-
Entebbe, which means “seat” (or literally wood, diles and chameleons
from which the seat was made) in the local ● Sports fishing and sunset cruises
Luganda language, is thought to have been
named for its function as the place where a Ba- ● Shoebill viewing at Mabamba Swamp
ganda chief would sit to adjudicate legal cases. ● Friday craft market
Entebbe became a significant British colonial ● Guided bike tours
administrative and commercial center in 1893 ● Swimming from the sand beach that lines
and the seat of government for the Protector- the shores of the lake.
ate of Uganda prior to the country’s indepen- ● Entebbe Golf Club: The oldest golf course in
dence in 1962. In the same year, the capital East Africa, established in 1900.
was transferred to Kampala.
● Kigungu Historical Site: where the first Cath-
Entebbe International Airport olic missionaries landed in Uganda.
Entebbe International Airport (EIA) is Ugan- How to get to Entebbe
da’s primary international gateway and largest An alternative to the congested two-lane En-
commercial and military airport. It is 41 km by
road from Kampala and served by a growing tebbe Road is the 26.2 km Kampala-Entebbe
Expressway, a four-lane toll road linking Enteb-
number of African, international and domestic
airlines. The Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda be International Airport to Kampala, Munyonyo,
Kajjansi, Busega and the Northern Bypass.
is headquartered near the airport. (Domestic
flights also depart from Kajjansi, an airstrip on This recent development means it’s possible to
the Entebbe Road). drive from the airport to the National Parks and
all major tourist destinations without having to
Entebbe International Airport opened in 1929.
In 2021, the airport opened a new departures drive through central Kampala.
hall and car parks after expanding its cargo For more detailed information, refer to the
handling facilities. pages on Entebbe in the magazine.
Text credit: Charlotte Beauvoisin
(Diary of a Muzungu blog)
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