Jinja

Currency budget Uganda

Rafting and the other river trips are priced in dollars and can usually be paid by card at the operator’s base; everything else in town is shillings. Bring clean, post-2013 dollar notes if you plan to pay in cash, and change them at a forex bureau in Kampala or Jinja rather than a hotel.

ATMs & cards

Stanbic, Absa and Centenary have machines in the town centre on Main Street and around it; use the ones inside or beside a branch. There is little out at Bujagali and the riverside camps, so draw before you leave town.

Rafting is priced in dollars and the operators usually take cards. Post-2013 notes only if paying in dollar cash.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety all of Uganda

The river is the risk and the rafting operators manage it well: go with an established company, wear what they give you, and take the safety talk seriously, because the big rapids are grade five. Do not swim off the shore of the lake or the river on your own — bilharzia is present and the current is stronger than it looks. Uganda is generally calm for visitors; the UK FCDO advises against boda-bodas, against travel outside the towns after dark, and against photographing the Owen Falls Dam and other sensitive sites.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa Uganda visa rules

Health & emergencies all of Uganda

Required to enter

• Yellow fever certificate — required of all arrivals and checked at Entebbe

Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Tilapia and Nile perch from the lake, fried whole or stewed, with matoke or posho. Rolex — an omelette rolled in a chapati — at any roadside stall in town. The riverside camps do the backpacker menu and a cold Nile Special, which is brewed in Jinja.

Nightlife

A small town with a backpacker evening: the rafting camps’ bars on the river, and a few bars in town at the weekend.

• Bujagali — the river camps’ bars, where the rafters end the day
• Main Street, Jinja — the town’s bars and restaurants

Closing: Midnight or so at the camps; later in town at the weekend.

Nyege Nyege, the electronic music festival, has been held near Jinja in most years since 2015; when it is on, every bed in town goes.

Getting around

• Boda-boda — motorbike taxis are how Jinja gets around and the UK FCDO advises against them; if you do, ask for a helmet and agree the fare first
• Taxi — a special hire from your lodge or a ride-hailing car is the safer way between town and the river camps
• Matatu — the minibuses to Kampala leave from the taxi park in town, cheap and slow
• Rafting transfers — most operators collect from Kampala and from the Jinja lodges as part of the day
• On foot — the town centre is walkable by day; the river camps north of town are a ride away
• Airport: Entebbe (EBB), three hours or more depending on Kampala’s traffic

eSIM

A data eSIM for Uganda, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:Works hereWorks hereRevolut No local plan

Must-see

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

English (Uganda)

• Hello (Luganda)Oli otyaoh-lee OH-cha
• Hello (Rukiga, southwest)Agandiah-GAHN-dee
• Thank you (Luganda)Webaleweh-BAH-leh
• Thank you very muchWebale nnyoweh-BAH-leh nyo

English is official and widely spoken; Luganda is the language of the centre and Rukiga and Runyankole of the southwest, where Bwindi is. Greetings are long here — expect to be asked after your family and your journey before anything else, and to ask back.

Religion

Christian, split Catholic and Anglican, with a Muslim minority

Around 85% Christian, divided almost evenly between Catholic and Anglican, with about 14% Muslim. Faith is public and prominent, church services are long and musical, and religious language enters ordinary conversation. It also underwrites some deeply illiberal politics: the anti-homosexuality legislation has broad church backing, and LGBT visitors should understand the legal position before travelling.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Greet at length — how are you, how is the family, how is work — before getting to the point
• Shake hands, and hold on longer than feels natural; it is warmth, not a mistake
• Hire a porter for the gorilla trek, which is both practical and the most direct way money reaches the community
• Cover shoulders and knees in villages and churches
• Follow the gorilla rules exactly: seven metres, no flash, no visiting if you are ill

Don't

• Do not photograph police, soldiers or government buildings
• Do not show public affection, and be aware that Uganda’s anti-homosexuality law is severe and applies to visitors
• Do not use your left hand to give or receive
• Do not hand money or sweets to children; give to the community projects the lodges work with instead
• Do not go into the forest without a guide, or off the trails at all