{"id":2703,"date":"2015-04-23T12:12:25","date_gmt":"2015-04-23T12:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelcake.site\/?p=2703"},"modified":"2025-04-22T21:53:04","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T21:53:04","slug":"backpacking-uganda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/backpacking-uganda\/","title":{"rendered":"Backpacking Uganda in Photo’s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Budget Backpacking in Uganda: Safaris, Rolex, and Lakeside Magic<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I mentioned in my earlier post on backpacking in Africa<\/a>, traveling across this continent can get pricey. But with a little imagination and a healthy sense of adventure, you can<\/em> explore Africa on a relatively low budget. Sure, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll never be as cheap as India, Nepal, or Southeast Asia, but still affordable enough.<\/p>\n

One African destination that lends itself beautifully to an interesting, budget-friendly trip? Uganda. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve visited the country twice, both times backpacking and using public transport.<\/p>\n

Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what our Uganda budget adventure looked like:<\/p>\n

COUCHSURFING IN KAMPALA<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve used Couchsurfing quite a lot throughout my \u00e2\u20ac\u0153travel career\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201dboth as a guest and host. I tend to use it mostly in big cities, which can feel overwhelming at first. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something grounding about seeing a city through the eyes of a local or an expat rather than following a guidebook.<\/p>\n

As is often the case with CS, you never quite know what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re getting into. We got lucky in Kampala and ended up staying with a cool expat in Kololo, one of the city\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fanciest neighborhoods. He took us to his favourite spots where we sipped cold beers, devoured fresh tilapia, and laughed well into the night.<\/p>\n

\"spending<\/a>
spending the night in a stylish loft with a view over Kampala<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"weekend<\/a>
weekend at one of Kampala’s lake side beaches with beers and new friends<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On my second trip, I stayed at a cozy hostel (ICU Guesthouse, dorms $15) on the edge of town, a popular hangout for semi-long-term volunteers. Another solid option is Red Chilli Hideaway<\/em>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a bit outside the city, but they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a pool, and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a free daily shuttle into the center. They also offer budget-friendly trips to Murchison Falls.<\/p>\n

EATING ROLEX AND OTHER STREET FOOD<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on a budget, street food is your best friend. Uganda has plenty of it: grilled meat skewers, roasted bananas, corn on the cob\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand the ultimate snack: rolex<\/em> (short for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153roll eggs\u00e2\u20ac\u009d). It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a tomato-onion-pepper omelette rolled into a warm chapati. So simple, yet so delicious. Honestly, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have to try hard to mess it up. We ate rolex for lunch almost daily, and it never let us down.<\/p>\n

\"Rolex<\/a>
getting rolex by the lake, a shocking sight for Ugandans as rolex is considered a snack for the poor. Some find it hard to understand why a “rich” tourist would choose to eat rolex.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"grilled<\/a>
the smell of the grilling meat is often much better than the quality of the pieces on your stick, unless you like bouncy, chewy meat …<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"grasshoppers<\/a>
I know these deep fried grasshoppers don’t look particularly appealing, but they’re delicious! Like a cross between salted nuts and potato crisps. Anyways, they’re much cheaper than the ones you get in trendy restaurants in the West nowadays!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SAFARI’S AND HIKES IN QUEEN ELISABETH NATIONAL PARK<\/strong><\/p>\n

After crossing the border from the DRC (a story for another day), we were in desperate need of comfort and Wi-Fi. So we threw our budget out the window (just for a day!) and checked into a more upscale lodge. In most African national parks, lodge prices start at \u00e2\u201a\u00ac250 a night. So when we found Kingfisher Lodge Kichwamba<\/em> for \u00e2\u201a\u00ac160 a night (including breakfast and dinner for two), we jumped on it.<\/p>\n

Note: this was back in 2011, using a favourable USD\u00e2\u20ac\u201cEUR exchange rate.\u00c2\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"R&R<\/a>
R&R in paradise after roughing it in DRC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And it was exactly<\/em> what we needed: a pool with a stunning view, \u00c3\u00a0 la carte meals, solid Wi-Fi, and a quiet space to recharge.<\/p>\n

\"infinity<\/a>
infinity pool with endless views over Queen Elisabeth National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"queen<\/a>
spotted some elephants from our room’s porch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"digital<\/a>
not a bad way to get some work done!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next day, we snapped back to backpacker reality. We hitchhiked to Simba Safari Camp<\/a>, where we stayed in a dorm. Total contrast, but it worked. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a great budget base with private rooms also available.<\/p>\n

\"hitchhiking<\/a>
hitchhiking on the equator<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From there, we organized a boat safari on the Kazinga Channel, cold beer in hand, watching wildlife from the deck. No need for a pricey tour\u00e2\u20ac\u201djust arrange your own transport and buy a ticket at the dock. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t remember the exact cost, but it was definitely under $30 per person.<\/p>\n

\"Uganda,<\/a>
crusing down the channel, spotting wild life and having a cold one… What a chilled out way to spend an afternoon!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Instead of booking a multi-day safari, we hired a car and driver for a DIY game drive through Queen Elizabeth National Park. It might not be the most wildlife-rich safari I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve done, but it was certainly the most affordable. Perfect for animal lovers on a shoestring.<\/p>\n

\"crown<\/a>
crown birds at dawn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"crater<\/a>
crater lake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"lions<\/a>
getting close to some lazy lions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plenty to do in QE National Park\u00e2\u20ac\u201dchimp tracking, looking for tree-climbing lions\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut we chose a more budget-friendly activity: hiking in Maramagambo Forest<\/em>. Since we already had a driver, all we had to cover was the forest entrance fee and a tip for the guide. He walked us through lush trails, pointing out primates, birds, and medicinal plants.<\/p>\n

The main reason we went? To see the massive python that lives in a bat cave. Legend has it, it just lies there with its mouth open, waiting for one of the thousands of bats to fly in. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gotten so fat it can barely move. We were ready for the spectacle\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut missed the freak show. The python had already retreated into the cave after its daily sunbathing session. Typical diva behaviour.<\/p>\n

\"trek<\/a>
a beautiful walk through the forest in search of the fat lazy python<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"bat<\/a>
now that’s what I call a bat cave!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TOTAL RELAXATION\u00c2\u00a0BY LAKE BUNYONYI<\/strong><\/p>\n

Next stop: Lake Bunyonyi\u00e2\u20ac\u201dpossibly my favourite place in Africa so far. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve followed my blog, you might have read\u00c2\u00a0my post on Lake Bunyonyi<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Lake<\/a>
Lake Bunyonyi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Both times I stayed at Byoona Amagara<\/a>, a place that feels straight out of a dream. For $15 per person per night, we had a tiny geodome with a private bathroom and a jaw-dropping lake view. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re really pinching pennies, they also offer dorms for $7, but honestly, the real magic is in the geodomes.<\/p>\n

There are plenty of other places to stay around the lake, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never felt the urge to try them. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m completely hooked on Byoona Amagara.<\/p>\n

\"(clockwise)<\/a>
(clockwise) typical Bunyonyi flowery tree, stretching with my sister on our geodome’s sun deck, boating on the lake, view from the bed in the large geodome<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"the<\/a>
the small geodome, no doors. Just a mosquito net between nature and yourself.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"eco-shower<\/a>
eco-shower with a view<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We spent around 10 days in Uganda, traveling slowly and savoring each stop. You could<\/em> do it in fewer days, but I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t recommend it. Got more time? Add a visit to Jinja<\/em> or a side trip to Murchison Falls<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u201dyou\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get more animals, more nature, and one epic waterfall.<\/p>\n

Uganda may not be the cheapest country on the planet, but with the right mindset, it can be incredibly rewarding and<\/em> surprisingly affordable.<\/p>\n

Have you been to Uganda? Would you consider going?\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The post “Backpacking Uganda in Photo’s<\/a>” first appeared on Travel Cake<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Budget Backpacking in Uganda: Safaris, Rolex, and Lakeside Magic As I mentioned in my earlier post on backpacking in Africa, traveling across this continent can get pricey. But with a little imagination and a healthy sense of adventure, you can explore Africa on a relatively low budget. Sure, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll never be as cheap as India, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,122],"tags":[110,38,18,20],"country":[249],"class_list":["post-2703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa","category-uganda","tag-africa","tag-backpacking","tag-budget","tag-off-the-beaten-track","post_format-post-format-image","country-uganda"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2703"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4587,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2703\/revisions\/4587"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2703"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=2703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}