Discover Uganda’s rich and intriguing cultural legacy in three incredible days with our 3-day Uganda culture trip, which offers community cultural safaris in Uganda that take you through Kampala, the country’s capital, Wakiso, Mukono, Jinja, and Buyende.
The rich cultural features and customs of the historic Buganda Kingdom, one of the few surviving monarchy in Africa, which was founded over 700 years ago, will be explored during this three-day safari tour of Uganda. One of the most vibrant kingdoms in the world today is Buganda, which is ruled by the Kabaka, a supreme monarch.
A visit to the Kasubi Tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a spectacular dome-shaped grass-thatched hut housing the tombs of four “Ssekabakas” (late Kings of Buganda), will begin your tour of various intriguing cultural sites in Kampala. For the Baganda people, it is a site of identity, spirituality, and belief.
Package Highlight
Day 1: Kampala – Kasubi Tombs, Kabaka’s Palace, Kabaka’s Lake, Uganda National Museum & Craft Centers.
Day 2: Naggalabi Coronation Site & Wamala tombs
Day 3: Ssezibwa Falls & Kagulu Hill
Detailed itinerary 3 Days Uganda Cultural Safari
Day 1: Take part in cultural tours in Kampala; see the Uganda National Museum & Craft Centers, Kasubi Tombs, Kabaka’s Palace, and Kabaka’s Lake.
Start your three-day Uganda cultural safari with breakfast at 7:30 in Kampala, the country’s capital, also known as the “hill of Impalas.”
After that, take a cultural tour of Kampala, which was founded over 700 years ago as the capital of the Buganda kingdom, one of the last intact African traditional monarchy.
The Kabaka, a supreme king, is in charge of one of the most active kingdoms. His subjects, known as the Baganda, are a tribe of 7.6 million people who speak Luganda, the most common language in Uganda.
In addition to enjoying a true traditional culture, visit the cultural places to discover some of the Kingdom’s obscured and lost past. See the Kasubi Tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes the tombs of four “Ssekabaka” (late Kings of Buganda) in a spectacular grass-thatched structure built like a dome.
For the Baganda people, it is a site of identification, spirituality, and belief. Explore Kabaka’s Palace, which was built in 1922 and was once the residence of the Buganda King. During the Obote and Amin governments, the palace was also used as an army barrack. The guide will provide you with a thorough summary of the recent history of the country and the palace grounds, including a tour of the armory, which was supposedly used as a torture chamber by Amin’s goons, even if you are not allowed inside the structure itself.
See Kabaka’s Lake, an artificial lake created in 1880 by the Baganda people on the command of their King, Mwanga, to serve as an escape route during British military engagements and link to Lake Victoria, the biggest tropical lake in the world. Unwind and eat lunch.
You can stroll down the intriguing Royal Mile and make your way to Bulange Parliament, Lukiiko’s traditional center, which shows that Buganda had a functioning parliament before the arrival of Europeans.
Day 2: Go to the Wamala Tombs and the Naggalabi Coronation Site in the Wakiso District.
Get up at around 7.30 am for breakfast. After that, take a 40-minute drive from Kampala City to the Naggalabi Coronation Site, which is situated on Buddo Hill in the Wakiso District. For the past 700 years, the Kabakas of Buganda have been crowned at this magnificent location. A local guide provides you with a thematic interpretation of how Naggalabi became the location of the coronation, as well as the significance of the numerous buildings, places, and physical elements at the Buganda kingdom site and their roles in the coronation process. The mound where Kintu, Buganda’s first King/Kabaka, slew his brother Bemba Musota and proclaimed himself Kabaka is explored.
Along with the Mbonelede Tree, which is thought to be among the oldest trees in the Buganda Kingdom and the nation as a whole, you can also see the Buganda house, where the Kabaka stays for nine days following the date of his coronation, as well as other traditional homes that are significant to the King’s coronation. During the pre-colonial Buganda Kingdom (Kintu’s reign), the tree served as a traditional court for a number of years. The tree was named after the expression “Mbonelede,” which means “I have learned my lessons,” which suspects used to beg for mercy during court proceedings.
Day 3: Travel to Buyende District’s Kagulu Hill by car. On the way, stop at Ssezibwa Falls.
Around six in the morning, eat an early breakfast. Drive 154 kilometers (about 4 hours) east of Kampala to the Busoga Kingdom’s Kagulu Hill. After traveling roughly 45 kilometers (1½) from Kampala, you will stop at Ssezibwa Falls in Mukono, which is situated on the Sezibwa River, a “black-river water” that cascades over the rocks into the pool below. It is an important cultural site in Buganda and a place of great beauty.
According to legend, the Sezibwa River was the offspring of a pregnant lady named Nakkungu, who was a member of the Kibe (fox) clan and lived many generations ago. It was anticipated that she would give birth to twins, but instead a twin river flowed out of her womb. The Kabakas of Buganda have long favored these stunning, ethereal falls as one of their favorite nature sanctuaries. To honor the Ssezibwa Falls, Ssekabaka Mwanga II planted a massive tree here, and Muteesa II followed suit.
Head to the Buyende area and trek the 3,048-meter-tall Kagulu hill, which is the source of the world’s longest river, the Nile, past Jinja city. The local guide will inform you of the safety measures when you arrive. Reaching the summit, which gives breathtaking panoramic views of the Busoga region, Lake Kyoga, and waterfalls trickling down the rock, takes 30 to 1 hour.
The Basoga people, who migrated from the Bunyoro Kingdom under the leadership of Prince Mukama Namutukula at the time, established their first village on the Kagulu hill. Other smaller hills at the location, such as Mawaale, Kagwese, Mpanga, Nkyeere, Butadewo, and Bukolimo, are thought to be Kagulu’s wives.
The hill’s north is home to a traditional temple dedicated to Mandwa Kagulu Nabiryo, an elderly oracle who is said to be plagued by forty-five spirits that own and watch over Kagulu Hill. It is an enchanted location for culture, adventure, and sightseeing. As the experience comes to an end, return to Kampala.
Activities & Services of the day include:
Transfer from Kampala to Kagulu Hill
Visit Sezibwa Falls
Hike Kagulu Hill
Transfer back to Kampala
A nature walk in Mabira Forest is another optional activity you might perform on this day.
In Mabira Forest, ziplining
Whitewater rafting in Jinja at the Nile River’s source
Kayaking in Jinja at the Nile River
A boat ride to the Nile River’s headwaters and a bungee jump into the river