🇺🇬 Uganda

Moving through Uganda demands careful situational discretion. In urban centers like Kampala, Entebbe, and Jinja, street crime is commonplace. Phone snatchers on motorbikes routinely snatch electronics from pedestrians or through open windows of vehicles idling in traffic jams. Walking after dark is dangerous across unlit suburban roads, where violent robberies and assaults by groups armed with iron bars occur. Solo female travelers face frequent catcalling and persistent verbal harassment; engaging trusted private transport and avoiding solitary nighttime movements are strongly recommended. Motorcycle taxis, locally called boda-bodas, are popular for bypassing heavy city gridlock, but they account for severe accidents and frequent rider muggings; you should utilize verified ride-hailing applications or chauffeured rental cars instead. In addition, the passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 mandates severe prison terms for consensual same-sex relations; LGBTQ+ travelers should exercise extreme caution, refrain from any public displays of affection, and maintain a low profile, as extortion and hostile denunciations have increased.

Uganda enjoys an equatorial climate moderated by its elevation, with two distinct wet seasons: from March to May and from September to November. During these monsoon windows, torrential downpours frequently overwhelm drainage systems, resulting in severe urban flash flooding and washing out unpaved rural bridges. Highland areas, notably the slopes of Mount Elgon in the east and the Rwenzori range in the west, are highly prone to sudden, catastrophic landslides that can bury villages and block transit arteries. Severe lightning storms are also frequent across the Lake Victoria basin and central plateaus. If you plan outdoor excursions or gorilla tracking during wet periods, monitor seasonal meteorological bulletins, prepare waterproof mountain gear, and ensure your vehicle is equipped with high ground clearance.

Healthcare facilities outside Kampala and Entebbe are rudimentary and under-resourced, facing recurrent shortages of basic pharmaceuticals, sterile supplies, and trained personnel. Private hospitals in Kampala, such as Nakasero Hospital and The Surgery Uganda, provide dependable emergency care and stabilization, but severe medical emergencies require international air evacuation. Malaria is endemic nationwide throughout all seasons; you should take preventative antimalarial medication (such as atovaquone-proguanil or doxycycline), apply DEET repellent, and sleep under treated mosquito netting. Uganda has had repeated outbreaks of viral haemorrhagic fevers, including Ebola and Marburg, along with ongoing transmission of Mpox. A Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak brought in from DR Congo caused 20 confirmed cases and two deaths between May and June 2026, and WHO declared it over on 27 August 2026. The much larger outbreak in neighbouring DR Congo continues, and WHO considers the countries around it at high risk of further spread, so practise rigorous hand hygiene, avoid contact with anyone who has an unexplained fever or skin lesions, and get medical care promptly if you become ill. In addition, freshwater lakes such as Lake Victoria and Lake Bunyonyi harbor schistosomiasis (bilharzia); you should avoid swimming, wading, or washing in untreated freshwater.

Uganda maintains a strict legal requirement that every traveler aged one year or older must present a valid International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) showing proof of yellow fever vaccination upon arrival. The certificate becomes valid ten days after inoculation and provides lifetime coverage. FCDO removed its note of this requirement on 8 October 2026, saying it is no longer mandatory for entry, while CDC, Canada, TravelHealthPro and the German STIKO-DTG table still list it, so check with your airline or the Ugandan authorities before you travel. In addition to yellow fever, health agencies advise that your routine childhood immunizations (measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, and polio) are up to date. Hepatitis A and typhoid vaccinations are strongly recommended for all visitors due to foodborne and waterborne exposure risks. Pre-exposure rabies vaccination should be considered for travelers engaging in outdoor trekking, wildlife research, or extensive rural exploration, as animal rabies is widespread and rabies immunoglobulin is rarely accessible outside the capital. Travelers visiting northern districts during the dry season should also consider meningococcal vaccination.

Governments agree that terrorism and violent crime are serious in Uganda and that the borders with South Sudan and DR Congo are the most dangerous areas, but they differ widely on the rest of the country. The United States is the strictest: it says do not travel to Uganda, the fourth of four tiers (updated 4 June 2026), because of crime, health, terrorism and unrest, and notes that its ability to give emergency consular help is limited by the Ebola outbreak. Canada advises avoiding non-essential travel (updated 13 October 2026) because of the regional impact of Ebola, terrorism and high crime rates, and avoiding all travel within 50 km of the South Sudan border. Australia asks for a high degree of caution overall (page changed 7 October 2026) because of terrorism, violent crime and civil unrest, with do not travel within 50 km of the South Sudan border and reconsider your need to travel within 50 km of the DRC border. The United Kingdom has no nationwide advice against travel (updated 8 October 2026), but says the Allied Democratic Forces may target tourists near the DRC border and reports attacks in Kasese and Bundibugyo in November 2025. The Uganda Ebola outbreak was declared over by WHO on 27 August 2026, but the outbreak in DR Congo continues and Uganda has closed its border with DR Congo to most travellers. All governments jointly warn against navigating roads at night, highlight pervasive boda-boda accidents, and advise strict caution regarding national legislation criminalizing same-sex relationships.