So You’re Going to Uganda!

Facts for Uganda visitors:

Industry: Brewing, Sugar factories, Cotton, Tobacco , Cement, Coffee, etc.
Agriculture: Coffee, Tea, Cotton, Vanilla, Millet, Milk, Poultry, Goat Meat, Fruits,
Minerals: Copper, Cobalt, Limestone, Salt, Fish

Climate: Tropical
Accessibility: By Air, Entebbe International Airport, by Land through Busia and Malaba in the East, Katuna in the west and Mukula in the South.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE TRIP

Passport: A valid passport is required for entry into Uganda. Please make sure that your passport is not expired.

Visa: A single entry visa is required for entry into Uganda. An entry visa can be obtained at the Entebbe airport in Uganda, upon our arrival. We are suggesting that everyone on the team proceeds this way. You will need to present your passport, your medical card showing you have been vaccinated for yellow fever, and US$50 at the visa desk at the airport to receive your visa.

Vaccinations: All team members must receive a vaccination for Yellow Fever prior to leaving the United States. No other vaccinations are required but several maybe recommended. (See below). Consult with your physician on other recommended vaccinations.

Medications: It is strongly recommended that all visitors to Uganda take anti-Malaria medication as a preventative.

Spending Money: For clients that choose to travel with us  we send them a budget guide for them  to know how much their in country expenditure will be. Your only out-of-pocket expenses will be for additional food, beverages, or souvenirs, and US $50 for your visa upon arrival.  There will be opportunities on the trip to purchase souvenirs. We suggest bringing at least US$250 in cash and one major credit card for emergency.

Exchanging money:  For the best rate and easiest method of exchanging money you will need to bring US$50 and 100 bills dated 2003 or newer for exchange.one of our Mifik guides will help you exchange your money at the best rate in Kampala

Emergency Contact Information: Please Mifik Safaris and Travel with a contact person and phone number for us to contact on your behalf in case of an emergency.

WHAT TO BRING

• Compact Umbrella
• Light Jacket – evenings can be cool
• Prescription medications/toiletries
• Travel pillow
• Special Electrical outlet adaptor – Africa uses 220v three-prong outlets (British Type G)
• Imodium capsules
• Malaria tablets
• Bug spray –DEET as the active ingredient (get the 100% DEET)
• Basic nose/ear/throat/pain relief medications
• Antibiotics (Broad Spectrum)
• Camera
• Back up batteries and camera battery charger
• Sunscreen
• Anti-bacteria hand gel
• Lip balm
• Sunglasses
• Hat or baseball cap
• One bottled water (for first morning)
• Small backpack for day trips
• Flashlight
• Notepad for journaling
• Bible
• Snack food (nuts, trail mix, etc)
• Protein Bars (the diet in Uganda has little protein in it)
• Vitamins
• Laptop Computers and personal resources – It is recommended that you have extra batteries for your computer, as the power is off more than 50% of the time.

MORE THINGS TO KNOW

Weather:  While we’re in Uganda, the weather can be very tropical wet. Temps can be between 60s and 80s  with high humidity, cooling off in the evenings.

Security: As is the case in traveling to any foreign country or even our own country, we need to be aware of the possible security risks. When we travel through the city and villages, be mindful of petty theft such as pick-pockets. There are some basic common-sense things to do to maximize your security:

• Avoid breaking away from your group
• Never go anywhere alone. Always have someone with you, and communicate to others where you are going.
• Simple things like keeping your camera in your backpack out-of-sight, avoiding flamboyant/expensively looking dress, wearing jewelry, etc. are some ways to avoid standing out in the crowd and becoming a target.

Bottled Water: Bottled water will be provided for you throughout the trip. If you need more, just ask. Drink more than you usually do, even when you don’t feel thirsty.

Food: All the food that the leaders recommend should be fine for you to eat. However, if you are one of those adventurous people who like to gamble with their health by eating food from street vendors, my advice would be “if it’s not boiled, or you can’t peel it, don’t eat it!”The risk of getting sick is simply not worth it.

Alcoholic Beverages: If you are traveling with us on a mission trip, the Ugandans with which we are working do not accept drinking as an acceptable behavior when ministering, so we ask that you respect that cultural norm and use discretion.

Interaction with the children: If you are traveling with us on a mission trip,you are encouraged to interact with the children as much as possible. Hold them, hug them, and play with them. Show them love in any way possible. When interacting with the village children, here’s one note of caution. Just be aware of where your valuables are and be careful, particularly if you are interacting with several children at one time. Petty theft is not likely but it is a possibility. From a hygiene standpoint, you are encouraged to clean your hands with anti-bacterial gel or lotion after contact with children in the villages. However, please do so discreetly.

Uganda Post & Communications

There is an efficient poster restate service at the main post office in Kampala. For a list of towns serviced by the EMS Post Bus Servicing a number of provincial capitals, it often only takes a day more than from Kampala.

Phone communications both domestic and international are both pretty good, although not so reliable in provinces. The provincial network is slowly being digitized, but you will still need patience and understanding in smaller downs.

Emails and Internet access in Uganda

Email and Internet access is very simple in Kampala, there are thousands of internet cafes. However, beyond the capital, options dry up very fast, although with the onward technology, many have started in major towns in the country and basic email services are available and in most of the upmarket lodges in national parks.

Uganda -Technical Tips

If you are hoping to get decent shorts, of the gorillas, then you are going to need fast film, but not too fast as the pictures will come out grainy; the best is to use ASA 400. And likewise for the wild life in national parks, as you tend to see most animals at a dawn or dusk when there isn’t so much light.

Uganda – Restrictions

Although there are no official restrictions on photography, there is a certain amount of paranoia about photos being taken of anything that could be interpreted as spying (military civilian infrastructure) or of poverty or deprivation, but try asking for permission before taking photos of people in some places.

Uganda electricity

Power in Uganda is supposed to be 220V AC, but all the power cuts, surges and switch over to generators mean you should take great care when using valuable electrical equipment. In most parts of Uganda, power cuts are commonplace. Even Kampala some suburbs have to go without power every other day. Most power points in Uganda take 13-amp three pin square plugs such as those used in the UK….better pack up your multi/universal plug adapter.

One final annoyance in Kampala is that taxi and boda boda ( motor bikes) drivers have a tendency to run out of gas at the most convenient times.

Boda-Boda (Motorbike) Taxi Transportation in Uganda

Getting in and around Kampala – Tip on Motorbikes/Boda-Bodas

Uganda’s motorbike taxis: a speedy way … to get yourself killed

Some 32 percent of the deaths on Ugandan roads take place on a motorbike or scooter. And yet, for locals and tourists alike, the country’s No. 1 form of transport is the “boda boda”, or motorbike taxi. Boda boda are hugely popular in Uganda, with 60,000 operating in the capital alone. In 2001, the president chose to ride up to a pre-election ceremony on a boda boda. The vehicles were originally used as taxis for people who wanted to cross the border with Kenya, which is how they got their name (“border border”). In 2009, 756 people were killed on motorbikes in Uganda and over 15,000 were injured. The Commissioner for Traffic and Road Safety blames six out of 10 road accidents on careless boda boda drivers. In response to the startling statistics, the authorities launched an offensive against dangerous motorbike driving in February this year. Some 1,500 chauffeurs had their bikes confiscated in the first few days for lacking a permit. Despite the crackdown, reports of longstanding corruption in the police force could see many unlawful boda boda drivers continue to take passengers.  

“I take boda boda often, but I don’t really have a choice”

“Even though it costs more to take a boda boda than a taxi or bus, it’s the quickest way of getting around town because of the heavy traffic.

The drivers take a lot of risks. Many of them don’t have a license and don’t follow the highway code. They drive the wrong way and ignore the lights.

I take a boda boda at least four times a week and I do get quite scared sometimes. But I don’t really have a choice.”

Neither this driver nor his passenger is wearing a helmet, despite a law that requires boda boda drivers to have two helmets (along with a “Passenger Service Vehicle” sticker, insurance and a reflective jacket, and which prohibits more than two people riding on the vehicle at one time).

Center for Communicable Diseases Recommendations for Uganda

Preparing for Your Trip to Uganda

Before visiting Uganda, you may need to get the following vaccinations and medications for vaccine-preventable diseases and other diseases you might be at risk for at your destination:(Note: Your doctor or health-care provider will determine what you will need, depending on factors such as your health and immunization history, areas of the country you will be visiting, and planned activities.)

To have the most benefit, see a health-care provider at least 4–6 weeks before your trip to allow time for your vaccines to take effect and to start taking medicine to prevent malaria, if you need it.

Even if you have less than 4 weeks before you leave, you should still see a health-care provider for needed vaccines, anti-malaria drugs and other medications and information about how to protect yourself from illness and injury while traveling.

CDC recommends that you see a health-care provider who specializes in Travel Medicine. Find a travel medicine clinic near you. If you have a medical condition, you should also share your travel plans with any doctors you are currently seeing for other medical reasons.

If your travel plans will take you to more than one country during a single trip, be sure to let your health-care provider know so that you can receive the appropriate vaccinations and information for all of your destinations. Long-term travelers, such as those who plan to work or study abroad, may also need additional vaccinations as required by their employer or school.

Be sure your routine vaccinations are up-to-date. Check the links below to see which vaccinations adults and children should get.

Routine vaccines, as they are often called, such as for influenza, chickenpox (or varicella), polio, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), and diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) are given at all stages of life; see the childhood and adolescent immunization schedule and routine adult immunization schedule.

Routine vaccines are recommended even if you do not travel. Although childhood diseases, such as measles, rarely occur in the United States, they are still common in many parts of the world. A traveler who is not vaccinated would be at risk for infection.

Drugs to Prevent Malaria (antimalarial drugs)

If you will be visiting a malaria risk area in Uganda, you will need to take one of the following antimalarial drugs: atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline, or mefloquine (primaquine in special circumstances and only after G6PD testing).

Note: Chloroquine is NOT an effective antimalarial drug in Uganda and should not be taken to prevent malaria in this region.

Malaria risk area in Uganda: All

A Special Note about Antimalarial Drugs

You should purchase your antimalarial drugs before travel. Drugs purchased overseas may not be manufactured according to United States standards and may not be effective. They also may be dangerous, contain counterfeit medications or contaminants, or be combinations of drugs that are not safe to use.

Halofantrine (marketed as Halfan) is widely used overseas to treat malaria. CDC recommends that you do NOT use halofantrine because of serious heart-related side effects, including deaths. You should avoid using antimalarial drugs that are not recommendedunless you have been diagnosed with life-threatening malaria and no other options are immediately available.

For detailed information about these antimalarial drugs, see Information for the Public: Prescription Drugs for Malaria.

Medicines you may need:

• The prescription medicines you take every day. Make sure you have enough to last during your trip. Keep them in their original prescription bottles and always in your carry-on luggage. Be sure to follow security guidelines, if the medicines are liquids.
• Antimalarial drugs, if traveling to a malaria-risk area in Uganda and prescribed by your doctor.
• Medicine for diarrhea, usually over-the-counter.

Note: Some drugs available by prescription in the US are illegal in other countries. Check the US Department of State Consular Information Sheets for the country(s) you intend to visit or the embassy or consulate for that country(s). If your medication is not allowed in the country you will be visiting, ask your health-care provider to write a letter on office stationery stating the medication has been prescribed for you.

Other items you may need:

• Iodine tablets and portable water filters to purify water if bottled water is not available. See Preventing Cryptosporidiosis: A Guide to Water Filters and Bottled Water and Safe Food and Water  for more detailed information.
• Sunblock and sunglasses for protection from harmful effects of UV sun rays. See Skin Cancer Questions and Answers for more information.
• Antibacterial hand wipes or alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
• To prevent insect/mosquito bites, bring:
  • Lightweight long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and a hat to wear outside, whenever possible.
  • Flying-insect spray to help clear rooms of mosquitoes. The product should contain a pyrethroid insecticide; these insecticides quickly kill flying insects, including mosquitoes.
  • Bed nets treated with permethrin, if you will not be sleeping in an air-conditioned or well-screened room and will be in malaria-risk areas. For use and purchasing information, see Insecticide Treated Bed Nets on the CDC malaria site. Overseas, permethrin or another insecticide, deltamethrin, may be purchased to treat bed nets and clothes.

  We look forward to seeing you in Uganda!