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Best Things to do in Kampala (2026)

Kampala is at its best when you join in, and the city's cultural life is easy to reach. Ndere Cultural Centre in Ntinda is the essential evening out: the Ndere Troupe performs dances and music from across Uganda on Wednesday and Sunday nights, with Ugandan food, and on Saturdays you can take a class yourself. In the centre, the National Theatre hosts free outdoor jam sessions and comedy nights, and the crafts village next door is a good place to buy work by Ugandan makers.

For contemporary culture, Afriart Gallery on 7th Street shows changing exhibitions by artists living and working across Africa. If you want to see wildlife without a long drive, take the boat from Entebbe to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary on Lake Victoria, where rescued chimpanzees live on a forested island and visitors watch feeding sessions from a platform. Book Ndere shows and Ngamba trips in advance, and allow plenty of time for Kampala's traffic, especially for evening events and morning boat departures.

4 places · Updated November 12, 2026

Our top 3 things to do in Kampala

  1. Ndere Cultural Centre Traditional music and dance shows, NtindaHome of the Ndere Troupe, founded in 1984, staging weekly evenings of Ugandan music and dance with dinner in nine acres of gardens in Ntinda.
  2. Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary Chimpanzee sanctuary island trip, Lake Victoria (from Entebbe)Island sanctuary on Lake Victoria for more than 50 chimpanzees, reached by boat from Entebbe, where visitors watch feeding sessions from a raised platform.
  3. National Theatre and Crafts Village Theatre, arts centre and craft market, Central DivisionKampala's National Theatre, opened in 1959, with free outdoor music and comedy nights and a neighbouring crafts village selling Ugandan handicrafts.

Thing to do

4. Afriart Gallery

Contemporary art galleryIndustrial Area

Contemporary art gallery founded in Kampala in 2002 by artist Daudi Karungi, showing changing exhibitions by artists living and working across Africa.

View details — Afriart Gallery