Things to do in Kampala

Landmark · Old Kampala

The vast mosque on Old Kampala hill, whose minaret gives the only genuine 360-degree view over the whole city.

Local tip: Climb the minaret — 300-odd steps and the best orientation to Kampala's hills you will get anywhere. Modest dress required and wraps are lent at the entrance.

Culture · Kasubi hill

The UNESCO-listed burial site of the Buganda kings, a monumental thatched structure rebuilt after a fire destroyed it in 2010.

Local tip: Go with a guide from the site rather than reading about it. The protocol on entering — shoes off, seated on mats, no photography in the inner chamber — is the point, not an obstacle.

Food · Nakasero

The central produce market — fruit, vegetables, spices and the fastest education in what things actually cost.

Local tip: Go with a Ugandan colleague once before going alone. The opening price for a newcomer is not the price, and learning the real range takes one visit with someone who knows it.

Culture · Ntinda

Music and dance from across Uganda's regions, performed properly and with a good deal of humour, on Sunday evenings.

Local tip: The Sunday show is long and worth all of it. Eat there — the buffet is regional food you will not easily find in restaurants.

Nature · Ggaba, south of the city

The fish landing site and the lakeside strip — boats, grilled tilapia and the water Kampala is built above but rarely sees.

Local tip: Sunday afternoon is when Kampala comes here. Do not swim: bilharzia is present across the Ugandan shoreline of Lake Victoria and this is not a rule anyone bends.

Landmark · Ndeeba, below Mengo

A hand-dug lake commissioned by Kabaka Mwanga II in the 1880s, said to be the largest excavated by hand in Africa, and largely ignored today.

Local tip: Almost no visitors and almost no signage. Walk the bund at the end of the afternoon with someone who can tell you why an unfinished escape canal to Lake Victoria explains the shape of it.