Cost of Travel in Uganda
For a safari destination, Uganda is among the affordable options. In this article, we list the average costs for hotels, food and drinks in Uganda serving as a guideline for planning your daily travel budget.
Uganda's park entrance permits are paid by credit card, but all other expenses on your travel in Uganda are mostly paid for in cash. Luckily ATMs are widely available. A good way to avoid heavy surcharges when using your card abroad or carrying large sums of cash is to use mobile money and register with MTN or Airtel, which we discuss further below.
The Cost of Travel in Uganda: A Budget Breakdown
The cost of a litre of petrol fluctuates. The best thing is to Google for the most up-to-date fuel price.
Eating out in Uganda is cheap. A three-course meal at a lodge inside a safari park is more expensive; expect to pay around 15-25 pp. A 10% tip is considered high but received with gratitude. If you're happy with the service, please be generous. Tips are equally shared among all staff at most places.
Compared to well-known safari destinations like Tanzania, Kenya, and South Africa, accommodation in Uganda is affordable and has a good price-quality ratio.
The hotel rate indication is roughly as follows:
- Budget: up to USD 100 for a double room (B&B)
- Mid-range: up to USD 175 for a double room (B&B) High-end:
- Beyond USD 175 for a double room. Usually, these accommodations are quoted on the basis of Full Board only.
For an overview of the entrance fees of Uganda's National Parks and permits, we refer you to the National Parks guide section of this website.
Are you looking for ways to have a comfortable holiday in Uganda while limiting your spending? Check out our blog on Tips for a Budget-Friendly Trip to Uganda, where we list our top money-saving tips for visiting Uganda on a budget.
Handling money on your travels in Uganda
Uganda's park entrance permits are paid by credit card, but all other expenses on your travel in Uganda are mostly paid for in cash.
Most restaurants, lodges or campsites do not accept foreign debit cards. Paying with foreign credit cards (Visa and Mastercard) is possible, but only at the more upmarket hotels and restaurants.
ATMs are widely available across the country. Stanbic and Barclays are the most reliable banks, accepting MasterCard, Maestro, and Visa. Bring additional cards, as the daily uptake with a foreign card is limited at ATMs in Uganda.
We recommend bringing additional Euros or US Dollars with you in cash, for unforeseen circumstances. US Dollars and Euros can easily be changed to Ugandan shillings at any Forex Bureau in most provincial towns. Please be aware that USD notes printed in 2010 or earlier are not accepted in Uganda and denominations smaller than USD 50 are accepted at a lower rate. Some banks might still exchange old notes for you, but the exchange rates will be a lot lower.
A good way to handle money on your travels in Uganda is to use mobile money and register with MTN or Airtel. It enables users to store, send, and receive money using their mobile phones. The use of mobile money is widespread in Uganda. It means you can pay any bill or vendor (the souvenir stand on the local market, entrance fees at the park gate, drinks at a restaurant), directly with your phone. We strongly recommend that you buy a local SIM card to insert into your own smartphone and load it with airtime and an internet bundle. You can buy a sim card on arrival at the airport, or at any of the many shopping malls.
