Where to run in Kampala? Settling down in Africa!

Ah Kampala, my first real job, my first time settling down somewhere for more than 8 months and, above all, my first time in Africa! And for a first step on the continent, I found myself in one of the cradles of running, the homeland of Cheptegei and some of the world’s best long-distance runners. On one hand, a country that is mostly above 1000 meters in altitude and as hilly as Uganda can only produce champions. But on the other hand, Kampala is far from being a running-friendly city: without any park, with a crazy traffic, highly polluted, not mentioning being a mzungu girl, which makes running even more… challenging. Anyway, as always, I got used to it and with time I even enjoyed suffering running on those hills. So, where to run in Kampala? Here is a selection of routes to help you find you way running in the Ugandan capital. Tugende!

City profile

Geography: Capital of Uganda, a relatively small landlocked country in East Africa, on the shores of Lake Victoria.

Population: well that’s pretty impossible to know to be honest… Let’s say 3.5 – 4 million. Kampala is one of the fastest growing cities in Africa.

Climate: PERFECT. Kampala is just 40 km above the Equator, but around 1000 meters high, so the temperature is around 25°C the whole year (when it’s cold, it’s 20°C, when it’s hot, it’s 30°C). The year is divided between a long dry season (December – February), a long rainy season (March – June), a short dry season (July – August) and a short rainy season (September – November). Rains are intense but don’t last long.

What it’s famous for: hum… 🤔 the aircraft hijacking in Entebbe?

Running friendliness: ✴️ (I should put 1.5, as it’s still better than Hanoi)

How I ended-up in Kampala

While finishing my studies by a semester exchange in Hanoi, I applied for a kind of young professional programme to start working in the development cooperation sector. I originally applied for several countries, and I ended-up with a job in Uganda. To be honest, I was not able to place that country on a map before, and when I searched for Kampala on Google maps, I first thought that it was by the sea before I zoomed out and realised that it was Lake Victoria… Oops 🙄

I came back from Vietnam in July 2020, stayed in France to finish the selection process and then participate in an online preparation training (it was still covid). I November, I flew off to Africa, without really realising what I was doing.

First run

Compared with most of my other first runs, I remember that first run in Kampala very precisely (Turin being the other exception). It was maybe two or three days after I arrived, I was still staying in a hotel close to the golf course.

I checked Google maps (and probably tried to build up a route but failed to follow it as usual) with a vague idea on where to go. In shorts and t-shirts (I was not really sure how that would be perceived), phone in hand (not so smart yet), I walked past the entrance of the hotel when the military girl stopped me. “Are you going to run? Where?” “Euh, Kololo?” “That’s okay” “Do you know if I can run in the golf course?” “No, I don’t think so”.

With her blessing, I started straight away to go up Acacia Avenue, turned right on Lower Kololo terrace passing my future office, and started running up and down the hill. Acacia Avenue was still completely under renovation at the time (well, it took like 1 year), so I couldn’t go back the same way, took some random parallel streets. People looking curiously at me or were amused when I was trying to dodge the construction site (from an external point of view, I can imagine that a running mzungu girl lost in the middle of a construction site must have been a funny situation to follow).

With the heat and the combination of running up and down, that first run felt particularly hard, and so did the following runs (but so rewarding!).

Running spots to consider

Kololo, for the view

Kololo is one of the expat hills of Kampala, with the most expensive housings of the whole Uganda. It is basically divided between ambassies and consulates, houses of ambassadors, UN and NGO offices and restaurants. There is also the airstrip in the middle which rather serves as a venue for official events.

As it took me some time to find accommodation, I first stayed with a colleague who lived at the top of the hill. I then settled in Kamwokya, not far from Acacia mall, so Kololo was still my usual running area as it was relatively close and quiet.

Why run there:

• Kololo is one of the quietest areas to have a run or a walk as it is mostly a residential area. Except on some streets after work (Upper Kololo terrace, Wampewo avenue, Prince Charles drive), most streets are almost empty, so it’s the best option to stay away from the traffic (and somehow pollution) and run in peace
• You have some amazing points of view of the other hills around (Naguru, Nakasero), and even on Lake Victoria far in the background (on Ridgeway Drive)
• As you are surrounded by ambassies and villas with large gardens, it’s a very green and beautiful area. In some streets, people are growing maze and matooke (banana trees), you can even find some avocados fallen on the road if you’re lucky
• You have some seriously challenging climbs in almost every street (that one on Elizabeth Avenue… ⚰️), so you’ll become a champion soon (I promise that after some time you won’t even feel the small slopes anymore). As there’s barely no traffic in small streets, it’s the ideal area to have a hill interval training
• Still, there are some flat streets around the airstrip. When I felt tired of going up and down all the time, I was doing loops around Lower Kololo terrace and the Golf course road.

…and why not:

• Ranging from 1000m to more than 1300m at the top, Kololo is definitely not an easy jog (but in Kampala, that’s hard to find anyway). You won’t be able to avoid running up and down
• Kololo is a rich (if not the richest) neighbourhood. It means that it is targeted by thieves, and it’s not rare that expats are assaulted to get robbed, especially on Prince Charles drive. Avoid taking valuables and don’t linger when it’s getting dark.

Naguru, another expats’ classic

Naguru is somehow a twin of Kololo, although a bit livelier and more urbanised. You’ll find mostly expat houses and offices.

Why run there:

• Even though it’s not as quiet as Kololo, Naguru it still way quieter than most other areas of Kampala, and green
• You will find challenging hill climbs as well, but the view at the top is worth it!

…and why not:

• Naguru is a challenging run, I would say even worse more than Kololo, as you can barely find long flat streets
• In terms of safety, same applies as for Kololo

Down to Nakasero, looking for flatness

Tired of climbing 300 meters every time for your 10K jogg? Let’s be clear, Kampala is built on 11 hills, so there is no real flat area in the city. Some of them are a bit flatter than others though, and it’s the case of Nakasero in the centre. Nakasero (hill 😏) is a large neighbourhood, divided between a very messy lively city centre (referred as “downtown”) where it’s neither safe nor nice to run, and a quieter area with hotels, restaurants, offices and ambassies (the closest part to the Golf Course).

Why run there:

• Relatively flat, especially around the Golf Course
• Relatively quiet in the residential/ambassies part (around Kyadondo road, Kafu road, Lourdel road, Muwafu road…)

…and why not:

• Some parts of Nakasero are clearly not running friendly (not even walking friendly) especially for “bazungu” (white people). The streets are crammed with markets, vendors, matatus (taxis)… They are nice to visit though, that’s the real deep Kampala!
• You won’t be able to have a very long run if you only stick to Nakasero (unless you make many loops)

Other possibilities I haven’t tried

• Ntinda: another hill behind Naguru, split between a residential/office area (around “Ministers’ village”) and a more popular (less runnable) area
• Kyebando (Bahai): Kyebando is starting to be a bit far from the city center. The hill is famous for the “Bahai temple”, one of Kampala’s few attractions. The temple is surrounded by a nice garden which is large enough for a run. The surrounding area is also relatively quiet. From there, you can enjoy one of the best views of Kampala (a meet some monkeys).
• Bugolobi: another partly expat area, and relatively flat.
• Muyenga: another partly expat hill (full of Dutch people, who knows why), closer to Lake Victoria (not so flat though!)

Bonus: Entebbe

Entebbe is a city 30km South of Kampala, where the “international” airport is, on a peninsula on Lake Victoria. The major attraction of Entebbe is its large and beautiful botanical garden on the shores of the lake. If you miss running in a proper park, that’s the perfect spot! Entebbe has also a few nice guesthouses to spend a weekend away from the city.

To get there from Kampala, you can take a matatu somewhere downtown or in Entebbe road, and tell the driver to drop you at the botanical garden. It’s even easier to get back to Kampala, just stop any matatu on the road, it will be heading there.

Other runs and trail running in Uganda

To be honest, running in Kampala is almost equivalent to an urban trail. As many roads or pavements are actually not really paved (some of them used to be, in other cases there is simply no pavements and you have to stick to the side of the road where the tarmac ends). I was sometimes wondering if I should use my road or my trail shoes, especially after the rain. In any case, say goodbye to clean shoes, they will turn red within a week.

Besides, I’ve been running on trails in the north of Jinja (starting from the Nile River Explorers camp, then lost myself a bit), and around the Kyaninga crater lake in Fort Portal. But trail opportunities are endless in Uganda, since most roads are not paved, and hills and mountains are everywhere.

Finally, I ran in Arua in the North during a mission (another Google maps planning that failed).

Bonus 2: where to go swimming in Kampala?

Finding swimming pools can be very challenging in Subsaharan Africa. Public swimming pools do not exist, so you will have to go to a private sports club or use one of a hotel (you can just pay an entrance for using the pool). In any case, it’s gonna be super expensive compared to our city pools in Europe. Important to note: swimming in Lake Victoria is not an option, you’ll very likely to catch bilharzia (as in most lakes in East Africa). But you can swim in the Nile and in some crater lakes (like Kyaninga)!

• Hotel Africana (Kololo): my usual go-to. Almost empty during the week and on Saturday morning (sometimes I had the pool for myself). Compared to the two others, it’s a bit less pricey (25k UGX at the time, 30k on weekends). The changing room and showers are really bad though.
• Speke hotel (Kololo): My second choice, very close to the first one. The pool is beautiful and the changing rooms and showers are very well kept, but it’s crowded on weekends, which makes lap swimming difficult. Another disadvantage, the pool is in the shade most of the afternoon. The entrance fee was 30k UGX. 
• Kabira country club: the most popular place to swim, with many other sports facilities around. Never tried it because it was 40k UGX (10$ 😒) just to use the pool, and I was rather going to Kololo directly from the office.

And you, what are your favourite running routes in Kampala and in Uganda?