Entebbe International Airport (EBB) is Uganda’s primary airport. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to fly in during the daytime, you’ve certainly noticed the majestic Lake Victoria! Entebbe is a lovely, quaint city about 40 kilometers outside of Kampala. It’s the main airport to service our capital city and it hosts a variety of daily flights that connect passengers to destinations throughout Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the UK.
Flights depart all throughout the day but you’ll notice that there are a numerous amount that arrive and depart at all odd hours of the night. Though it sounds miserable to plan your flight around these awkward times, it’s probably a strategic move to dodge the usual horrible traffic jam en route to Kampala! In fact, depending on traffic, the journey between Kampala and Entebbe can take anywhere from 45 minutes to several hours! How’s that 2:50 am flight sounding now?
In this article I’ll shed some light on how to get to and from Entebbe Airport, what’s available inside the airport, and how to deal with lost baggage. A full list of airlines operating out of Entebbe airport is listed below along with their contact information.
Getting to and from the Airport
Outside of having a friend or colleague pick you up at the airport, you pretty much have two options: rent a vehicle or hop in a private hire, taxi, or shuttle. If you have never driven in Uganda do not, under any circumstances, rent a vehicle! I repeat: Do not rent a vehicle. That is, unless participating in real life Mario Kart is your thing!
Uganda has very difficult driving conditions and it takes an experienced local or expat driver to handle these wild, reckless roads! However, if you happen to be an experienced driver, you can rent a vehicle from Hertz and Europcar on site at the airport.
If you’d like to go the private hire route, I highly recommend using a driver from Super Shuttle International. Their vehicles are clean and in good working condition, drivers are all licensed, and it’s an overall pleasant experience. They usually have drivers on site among the flock of other drivers waiting to woo you and earn your business. My advice? If you’re a regular traveler to Uganda, find a driver you like and work with him every time. Rides into Kampala from Entebbe will cost you anywhere between 70,000 – 100,000 UGX max depending on where in the city you are headed.
Looking for a more affordable option? The newest player in airport transportation is a shuttle service called Pineapple Express. They offer rides between Entebbe, Kampala, and Jinja for very affordable rates. Entebbe to Kampala only costs $10 which is a fabulous deal but the only stipulation is that your flight must fit within their schedule, which is the same daily and runs seven days a week. The Pineapple Express shuttle departs from the following locations in Kampala around 10 am — Nakumatt Oasis Mall, Fat Cat Backpackers in Kisementi, and the Total fuel station in Nsambya to arrive in Entebbe by noon. Then, they depart Entebbe around 2:45 pm to head back to the above locations in Kampala.
Lastly, the least convenient but dirt cheap way to get to and from the Entebbe airport is by taxi, known in other African countries as a mini bus or matatu. These taxis travel up and down Entebbe road and will drop you off in Entebbe town for around 5,000 – 10,000 UGX depending on where in Kampala your journey started. Here’s the catch, from Entebbe town you will have to catch a boda or private hire taxi to take you the remainder of the journey to the airport. Cheap, yet pretty complicated. This wouldn’t be a good option for newcomers or those with lots of luggage.
Europcar: 0414 237 211
Hertz: 0772 450 460/ 0772 221 415
Pineapple Express Shuttle: 0787 992 277, www.entebbejinjashuttle.com/
Super Shuttle International: 0414 320 715
Inside Entebbe International Airport (EBB)
Entebbe Airport is generally pretty quiet and laid-back. With that said, it’s not the type of airport where you want to purposely plan to spend hours before your flight. Sure there are a few duty-free and craft shops to browse if you don’t already have carved giraffe salad spoons or a hippo paperweight. For food offerings, they have a small branch of Good African Coffee and there’s always Crane Cafeteria if you’re hungry for Ugandan fast food like meat pies and samosas.
The following banks have ATMS on site: Barclays, Stanbic, and Crane Bank and there are two different forex branches available to provide Ugandan Shillings and other relevant currencies. Local SIM cards and airtime are also available at the airport and, last I checked, the arrivals area offers free Wi-Fi.
Lost Luggage
Shame! Nothing is worse than arriving on an awkward 4 am flight only to realize that one of your five suitcases didn’t arrive on the airplane with you! Have no fear. Though it is a frustrating ordeal and it certainly looks like the most inefficient process in the world… chances are good that one of the two luggage handling companies will find your bag!
Unfortunately, I have lost many bags in my days of traveling in and out of Uganda but the good news is that I always have gotten them back with all of my possessions still in tact! In my experience, airlines will not deliver the bag to your home. You will either need to send a driver to fetch the bag in Entebbe (with the correct paperwork of course) or you can have the airline bring it to their office in Kampala and pick it up from there.
DAS Handling: 0392 789 011 / Mobile: 0773 505 848
Entebbe Handling Services (ENHAS): 0414 321 675
Airlines that Operate out of Entebbe Airport
*** All contact numbers are local Ugandan numbers. If calling from an outside SIM, you must dial +256 and drop the beginning zero. ***
Asante Aviation: 0715 707 690 / 0772 659 377 / Email: marketing@asante.co.ug
Air Uganda: 0414 321 485
British Airways: 0414 320 288
Brussels Airlines: 0414 320 761 / Mobile: 0752 755 766
Eagle Air: 0414 320 601
Egypt Air: 0414 320 698
Emirates: 0417 710 444
Ethiopian Airlines: 0414 320 570
Fly540: 0313 540 540
Kenya Airways: 0772 792 311, 0312 360 000/118/125/119.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: 0414 323 715/6
Qatar Airways: 0755 799 331 / 0417 800 900
Rwandair Express: 0772 614077
Skyjet Aviation: 0774 590 637 / 0775 639 060
South African Airways: 0772 767 802 / 0312 263 315
Turkish Airlines: 0788 006 296 / 0414 322 260
Other Useful Numbers
Civil Aviation Authority: 0312 352 000
Customs: 0417 443 622 / 0417 443 623
Entebbe International Airport: 0414 353 000
Entebbe Information Desk: 0414 353 000 Ext. 3323 / 3233
Flight Information: 0414 320 926
Police: 0414 321 901
Entebbe International Airport
Address: 5536 Kampala Rd, Entebbe, Uganda
Phone: 0414 352 000
Website: http://entebbe-airport.com/
FB page: www.facebook.com/pages/Entebbe-International-Airport/102334249820092
GPS: 0.045374, 32.442778
Hi Lauren.
Regarding lost luggage, it seems like every trip into Entebbe we are missing just one of the many bags from our family. But each time they have been delivered to our home in Kampala within a day or two without us having to insist.
Hey Lauren, great work with the website. I would just like to provide an update about airport transfer from Entebbe Airport. There is a scheduled shuttle service now operating from Garden City shopping mall. It costs $11.00 (30,000/=) one way. It is also possible to arrange door-to-door service. The shuttles are air-conditioned and comfortable. They run on schedule (24/7) to meet all flights and will depart on time even with just one passenger on board. The schedule can be found on the shuttle service website and bookings can be made on the website (without payment). Shuttle tickets can be purchased at any Payway vending kiosk or agent and at Garden City Mall.
This shuttle service is operated under a concession from Civil Aviation Authority, so is committed to high standards.
Check out the website (www.entebbeairportexpress).
The shuttle website is http://www.entebbeairportexpress.com