Entebbe sits on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake. The town is situated in Wakiso District, approximately 34 kilometres (21 mi) south of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city. The metropolis is located on a peninsula into Lake Victoria, covering a total area of 56.2 square kilometres (21.7 sq mi), out of which 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi) is water.
The lakeside Uganda Wildlife Education Centre protects native animals in wetland, forest and savanna habitats. Nearby, Entebbe Botanical Garden has diverse plants, birds and monkeys. Also close by is the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, which protects orphaned chimps.
Attractions:
- The extensive National Botanical Gardens, laid out in 1898, are located in Entebbe.
- Entebbe is the home of the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI)
- Entebbe is the location of the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) The centre also serves as the national zoo. The entrance to the centre is located near the jetty. Foreign visitors have noted the seeming incongruity of wild monkeys sitting in the trees over the centre’s paths.
- Entebbe is the location of Nkumba University, one of the more than thirty licensed institutions of tertiary education in Uganda.
- State House, the official residence of the President of Uganda, is located in Entebbe.
- Entebbe is also home to the historical site in Kigungu where the first catholic missionaries Brother Amans and Father Mon Maple Lourdel landed to establish the catholic faith in Uganda.
- Entebbe is home of the oldest golf course in East Africa called Entebbe Golf Club, which was established in 1900. Entebbe Golf Club is surrounded by the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, (formerly Entebbe Zoo), on its south side.
