Timetable Uganda: time difference and opening hours

To see / To do Uganda

The national parks are open all year round. The entry of motor vehicles into the natural areas where they are allowed (Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls and Kidepo) is however prohibited between 7pm and 6am (the gates controlling access to the parks are closed during this interval). Inside the parks, most of the activities take place during the day. Chimpanzee tracking (Kyambura Gorge, Kibale Forest...) is scheduled at 8am and 2pm while gorilla tracking (Mgahinga National Park, Bwindi Forest) starts at 8.30am. The rare night drives (walk in the heart of the forest in Kibale, night game drive) are sometimes subject to conditions. The reserves managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and those under the National Forestry Authority (NFA) are also open 365 days a year. Like the parks, almost all the activities are daytime. For those wishing to visit the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, no vehicles are allowed to enter the protected area after 9pm.

Museums, places of worship, historical sites, botanical gardens and others are open to visitors on a daily basis (with the exception of the Rwenzori Foundry which is closed on Sundays). The early morning ones welcome the public as early as 7am, but the bulk of the openings take place between 8.30am and 10am. In the evening, their doors are closed between 4pm and 7pm. Visits to religious buildings are sometimes restricted on weekends (services, celebrations...)

Enjoying yourself Uganda

Restaurant opening hours have been adapted in many ways... Establishments serving breakfast generally open between 5:30 and 9:00 a.m., while their counterparts, dedicated exclusively to the preparation of lunches and dinners, welcome their first customers around 11:00 a.m. At dinnertime, most curtains are down between 10 and 11 pm. However, some restaurant owners play for longer. You will sometimes find the doors closed on Monday or, more rarely, on Sunday. Finally, a handful of restaurants close their doors between lunch and dinner service.

Take a break Uganda

It is particularly difficult to write this section because the opening and closing times of pubs and cafés vary greatly. Zincs open either in the morning, at midday or in the early evening (5pm). In the middle of the day, especially during the week, they are often deserted. On the other hand, they come alive at the end of the day, especially at weekends (some are closed on Sundays and/or Mondays). Happy hours are sometimes organised (5-7pm is the most common time for this). Cafés where non-alcoholic drinks (tea, coffee, fruit juice, etc.) and pastries are popular are generally open from 8am until late afternoon, or even until 10pm. In these establishments, unlike the bars, the frequentation is mainly diurnal. Several establishments close on Sundays.

(To) please yourself Uganda

The opening hours of art galleries, craft villages and delicatessens are hardly uniform, but they usually run from 8am to 7pm from Monday to Saturday. The Sunday opening hours for shops that are not closed are sometimes shorter. Supermarkets are open six or seven days a week, from 8am to 7pm, and even until 9pm or 10pm for some of them. Finally, most shopping centres open every day around 6-7am and close between 10pm and midnight.

Get out Uganda

No surprise when it comes to pubs and nightclubs: the alacrity is usually at its peak during weekend parties.