Entebbe Airport, probably the friendliest in Africa, is some 40 km south of Kampala on the shores of Lake Victoria. Entebbe became a colonial centre in the 19th century, and was the capital until 1962. With its botanical gardens and colonial buildings, it is a charming sleepy place and good dtaging point for visits to some of the islands of Lake Victoria, most particularly Ngamba Island, and the source of the Nile.

From Entebbe there are regular trips to Chimp Island. The sanctuary, on a beautiful forested island, is home to chimpanzees illegally removed from the wild and confiscated by the authorities; a raised platform enables close viewing and makes feeding time an exciting activity to watch. The tour lasts about half a day, travelling either by a modified traditional Ssese canoe or a faster motor boat. An overnight stay, at a simple mobile camp, can be arranged. The entrance fees paid goes towards looking after the chimpanzees.

Much of the nineteenth century was dominated by the search for the Source of the River Nile. Many of the great explorers of the age - Baker, Burton, Grant, Livingstone, Stanley, Speke - traversed the continent to understand the connection between the different rivers and lakes in Africa's central highlands. In 1862, Speke deduced that the river on the north shore of Lake Victoria was the White Nile on its way to Egypt. In reality the Source includes a number of lakes and rivers in Uganda and Rwanda as well as the Virungas and Rwenzoris.