KAMPALA, Oct 12 (Reuters Life!) - Got 48 hours to enjoy a weekend in Kampala? Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors get the most from a short stay in the Ugandan capital.
6 p.m. - Begin your weekend with a cold beer or cocktail watching the sunset from Munyonyo beside Lake Victoria.
The resort will host Britain's Queen Elizabeth and more than 50 world leaders at a Commonwealth summit on Nov. 23-25. Walk along the beach and watch the fishermen return with their catch of tilapia fish from Africa's biggest lake.
8 p.m. - Back into the city for a traditional Ugandan dinner of roast pork.
Most local bars have a busy barbecue attached. A platter of ribs and kebabs, sitting on piles of rich avocado, sticks of cassava and slices of tomato, will cost no more than $5 for two people. Eat with your fingers, and treat the crushed chilli on the side with care!
10 p.m. - Kampala suffered years of insecurity under the late dictators Idi Amin and Milton Oboto in the 1970s and early '80s.
Now it is one of the safest capital cities in Africa, and people dance until dawn. Plush new bars open regularly in the centre, but head to the lively suburbs of Kabalagaba, Wandegaya or Ntinda for drinks in a more typical Kampala setting. SATURDAY 9 a.
m. - Travelling in Kampala is chaotic and fun. To avoid confusion, the ubiquitous white minibuses are locally called "taxis" and cost a few coins, while taxis are known as "special hires".
Cheaper, and more exciting, are the "boda-boda" motorbike taxis waiting on every corner. There were plans to ban them before the Queen arrived because they portray the wrong kind of image for some lawmakers, but those seem to be on hold. 10 a.
m. - Take breakfast at one of the small restaurants around the two huge, teeming taxi parks. Local favourites are katogo, a rich stew of matoke bananas, onions, tomatoes and tripe, and molokony, a whole cow's hoof floating in oily soup.
Both are famous as hangover cures, but for more sensitive stomachs try an omelette, coffee and the mountains of fresh fruit on offer. 2 p.m.
- Stroll around the city centre looking out for landmarks from the Oscar-winning Last King of Scotland film before heading to the vast Owino Market, where just about everything imaginable is on sale. Foreign tourists love its bustle and huge stocks of second-hand Western clothes. Snack on newspaper cones of hot, roasted groundnuts as you haggle.
5 p.m. - Ugandans are arguably more passionate about English Premier League football than any other Africans.
For the quintessential Kampala experience, head to a local pub to watch a match on satellite TV. The most popular teams are Manchester Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal and vociferous debates always break out. Take your ear plugs and enjoy the atmosphere!
8 p.m. - In 1972, Idi Amin expelled most of Uganda's 75,000 Asians.
But the current President, Yoweri Museveni, urged them to return when he won power in 1986. Thousands have, and Kampala once again boasts some of Africa's best Indian restaurants. Try Haandi off Kampala road, Khana Khazana in the upmarket Kololo neighbourhood or Khyber Pass at Speke Hotel in the city centre.
10 p.m. - Kampala's two biggest nightclubs, Silk and Ange Noir, both party until dawn, and Saturday night is a great chance to see the city's young and beautiful out dressed to kill.
Local pop stars often make surprise performances, and security is good. But since both clubs are in the industrial area east of the city centre, consider taking a "special hire". 9 a.
m. - Uganda is one of Africa's most Christian countries, and on Sunday mornings the churches are packed. From the cathedrals at Rubaga and Namirembe to the backstreet Born Again worshippers, hymns fill the air.
Alternatively, take breakfast at the Diplomat Hotel's viewpoint with stunning views across Kampala's seven hills to the shimmering waters of Lake Victoria. 1 p.m.
- Enjoy whole fried tilapia for lunch on the beach at Entebbe, a charming town 35 km (20 miles) south of Kampala. From here you can take a boat to the chimpanzee sanctuary on Ngamba Island. The chimps here were rescued from poachers and had mostly been destined for the global black market pet trade.
3 p.m. - Take a walk around the well-maintained Entebbe Botanical Gardens, which were set up in 1898.
Locals will tell you scenes from the Tarzan films starring Johnny Weissmuller were shot here in the 1940s. Check out the huge spiders in their webs among the many exotic species of plants and trees, as well as lots of birdlife and monkeys. A guide costs about $10.
7 p.m. - After a stroll around the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe, where you'll meet lions, buffalo and endangered white rhinos face-to-face, enjoy a quiet dinner on the terrace of the colonial-era Windsor Hotel, overlooking the gardens, golf course and down to the lake.
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