Masaka

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Masaka, Central Region, Uganda

A street view in Masaka town 03, Masaka, Central Region, Uganda

Masaka Central Market in Uganda 02, Masaka, Central Region, Uganda

Buddu Community Museum in Masaka City, Masaka, Central Region, Uganda

Masaka, Central Region, Uganda

About Masaka

Masaka sits on rolling green hills just south of the Equator, about 130 km south-west of Kampala on the main road to Mbarara, and serves as the hub of the old Buddu county of the Buganda kingdom. Its streets fill with traders from the surrounding banana and coffee farms, and since 2020 it has held city status.

The town has known hard times. It was garrisoned by Idi Amin's army during the Uganda-Tanzania War, and in February 1979 Tanzanian forces shelled and largely levelled it, before fighting returned during the Bush War of the 1980s. Rebuilt since then, Masaka is now a lively regional centre with universities, a busy central market and a strong Catholic tradition centred on Kitovu.

For travellers it is a natural stop between Kampala and the national parks of the west. Lake Nabugabo, a quiet satellite of Lake Victoria, lies a short drive east, the Bukakata ferry crosses to the Ssese Islands, and the hilltop cathedral at Kako looks out over the countryside.

Best seasonJune to August and December to February, the drier months

Ideal stay1-2 days, longer with the Ssese Islands

ArrivingBy road from Kampala, about 130 km on the Masaka-Mbarara highway

6 Unforgettable Things to Do in Masaka

Nature 1

Lake Nabugabo, Masaka, Central Region, Uganda

Lake Nabugabo

About 23 kilometres east of Masaka by road, Lake Nabugabo is a small freshwater lake cut off from Lake Victoria by a sand bar only...

Landmarks 2

Kako St Paul's Cathedral, Masaka, Central Region, Uganda

Kako St Paul's Cathedral

On Kako hill, roughly ten kilometres north-east of Masaka, stands St Paul's Cathedral, seat of the Church of Uganda's Diocese of W...

Kitovu Cathedral, Masaka, Central Region, Uganda

Kitovu Cathedral

Kitovu hill is the centre of the Catholic Diocese of Masaka, one of Uganda's original dioceses, whose people are largely Catholic....

Shopping 1

Masaka Central Market, Masaka, Central Region, Uganda

Masaka Central Market

The central market is the commercial heart of Masaka, where farmers and traders from across the region sell matooke bananas, tomat...

Museums 1

Buddu Community Museum, Masaka, Central Region, Uganda

Buddu Community Museum

This small community museum in Masaka City is dedicated to the history and culture of Buddu, the former county of the Buganda king...

Day Trips 1

Bukakata Ferry to the Ssese Islands

From the Bukakata landing on the shore of Lake Victoria, east of Masaka, a vehicle ferry crosses to Bugala, the largest of the Sse...

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Photo credits

Photo: BalukuBrian, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: BalukuBrian, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: BalukuBrian, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Micheal Kaluba, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ssemmanda will, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Sjoerdug, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ssebuumahadadi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Joyce Nanjobe Kawooya, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ssebuumahadadi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: BalukuBrian, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: BalukuBrian, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: BalukuBrian, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: SharonDawn, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Joyce Nanjobe Kawooya, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Joyce Nanjobe Kawooya, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: BalukuBrian, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: BalukuBrian, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Micheal Kaluba, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0