Kampala motorbike tour: Gaddafi Mosque, markets and palace

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.97 (78 reviews) 97% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/47

Duration5h–8h

GroupUp to 100

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Ride through Kampala's landmarks instead of navigating the city yourself

A half-day motorbike tour of Kampala with a professional English-speaking guide, traveling by bike and on foot to the Gaddafi Mosque, Owino Market, Kabaka's Palace, Uganda Museum and other city landmarks. The tour runs 3 to 8 hours depending on which option you choose, includes a helmet, water and local snacks, and covers sites ranging from colonial-era transport hubs to the country's independence monument. Children from age 13 are welcome.

5h–8h

Step-by-step itinerary

Kampala city motorbike tour highlights

Visit Gaddafi National Mosque
See Independence Monument
Explore Owino Market
Tour Uganda Museum
Visit Bahá’í House of Worship
Shop at Bagala Craft Market
View Katanga informal settlement
Tour Kabaka's Palace and torture chambers
Taste local food
Visit Makerere University campus
See Kampala Railway Station
Explore Old Taxi Park
Visit Kalerwe Market

The Experience

Kampala spreads across seven hills, and a motorbike cuts through the traffic and narrow routes that cars can't reach. You ride pillion behind your guide, who navigates the city while you take in the streets and neighborhoods as they pass. The Gaddafi Mosque dominates the skyline—the largest in East Africa, with a tower you can climb for a 360-degree view of the city below. From there, the route moves through downtown to Owino Market, one of the largest in Uganda, where vendors sell fresh produce, secondhand clothing, street food and herbal remedies in a controlled chaos that defines Kampala's commercial heart.

Walking stops break up the riding. Kabaka's Palace opens into the cultural history of the Buganda kingdom, and the Uganda Museum—East Africa's oldest, founded in 1908—holds ethnographic materials, traditional instruments and archaeological artifacts that trace the country's heritage. The Independence Monument, sculpted in 1962, depicts a figure holding a child to symbolize Uganda's birth as an independent nation. You'll also pass the Old Taxi Park, a transport hub and daily landmark for commuters, and the colonial-era Railway Station. A break includes local food—often a Rolex (a rolled chapati with eggs and vegetables), a Kampala street staple.

Your guide speaks English and carries responsibility for timing and route; you bring moderate fitness and a willingness to ride a motorbike through city traffic. Helmets and hair nets are provided, along with bottled water. The tour length varies by option—3, 5, 7 or 8 hours—so you choose how many stops and how deep into the city you want to go. Katanga, an informal settlement, and Bagala Craft Market, where local artisans sell handmade goods, may be included depending on your selection. Makerere University, Uganda's oldest higher-education institution, rounds out some itineraries.

What’s included

Professional English-speaking guide on motorbike.
clean helmet and hair net for each traveler.
bottled water.
local snack (Rolex).
motorbike transport between sites and walking access to landmarks including the Gaddafi Mosque, Owino Market, Kabaka's Palace, Uganda Museum, Independence Monument, Old Taxi Park and Kampala Railway Station.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by TWIJA AFRICA SAFARIS

Is this one for you?Choose the 3-hour option if you want the main landmarks—mosque, market, palace—without a full day commitment; the 5-hour tour adds the museum and more neighborhoods; the longer routes include informal settlements and craft markets for a deeper look at how the city actually works. Riding pillion means you see Kampala from street level instead of a car window, and your guide navigates the routes that only motorbikes can take.