7 Hills of Uganda Kampala Tourist Attractions
7 Hills of Uganda Kampala Tourist Attractions: Kampala is the national city of Uganda, famously known as the City of Seven Hills, all because it is covered with these remarkable seven hills, which started way back when Uganda gained its independence from the British, who had settled around Buganda and named the city the City of Seven Hills.
And each hill has a local name and an attraction that makes the area popular and worth an encounter on your Uganda city tour. The hills include Rubaga Hill, Namirembe Hill, Mengo Hill, Makerere Hill, Nakasero Hill, Kampala hill and Mulago Hill.
Due to continuous growth and expansion of Kampala city, the city now covers 21 hills but we still stand on the original term “City of Seven Hills” because they hold the major stories and the history behind them is more important to the economy, thus acting as fabulous attractions to the country.
Traditionally, the kingdoms in Uganda prefer to build their palaces and establish their capitals on hills and as we see from the current Kabaka palace, which is located on Mengo Hill, also the Tooro palace lies on a hill in Fort Portal. The hills of Kampala are inhabited with incredible attractions.
Therefore, the seven hills of Kampala give the city a great ideal appearance and geography through offering spectacular views of the surrounding areas.
Below are the seven ‘’7’’ attraction hills found in Kampala:
Namirembe Hill
Namirembe Hill measures 4,134 feet above sea level; along this hill is where the oldest cathedral in Uganda is located, famously known as St. Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe. A place where the first diocese of the Anglican communion was founded.
However, the hill got its name from a Luganda word, “Mirembe,” which means “peace,” thus it is also referred to as the Hill of Peace. It is so exciting to take a visit to the hill and have an opportunity to see this impressive architectural church, get to learn about its history and enjoy the amazing views of Kampala, thus one of the 7 Hills of Uganda Kampala Tourist Attractions.
Mengo Hill
Mengo Hill is found close to Namirembe Hill. The hill measures 4,000 meters above sea level and has one of the most important properties of the Buganda Kingdom, “the King’s palace.” The palace lies on an area of four square kilometers, where Kabaka Mwanga established his capital after the death of his father in 1884. The Kabaka’s Lake is just close to the hill. The lake is manmade and was dug by King Mwanga, who ordered the man to dig as a sign of being exemplary to his subjects. The lake is the biggest manmade lake and Mwanga’s intention was to dig this lake and link it to Lake Victoria.
The word “Mengo” derives from a Luganda word, “Emmengo,” which means “grinding stones.” On Mengo Hill is where the 1900 Buganda Agreement was signed between the Kabaka of Buganda and the British colonialist in order to form the British protectorate.
Old Kampala Hill
The Old Kampala hill is also known as Kampala Hill, the major hill where Kampala city began. The name “Kampala” derives from the name of the African antelopes famously known as impala, which inhabited this hill in the 19th century. Historically, this hill was referred to as the “akasozi ka Impala,” meaning the hill of Impala, thus the name Kampala.
Then Fort Lugard was created on this hill after it was chosen by Captain Lugard in the 1890s, but the remains were demolished during the construction of a mosque, which was commissioned by Idi Amin Dada in 1972. In 2007, a new mosque, the “national mosque,” was later opened in this area, which was constructed as a gift from the president of Libya, Gaddafi. It is known as the Uganda National Mosque and is famously the second biggest in Africa. It was named after prominent Gaddafi and it was named Gaddafi Mosque
Rubaga Hill
Rubaga Hill rises to a height of 4,134 feet above sea level and is found near Namirembe Hill and Mengo Hill. On this hill is where the French white fathers met Mutesa 1. After the death of Kabaka Mutesa, his son Kabaka Mwanga took over the throne.
At that time the palace was on Rubaga hill but it was destroyed by lightning and the king shifted to Mengo Hill and later gave the two hills Namirembe and Rubaga, to the Christians so they could build the house of worship “churches.”
The word “Rubaga” derives from a Luganda word, “Rubaga,” which means to plan. Has the history shown that the Buganda generals used to plan their wars here, thus the renaming of Rubaga Hill?
Originally, Rubaga Hill is a home to Rubaga Catholic Church, marking it as one of the most beautiful architectural churches in Uganda. Of which the residence of the cardinal is just close to the church. There are also Rubaga Hospital and Rubaga Girl’s School closer to the church.
Makerere hill
Makerere Hill measures a height of 4,188 feet above sea level and this hill is known as the Hill of Knowledge in that Makerere University is located on top of it. Furthermore, this university was the first public university, which began in 1922. Makerere University is one of the best universities in Africa, admitting students from different races of the world, thus one of the 7 Hills of Uganda’s Kampala tourist attractions.
This hill is situated about 3 kilometers from Kampala town along the road to Kawempe. Before this hill was named Bwaise, but later they changed it to Makerere after the king of Buganda forgot to get back to his palace in Mengo because he was with a woman at this place, and surprisingly he didn’t realize how the dawn fell before he returned back to the palace. Then the king had to describe it as “Ganno Makerere,” meaning it had dawned without him noticing. Therefore, the hill is referred to as Makerere.
Mulago hill
The word “Mulago” was derived from a Luganda word, “Omulago,” which means a traditional herb that had been grown on this hill by Kabaka Ssuuna so that the herb would help to sustain him from spirits. Currently, Mulago Hill has the largest land, where the national referral hospital was constructed, famously known as “Mulago National Referral Hospital,” which receives hundreds of patients on a daily basis, thus being one of the 7 Hills of Uganda Kampala Tourist Attractions.
This hill measures a height of 4,134 feet above sea level, neighbored by the National Museum as well as Makerere Hill, among others.
Nakasero hill
Nakasero Hill stands at a height of 4,134 feet above sea level, positioned in the center of Kampala.
Historically, along this hill is where the colonial master settled on the upper part of the Nakasese area. The same location as the State House of Uganda. The hill is surrounded with luxurious hotels in Uganda such as Serena Hotel, Sheraton Kampala Hotel, Speke Hotel and Grand Imperial Hotel.
Kibuli hill
Kibuli Hill is where you can find Kibuli Mosque, a place worth a visit.
Other hills to encounter include Banda Hill, Mutungo Hill, Mutudwe Hill, Naguru Hill, Buziga Hill, Mbuya Hill, Kireka Hill, and Nsabya Hill, among many.
Lastly, Kampala has kept on growing and expanding; currently it stands with over 21 hills, thus developing more hills around the city to make Kampala City look more beautiful and attractive.
