Uganda's park entrance permits are paid by credit card, but all other expenses on your travel in Uganda are mostly paid for in cash. Luckily ATMs are widely available.
A good way to avoid heavy surcharge when using your card abroad or for carrying large sums of cash money is to use mobile money and register with MTN or Airtel which we discuss further below.
Uganda's park entrance permits are paid by credit card, but all other expenses on your travel in Uganda are mostly paid for in cash.
Most restaurants, lodges or campsites do not accept foreign debit cards. Paying with foreign credit cards (Visa and Mastercard) is possible, but only at the more upmarket hotels and restaurants.
ATMs are widely available across the country. Stanbic and Barclays are the most reliable banks, accepting MasterCard, Maestro, and Visa. Bring additional cards, as the daily uptake with a foreign card is limited at ATMs in Uganda.
We recommend bringing additional Euros or US Dollars with you in cash, for unforeseen circumstances. US Dollars and Euros can easily be changed to Ugandan shillings at any Forex Bureau in most provincial towns. Please be aware that USD notes printed in 2006 or earlier are not accepted in Uganda and denominations smaller than USD 50 are accepted at a lower rate. Some banks might still exchange old notes for you, but the exchange rates will be a lot lower.
A good way to handle money on your travels in Uganda is to use mobile money and register with MTN or Airtel. It enables users to store, send, and receive money using their mobile phones. The use of mobile money is widespread in Uganda. It means you can pay any bill or vendor (the souvenir stand on the local market, entrance fees at the park gate, drinks at a restaurant), directly with your phone. We strongly recommend that you buy a local SIM card to insert into your own smartphone and load it with airtime and an internet bundle. You can buy a sim card on arrival at the airport, or at any of the many shopping malls.
