Things to Do in Kampala in May
May weather, activities, events & insider tips
May Weather in Kampala
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
Is May Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
- + May lands just after the long rains, so Kampala’s seven hills glow emerald while the skies clear by 9 AM most days. The air carries the scent of freshly cut grass from roadside mowers, and jacarandas along Jinja Road shed purple petals that carpet the sidewalks.
- + Room rates drop as much as 35 % from peak season—guesthouses in Nakasero and Kololo that normally insist on three-night stays now take single nights without the side-eye.
- + Lake Victoria’s water temperature climbs to 25 °C (77 °F), so sunset kayak paddles out from Gaba landing feel like bathwater, not the chilly shock you’d get in July.
- + The Rolex Festival usually lands in mid-May: an entire Saturday when hundreds of chapati-and-egg stalls line Lugogo Bypass, each claiming to roll the city’s best Rolex (yes, the food, not the watch).
- − Afternoon thunderstorms still crash the party—short, violent bursts that flood downtown gutters in ten minutes and soak anyone caught between taxi stages on Kampala Road.
- − UV is brutal at 8; unshaded skin burns in 20 minutes on the open terraces of the Sheraton gardens during lunch.
- − Mosquitoes wake up with the humidity—dusk on the Speke Resort pier in Munyonyo becomes a high-pitched whine you’ll remember longer than the sunset.
Year-Round Climate
How May compares to the rest of the year
Best Activities in May
Top things to do during your visit
May’s light winds flatten the lake, making 30-minute crossings to Ssese or Ngamba Island surprisingly gentle. The islands stay lush, monkeys stay active, and guides can anchor off sandy coves where the water is transparent—something you won’t see during the muddy peak-rain months.
Start at 7 AM when the temperature is still 20 °C (68 °F) and the Old Taxi Park smells of warm Rolex dough rather than midday diesel. The walk from Namirembe Cathedral down to the Kabaka’s Lake passes 1950s Indian architecture with peeling turquoise paint and the sweet scent of jackfruit sold from wooden wheelbarrows.
Migratory waders are still fattening up before the northern flight, so the papyrus edges burst with blue-cheeked bee-eaters and African jacanas walking on lily pads. Morning mist rises off the bay like steam from a kettle and clears by 9 AM sharp.
May’s dry mornings mean the outdoor craft stalls at the National Theatre don’t reek of wet bark cloth. You’ll smell fresh wood shavings as artisans hollow out luganda drums and sand soapstone bowls under flame-tree shade.
By 8 PM the air has cooled to 23 °C (73 °F) and the boda exhaust no longer sticks to your skin. Drivers weave from roadside goat-brochettes on Acacia Avenue to late-night bowls of firinda and kikomando in Wandegeya, all while reggae from passing taxis leaks into the humid night.
May Events & Festivals
What's happening during your visit
One Saturday in mid-May when the entire city celebrates the rolled chapati-omelette called Rolex. Expect live Afro-beat bands, cooking competitions judged by local comedians, and queues 20-people deep at stalls that normally serve construction workers.
Essential Tips
What to pack, insider knowledge and common pitfalls