Spiritual Tours experience
Uganda Spiritual Tours
Uganda has a number of spiritual or religious places. Several of these sites are affiliated with the country’s many religious faiths. Only in Uganda can you visit a number of holy or spiritual sites while on a city tour, as most of these locations are not far from Kampala City Centre. The following are popular sites to visit when on safari in Uganda.
The Baha’i Temple
The Baha’i temple is also known as the Mashriqu’I-Adhkar which is translated to mean the “Dawning-place of the recollection of God. It was the first of its type in Africa and was erected more than 50 years ago, making it the mother of the Baha’i faith in Africa. It is located 4 miles from Kampala on Kikaya Hill along Gayaza Road on 52 acres of land.
The temple has nine sides and is supposed to have been erected between 1958 and 1961. It draws a variety of tourists, including those on religious tours and those who come to enjoy the magnificent scenery. The setting is conducive to individuals who like to spend time alone to reflect and pray.
The Baha’i temple is open everyday from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and tourists who wish to learn more about this faith can also join the locals for worship on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. If you’re planning a city trip to Kampala, don’t skip the Baha’i Temple; your visit there will be unforgettable.
Martyrs’ Shrine of Namugongo
The Namugongo Martyrs’ Shrine is a unique spiritual destination for most Christians in Uganda and adjacent nations. It is located around 11 kilometers from Kampala in Namugongo, Wakiso district. The Martyrs’ Shrine boasts a stunning facade built of 100-foot-long copper pillars.
The Temple was built to honor the 32 young men who were cruelly killed on the orders of Buganda’s Monarch, Kabaka Mwanga II. These young men were advised to reject Christianity, but they refused. They were allowed a few days to alter their minds, but they refused, so they were burned to death on June 3, 1886.
Every year on June 3rd, thousands of Christians from all over the world, mostly Catholics and Anglicans, assemble at this memorial to celebrate the religious beliefs and lives of martyrs. Numerous pilgrims begin their trek to the Martyrs’ Shrine in the latter weeks of May, with the majority of them observed traveling on foot along major highways in various regions of the country. They continue to fast while they express thanks to God, believing that by traveling on foot, they will receive benefits from God.
Apart from the shrine, there is a man-made lake, a martyrs’ museum, and another Martyrs’ shrine in Munyonyo.
National Mosque of Uganda
The biggest mosque in East Africa, also known as the Old Kampala Mosque, is located in Old Kampala on Kampala Hill in Uganda, about 2 kilometers from the city center. It was finished in 2006 and formally inaugurated in June 2007. It can accommodate 15,000 worshippers on the main floor, 3,500 on the terrace, and 1,100 in the gallery.
The mosque was built by the late Col. Muammar Gaddafi under the name Gaddafi National Mosque; following his death in 2013, the name was changed to Uganda National Mosque because Libya’s new leadership had failed to maintain the mosque under its previous name.
This mosque was a gift from the late Colonel Gaddafi to the Ugandan Muslim community. It houses the office of Uganda’s Supreme Mufti and other facilities like conference and meeting rooms.
It is so impressive that, among the many mosques in Uganda, this one stands out as a skyscraper mosque. The mosque’s minaret provides excellent views of the city and its surroundings. It is one of the sights to see on a Kampala city tour.
Namirembe Cathedral of St. Paul
Namirembe Church, as it is affectionately known, is located on Namirembe Hill in Kampala. It is the diocesan cathedral of Namirembe diocese and the provincial cathedral of the Church of Uganda. It is Uganda’s oldest cathedral, with the first church structure built in March 1890 to accommodate 800 people, and the second, third, and fourth church buildings built in 1892, 1895, and 1904, respectively.
The current church structure was built during a four-year period, from 1915 to 1919. The church can be seen from several parts of Kampala, and once there, it offers a wonderful perspective over the city and surrounding environs.
There is also a cemetery where the Cooks, who built Mengo Hospital, are buried, as well as Bishop Hannington’s bones, who were interred here following his horrific murder in 1885.
Ugandan Jewish/Abayudaya Community
The Abayudaya are a Jewish community that lives in the eastern section of Uganda, just outside of Mbale Town. The word Abayudaya is a Luganda word to imply “people of Judah”. The Abayudaya are so pious that they observe Kashrut and Shabbat.
They dwell in several communities and have a population of roughly 3000 people. They mostly speak Lusoga, Lugwere, Luganda, and some have learned Hebrew. They engage in agriculture, particularly coffee cultivation.
This group is reported to have been commanded by Muganda military leader Semei Kakungulu, and they consider themselves to be Jews by choice. The Abayudaya community is a location where you may help while also learning about Jewish life.
Travelers visiting Uganda of the Jewish faith can expect to observe Shabbat. Those looking for a more immersive experience can tour coffee farms, trek Mount Elgon, and see the Sipi Falls.
The Catholic Cathedral of St. Mary Rubaga
It is generally known as the Rubaga Cathedral, and it is a beautiful historic church that is important to the people’s educational, religious, and health sectors. It is a significant site of worship for the Catholic religion as well as a tourist destination for non-Catholics due to its gorgeous Romanesque architecture; large numbers of people visit this cathedral each year.
The Rubaga Cathedral, located on Rubaga Hill approximately 3 kilometers from Kampala’s city center, serves as the Catholic Church’s headquarters and is Uganda’s oldest Roman Catholic diocese.
It is also the residence of Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, the current Archbishop of Kampala. The bones of the first African Archbishop and the first African Bishop of the Diocese of Kampala are buried outside the cathedral.