Rediscover Uganda this holiday: Why family farm trips are the next big thing

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OPINION

By Lilly Ajarova

This festive season, trade the crowds and chaos for the calm and connection of Uganda’s countryside. Discover why a simple farm trip could be your family’s most meaningful holiday yet.

A season of slow living

As the year draws to a close, Uganda begins to exhale. The cities slow down, the roads fill with travelers heading home, and the air carries the warmth of reunion. The festive season arrives with laughter, shared meals, and the joy of reconnecting with loved ones.

But amid the shopping, the traffic, and the endless to-do lists, I often pause to ask:

“How often do we take time to explore the beauty right here in our own backyard?”

This holiday season, I invite Ugandans to consider a different kind of getaway, one that is affordable, enriching, and refreshingly authentic: a family farm trip.

A simple yet enriching escape

Across Uganda, farms are opening up not only as centres of production but also as places of learning, leisure, and family connection. This form of travel, known as farm tourism or agro-tourism, offers visitors a chance to experience real farm life: from milking cows and harvesting fruits to preparing farm-to-table meals or simply walking through lush gardens while listening to nature’s quiet rhythm.

Unlike commercial resorts or foreign holidays, a farm trip offers something deeper, rediscovery. It reconnects us to the land that sustains us, the farmers who feed us, and the slower, more mindful pace of life that our cities often make us forget.

“For families, it’s a chance to replace screens with soil, and schedules with spontaneous laughter.”

Children can learn where their foods come from, while parents unwind amid open fields and fresh air.

Places worth exploring

Uganda is blessed with countless farms now welcoming visitors eager for authentic experiences.

Kaynela Farms in Kayunga District stands out as one of the country’s finest examples of agro-tourism done right. Spread across more than 200 acres, Kaynela offers guided tours where guests can see, touch, and taste the processes of farming, from animal feeding and vegetable picking to organic food preparation. It’s a joyful, hands-on experience that blends sustainability, innovation, and hospitality, a true model of how tourism and agriculture can thrive together.

(Courtesy)

Students peeling. (Courtesy)

For families seeking a fusion of culture and countryside, The Entanda Initiative in Mityana offers an authentic visitor experience in a non-staged environment. They promote traditional practices in food preparation and dining, music, talks (senga and kojja), games, barkcloth making, medicine, taboos and totems, as well as religion, among others. Ewaffe Cultural Village along the Mukono-Naggalama road offers a beautiful alternative. Here, visitors can take part in traditional cooking sessions, learn about indigenous herbs, make crafts, and explore a farm that celebrates Buganda’s rich cultural heritage. It’s not just an outing — it’s a living classroom where culture and nature meet.

C&H Farm along Gulu highway in northern Uganda offers a combination of a farm experience and adventure; walking trails and cycling.

Closer to Kampala, smallholder farms along Gayaza Road are perfect for short day trips. Children can plant seedlings, feed rabbits, or enjoy a picnic surrounded by tranquil greenery — all within easy reach of the city.

For a more curated countryside escape, Martha’s Farmhouse along the Mityana Road provides a cozy, family-friendly retreat. Guests enjoy simple farm activities, hearty farm-to-table meals, and warm hospitality, ideal for a weekend getaway.

Further west, Venna Farm Lodge near Fort Portal offers an eco-lodge experience framed by stunning scenery. Guests can join farm walks, coffee tours, and nature excursions, a perfect blend of relaxation, learning, and connection with Uganda’s breathtaking countryside. Emburara Farm is 14kms away from Mbarara City Centre, where visitors are treated to farm activities that provides great appreciation and learning of the Ankole cows among others.

Other remarkable destinations, such as The Farm Uganda, Farmstay Zirombe, Mugamba Farm, Koro Farmstay, and Katende Harambe Farm, continue to showcase the growing potential of farm-based tourism across the nation.

The value beyond recreation

Farm tourism offers more than just relaxation. It delivers tangible social and economic benefits.

Every visit supports local farmers and communities, spreading tourism revenue beyond the traditional circuits of hotels and national parks. It fosters inclusive growth by placing ordinary Ugandans at the heart of the tourism value chain.

It also nurtures environmental awareness as visitors learn firsthand about sustainable farming, waste management, and food security.

“When a child plucks a tomato from the garden or watches a cow being milked, they begin to understand — and value — the land that feeds us all.”

This is the tourism future we must continue to build: diverse, sustainable, and rooted in the everyday lives of Ugandans.

A new way to celebrate

This festive season, let’s choose experiences that make us feel something — not just consume something. Let’s give our children the gift of discovery, our parents the peace of the countryside, and ourselves the reminder that travel doesn’t have to mean leaving Uganda.

The farms are open. The countryside is calling.
And sometimes, the most meaningful journey is the one that leads us back home.

The writer is a Senior Presidential Advisor on Tourism and a passionate advocate for sustainable, inclusive, and community-driven tourism development. She has dedicated her career to promoting Uganda as a destination where conservation, culture, and creativity come together to create transformative travel experiences.