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Mbale · Uganda

Car hire and driving in Mbale

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

In Uganda traffic drives on the left. Picking up at SRT means 94 km (58 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3086706 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q533806.

Drives from Mbale

Car rental from Mbale: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Mbale to NjeruUganda132 km (82 mi)about 2 h
Mbale to LugaziUganda159 km (99 mi)about 2 h 25 min
Mbale to MukonoUganda177 km (110 mi)about 2 h 42 min
Mbale to KiraUganda187 km (116 mi)about 2 h 52 min
Mbale to KasangatiUganda189 km (117 mi)about 2 h 53 min
Mbale to LiraUganda192 km (119 mi)about 2 h 56 min
Mbale to KampalaUganda197 km (122 mi)about 3 h
Mbale to NansanaUganda200 km (124 mi)about 3 h 3 min
Mbale to BunamwayaUganda202 km (126 mi)about 3 h 5 min
Mbale to KyengeraUganda206 km (128 mi)about 3 h 8 min
Mbale to KajansiUganda206 km (128 mi)about 3 h 9 min
Mbale to KatabiUganda220 km (137 mi)about 3 h 21 min
Mbale to MbararaUganda435 km (270 mi)about 6 h 38 min
Mbale to GuluUganda281 km (175 mi)about 4 h 17 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Mbale?

The left, as everywhere in Uganda.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.