Rukungiri · Uganda
Visit & get involved

Come and work alongside us.

Kisiizi hosts medical electives, long- and short-term volunteers, and visiting specialists year-round — demand is high, so early planning matters.

01

Medical & nursing electives

A 285-bed hospital staffed by around 320 people — six consultants, five middle-grade medical officers and eight intern doctors among them — Kisiizi takes up to six elective students at a time across maternity, paediatrics, surgery, gynaecology, the medical wards, the Ahumuza mental-health unit and 24-hour A&E, plus community, palliative-care and menstrual-health (Empower) placements. Booked up to a year ahead; guest-house accommodation runs £180–220 per week, full board.

Apply for an elective → khelectives@gmail.com
02

Volunteering

Short-term volunteers stay at the Kisiizi Falls Guest House with hot showers, a library and Ugandan & Western meals; long-term volunteers get a fully equipped home of their own, with optional housekeeping. A yellow fever vaccination is mandatory, and malaria prophylaxis (Doxycycline or Malarone) is strongly advised. Outside the wards, volunteers join daily chapel, choir, sport and Bible study, and often travel to Queen Elizabeth & Lake Mburo National Parks or Lake Bunyonyi at weekends.

Apply to volunteer → Free long-term housing
03

Getting here

Fly into Entebbe or Kigali, then travel roughly 7–8 hours by road (via Kampala and Kabale) or arrange a private driver for the whole journey — recommended if it’s your first trip to Africa or you’d rather not navigate it solo. Once you’re here, boda-bodas (motorbike taxis) are the easiest way to get around locally.

Rogers, private driver · WhatsApp +256 772 328434
A visitor riding with a local boda-boda driver on the road near Kisiizi
Misty view over the terraced hills and valley of the Kigezi highlands at dusk
The terraced hills of the Kigezi highlands, en route to Kisiizi

A week at Kisiizi

Every weekday begins with chapel at 8am, then a morning meeting that sets the tone for the day — after that, electives rotate through six clinical tracks at once. Tap a day to see the full rotation.

Mon
Clinical meeting
Tue
MPDSR
Wed
Audit
Thu
Outreach
Fri
CME
Sat
Off duty
Sun
Church
Monday — Clinical meeting +
SurgicalSurgical clinic — history, examination, ward procedures and emergency surgeries.
MedicalConsultant ward round — history, examination and ward procedures.
O&GWard round — history, examination, ward procedures and emergency surgeries.
Paeds / SCBUWard round — history, examination and ward procedures.
Mental healthWard round — review of patients.
ED / OPDRoom 3 general clinic or A&E — procedures, or helping the junior doctor see patients.
Tuesday — MPDSR +
CommunityPalliative care (one student), plus ANC and vaccination clinics — palliative home assessments.
SurgicalElective surgeries — observing and scrubbing in.
MedicalConsultant clinic and ward round — history, examination and ward procedures.
O&GElective theatre — observing and scrubbing in.
Paeds / SCBUWard round — history, examination and ward procedures.
Mental healthClinic — outpatient reviews.
ED / OPDRoom 3 general clinic or A&E.
Wednesday — Audit +
SurgicalMajor ward round — history, examination, ward procedures and emergency surgeries.
MedicalWard round — history, examination and ward procedures.
O&GMajor ward round — history, examination, ward procedures and emergency surgeries.
Paeds / SCBUWard round — history, examination and ward procedures.
Mental healthWard round — review of patients.
ED / OPDRoom 3 general clinic or A&E.
Thursday — Community outreach +
CommunityPalliative care (one student) with Denis, the Palliative Care Nurse — home assessments.
SurgicalElective surgeries — observing and scrubbing in.
MedicalDiabetes, hypertension and chest clinics — history, examination and ward procedures.
O&GElective theatre — observing and scrubbing in.
Paeds / SCBUWard round — history, examination and ward procedures.
Mental healthCommunity outreach — community clinics and home visits.
ED / OPDRoom 3 general clinic or A&E.
Friday — CME +
CommunityAntenatal and vaccination clinics.
SurgicalWard round — history, examination, ward procedures and emergency surgeries.
MedicalWard round — history, examination and ward procedures.
O&GGynae clinic — history, examination, ward procedures and emergency surgeries.
Paeds / SCBUWard round — history, examination and ward procedures.
Mental healthWard round — review of patients.
ED / OPDRoom 3 general clinic or A&E.
Weekend — off duty +

Saturday is entirely free, and Sunday begins with church. Both are open for walks, a visit to the falls, a trip to Lake Bunyonyi, or a safari.

Book a weekend trip →

Ongoing community placements

A few placements run alongside the weekly rotation rather than on a fixed day — ask to join whichever fits your interests.

Malnutrition

Education, cooking and gardening sessions with the nutrition team — liaise with Sr Imelda, Nutrition Nurse, on the paediatric ward.

Physiotherapy

Home visits, exercises and reviewing patients with chronic disability — liaise with Dan, Physiotherapy.

Empower (menstrual health)

School visits, Q&A sessions and sexual health education — liaise with Monica, Rehab.

Accommodation & costs

Electives and short-term volunteers stay together at the Kisiizi Falls Guest House; long-term volunteers are housed separately, free of charge, in a home of their own.

Everyone arranging a stay should budget for the guest-house rate and — for elective students — the Good Samaritans Fund donation. There’s no longer a separate booking deposit.

Guest House — electives & short-term volunteers
Standard room, en-suite, shared lounge£180 / week
Larger room, en-suite, private lounge & TV£220 / week
Full board (breakfast, lunch & dinner)Included
Day visitor, meals only (book by lunchtime)9,000 UGX / night
Payment
Good Samaritans Fund donation (elective students)£180

There’s no booking cost to confirm your place — instead, please arrange payment (guest-house fees and, for electives, the Good Samaritans Fund donation) one month before your trip, to the UK NatWest account (see the Give section below). The Good Samaritans Fund donation helps cover treatment costs for the hospital’s poorest patients. Contact khelectives@gmail.com to confirm current details before booking travel.

Long-term volunteers aren’t charged for housing — the cost below is entirely optional, for those who’d rather not self-cater.

Long-term volunteer housing
1–2 bedroom house, kitchen & bathroom (hot water)Free
Optional local house staff (cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, 2–5 days/week)Low daily rate

Seven such houses sit on site, each self-contained and fully equipped — provided at no cost for the length of a long-term placement. House staff are paid directly by arrangement, entirely optional.

These are well-used, long-standing homes, and what’s in them is always in need of refreshing. So don’t be surprised if we ask you to bring a small item to help out — a kettle or toaster, for instance — when you come.

Rates above are current as of 2026 and set by Kisiizi Hospital, not by this site — contact khelectives@gmail.com to confirm before booking travel.

Plan your journey

Uganda’s e-visa and a Ugandan or Rwandan SIM are both easy to sort before you leave home — and a stopover is worth planning for, since Kisiizi is a full day’s travel from either airport.

Via Entebbe & Kampala +

Taxi or shuttle from Entebbe Airport to Kampala (~1 hour), or the Pioneer/Link buses; then a 6-hour bus to Kabale (Post Bus, Horizon Coaches or Gateway Buses), followed by a 1–2 hour matatu or local bus to Kisiizi.

Entebbe stopover: Entebbe Flight Motel and Executive Airport Hotel are closest to the airport (both offer transfers); Secrets Guesthouse, Blue Monkey and Element Guesthouse are good nearby alternatives.

Kampala stopover: Namirembe Guest House (Church of Uganda-run, near Mengo Hospital) and Red Chilli Hideaway are the most popular with visitors; Manhattan Guest House, Bushpig Backpackers and Sanyu Babies Home (which supports a local baby home) are also recommended.

Via Kigali, Rwanda +

Jaguar Executive or Trinity buses run Kigali to Kabale (3–4 hours) — have your travel documents ready for the Gatuna/Katuna border — then a 1–2 hour matatu or bus on to Kisiizi.

Kigali stopover: Good News Guest House (peaceful, 15 minutes from the airport), Tea House Kigali (free airport pick-up) and 2000 Hotel Downtown are well reviewed; Mamba Rwanda Hostel and Discover Rwanda Youth Hostel suit a tighter budget.

Visa & SIM card +

Visa: apply online at the Uganda Immigration e-visa portal and print the waiver sent with your confirmation email. UK citizens transiting Rwanda get a free visa on arrival — check your own government’s travel advice for your nationality either way.

SIM card: MTN and Airtel both offer cheap data and mobile money; Airtel has the cheapest bundles. Rogers can help you set one up en route, or it can be arranged locally once you reach Kisiizi.

In their words

“Little did I realise when I first visited Kisiizi in 1999 that it would lead to such an enduring relationship…”

Dr Helen Allott MBE · Chair of Trustees, Kisiizi Partners

“A first trip to Africa — rolling hills, banana plantations, and a single dirt track all the way to Kisiizi.”

Laura · two-month elective, Sept 2024 Read Laura’s full account →

More visitor accounts — including Annabel’s October 2024 elective — are collected on the hospital’s own site.

Read Annabel’s story →
Elective / volunteer application Visitor resource pack PEP guidelines

Spotted along the falls trail

A chameleon crossing the red dirt path near Kisiizi Falls

A chameleon along the trail

A variable sunbird perched near the Kisiizi Falls trail

A variable sunbird on the trail