{"license":"CC BY 4.0 — attribution: IsMyTripSafe.com","source":"https://ismytripsafe.com/uganda/jinja","updatedAt":"2026-07-29T17:19:29.215Z","place":{"city":"Jinja","country":"Uganda","countryCode":"UG","lat":0.43902,"lon":33.20317},"safety":{"score":44,"level":"CAUTION","answer":"Caution advised","saferThanPctOfCountries":32,"confidence":0.89,"caps":[{"max":44,"reason":"Level 3 advisory — reconsider travel"}],"databaseScore":44,"travellerSentiment":{"score":66,"label":"Cautiously positive","summary":"Recent 2026 travel guides list Jinja alongside Bwindi and Murchison Falls as part of Uganda's 'well-trodden and very safe' tourist circuit for adventure activities. However, guidance is conditional: safety is reported when visitors book licensed operators, stay in established zones, and follow standard precautions. Limited recent traveler reports in the dossier, but those available treat it as a viable rafting and Nile destination.","weightInScore":0.18,"components":[{"label":"Reported feel","score":64,"weight":0.35},{"label":"Robbery risk","score":62,"weight":0.45},{"label":"Pickpocket risk","score":78,"weight":0.2}]},"categories":[{"key":"crime","label":"Crime","score":57,"tier":1},{"key":"sentiment","label":"Traveller Sentiment","score":66,"tier":1},{"key":"advisories","label":"Advisories","score":30,"tier":2},{"key":"stability","label":"Stability","score":55,"tier":2},{"key":"health","label":"Health & Air","score":64,"tier":2}]},"advisories":[{"source":"UK Foreign Office (FCDO)","level":1,"label":"No advisory against travel","updated":"2026-07-27T14:00:28Z","url":"https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/uganda"},{"source":"Government of Canada","level":3,"label":"Avoid non-essential travel (with regional advisories)","updated":"2026-07-29T14:31:46.2003107-04:00","url":"https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/uganda"}],"indicators":[{"key":"homicide","label":"Homicide rate","value":8.97308867739149,"display":"9.0 / 100k","year":"2023","score":49,"source":"World Bank Open Data"},{"key":"crime_major_constraint","label":"Crime seen as a major business constraint","value":0.7,"display":"0.7%","year":"2013","score":99,"source":"World Bank Enterprise Surveys"},{"key":"terrorism_deaths_pm","label":"Terrorism deaths (latest year)","value":0.03892194464777917,"display":"0.04 / million","year":"2021","score":95,"source":"Global Terrorism Database"},{"key":"road_deaths","label":"Road traffic deaths","value":16,"display":"16.0 / 100k","year":"2021","score":51,"source":"WHO Global Health Observatory"},{"key":"stability","label":"Political stability & no terrorism","value":48.4331578,"display":"48/100","year":"2024","score":48,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"rule_of_law","label":"Rule of law","value":44.2541878,"display":"44/100","year":"2024","score":44,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"corruption","label":"Control of corruption","value":25.2618885,"display":"25/100","year":"2024","score":25,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"gov_effectiveness","label":"Government effectiveness","value":44.5324232,"display":"45/100","year":"2024","score":45,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"regulatory","label":"Regulatory quality","value":46.5941247,"display":"47/100","year":"2024","score":47,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"voice","label":"Voice & accountability","value":39.1204397,"display":"39/100","year":"2024","score":39,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"city_population_scale","label":"Urban scale factor","value":93061,"display":"93k residents","year":null,"score":87,"source":"City Geocoding"},{"key":"safe_walking_dark","label":"Feel safe walking alone after dark","value":61,"display":"61.0%","year":"2017","score":61,"source":"UN SDG Global Database"},{"key":"violence_victimization","label":"Physical assault (past year)","value":24.8,"display":"24.8%","year":"2022","score":26,"source":"UN SDG Global Database"},{"key":"sexual_violence","label":"Sexual violence (past year)","value":4.3,"display":"4.3%","year":"2022","score":59,"source":"UN SDG Global Database"},{"key":"human_trafficking_victims","label":"Detected human-trafficking victims","value":1.71,"display":"1.71 / 100k","year":"2024","score":69,"source":"UN SDG Global Database"},{"key":"bribery_contact_rate","label":"Bribery during public-official contact","value":17,"display":"17.0%","year":"2017","score":63,"source":"UN SDG Global Database"},{"key":"air_quality","label":"Air quality","value":66,"display":"US AQI 66 · Moderate","year":null,"score":82,"source":"Open-Meteo Air Quality"},{"key":"health","label":"Travel health notices","value":2,"display":"1 notice · max Alert","year":null,"score":60,"source":"CDC Travelers' Health"},{"key":"hospitals","label":"Hospitals nearby","value":5,"display":"5 beds / 10k · country avg","year":"2010","score":30,"source":"WHO Global Health Observatory"},{"key":"weather","label":"Extreme weather","value":28,"display":"July: highs ~28°C · no weather extremes","year":null,"score":100,"source":"Open-Meteo"},{"key":"natural_hazards","label":"Natural hazards","value":2,"display":"2 active alerts · Drought (green)","year":null,"score":89,"source":"GDACS / USGS"},{"key":"advisory","label":"Government travel advisory","value":3,"display":"Level 3 — Avoid non-essential travel (with regional advisories)","year":null,"score":30,"source":"Government of Canada"},{"key":"research_robbery_risk","label":"Mugging & robbery risk","value":3,"display":"Moderate risk","year":null,"score":70,"source":"City Web Research"},{"key":"research_pickpocket_risk","label":"Pickpocketing & theft risk","value":3,"display":"Moderate risk","year":null,"score":70,"source":"City Web Research"},{"key":"research_sentiment_score","label":"Visitor safety sentiment","value":64,"display":"64 / 100 (Cautiously positive)","year":null,"score":64,"source":"City Web Research"}],"healthNotices":[{"level":"Alert","title":"Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda","url":"https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level2/ebola-drc-uganda"},{"level":"Alert","title":"Global Polio","url":"https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level2/global-polio"},{"level":"Watch","title":"Global Dengue","url":"https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level1/dengue-global"},{"level":"Watch","title":"Global Measles","url":"https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level1/measles-globe"}],"hazardAlerts":[{"kind":"Drought","severity":"green","title":"Drought is on going in Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda","distanceKm":96},{"kind":"Wildfire","severity":"green","title":"forest fire notification in Tanzania","distanceKm":376}],"fieldResearch":{"verdict":"Moderately safe for tourists who stay in established areas and take precautions — Jinja is a well-trodden adventure hub but has documented petty crime and robbery risks.","summary":"Jinja ranks in the caution zone (42/100 composite) due to Uganda's Level 3 Canadian advisory and documented crime. However, the city functions as East Africa's main adventure-tourism hub for whitewater rafting and Nile activities, and recent travel guides (July 2026) describe the tourist circuit as 'well-trodden and very safe.' Safety depends heavily on location and behavior: tourist zones are actively visited, but petty theft, bag-snatching, and robbery occur outside them, and physical assault risk is notably elevated (24.8% past year).","robberyRisk":{"level":"Moderate","note":"Armed robbery is rare against tourists, but street robbery and bag-snatching do occur outside tourist zones, particularly at night and in markets; visitors who stay alert and in lit, populated areas face low personal risk."},"pickpocketRisk":{"level":"Moderate","note":"Theft and pickpocketing are common in markets, transport hubs, and crowded Nile-side areas; watch for bag-snatching and phone theft from distracted or isolated visitors."},"safeAreas":["Source of the Nile / Owen Falls","Nile Avenue (Commercial Strip)"],"avoidAreas":["Iganga Road Corridor (road fatalities, accidents)"],"scams":["Boda-boda driver overcharging or staging diversion-robbery setups (common against tourists)","Inflated prices in bars and restaurants targeting foreign visitors","Unlicensed or fake tour operators selling rafting trips and attraction permits","Theft of phones, cameras, and bags from distracted tourists in markets and along the Nile"],"zones":[{"name":"Source of the Nile / Owen Falls","level":"safe","note":"Main tourist hub; rafting operators, lodges, and infrastructure well-established"},{"name":"Nile Avenue (Central Commercial)","level":"safe","note":"Busiest commercial street; good lighting and foot traffic; safest for day travel"},{"name":"Central Jinja Town Center","level":"caution","note":"Administrative and market district; petty theft common; stay alert, avoid after dark"},{"name":"Bugembe","level":"caution","note":"Residential area; moderate crime reported; use licensed transport"},{"name":"Jinja North (Nakifuma)","level":"caution","note":"Developing residential zone; less tourist infrastructure; standard urban precautions"},{"name":"Masese Industrial Zone","level":"caution","note":"Light industrial and residential; limited services; not recommended for tourists"},{"name":"Iganga Road Corridor","level":"avoid","note":"Road safety hazard—serious accidents documented (2020, 2022); use main highway only"}]}}