A-list Safari Vacation Lodges in Uganda: The Best Safari Accommodation properties
We shuffle through our collection of Safari Vacation Lodges in Uganda to select out the best accommodation properties for your summer vacation in the pearl of Africa. We hope that this a-list will inspire your adventure travels as you get back out into the world.
Uganda’s vast, untamed expanse of wilderness as the Pearl of Africa has endured with stubborn longevity. Perhaps quintessential images like silverback gorillas in verdant mountain jungles, giraffes and acacia trees silhouetted against a savannah sunset, herds of elephants, and hippos dipped winding riverbanks stick with travellers because they are so unlike the nature scenes of the civilised western world, where centuries of human interference have left little trace of true wilderness or of the animals that once roamed freely.
Africa’s grand natural spaces have compelled generations of safari adventurers to seek them out — and the accommodation providers have kept pace. Today’s safari vacation-goers have little more to worry about than checking off the Big Five and whether to order red or white with dinner. And for the ultimate in service, comfort, experience, and indulgence, they can’t go wrong with the places our travellers have chosen on this a-list of safari vacation lodges in Uganda.
We chose these a-list vacation lodges and camps based on how our travellers had rated them since 2007 when we opened business. Ratings include their facilities, location, service, food, amenities, and overall value.
Let’s take a look!
Nile Safari Lodge
Nestled into the bank of Victoria Nile River between the Albert delta and Paraa in Murchison Falls National Park, Nile Safari Lodge immerses its occupants in a rural paradise, creating the most tranquil family safari vacation hideaway.
The riparian makes the most of its riverside location with the thunderous Murchison Falls 20 kilometres downstream, providing access to the prime game viewing activities in the park. Its ingenious and environmentally conscious design that blends seamlessly with its surroundings makes the safari lodge Uganda’s most luxurious wilderness vacation rental.
The lodge’s minimally intrusive design is marvellously crafted from local eucalyptus wood and other locally sourced material without compromising comfort or aesthetics. It has eight luxurious Bandas secluded among tall trees and thick shrubs along the Nile banks that can be rented individually. The fine sleeping rooms are fitted with en-suite facilities and outdoor showers to allow guests to bathe in the natural surroundings. Characterised by creative and purposely simple designs, each has its unique style and offers ultimate privacy for a wilderness or romantic getaway. Exquisite wooden décor, luxurious double beds, and a private deck create an oasis of tranquillity in the backdrop of the mighty Nile.
An Exclusive Banda, the perfect room to spend a romantic getaway, is available and provides a private plunge pool and star bed for romantic stays.
If you’re going all out for glamour in Uganda, Nile Safari Lodge is a masterpiece safari vacation rental, an idyllic riverside hideaway that makes you feel, well, majestic!
Apoka Safari Lodge
Perched on a picturesque kopje, Apoka Lodge commands views across the Kidepo flatlands to the mountains beyond. This safari vacation lodge has a relaxed classic safari feel, quietly providing a tranquil and private wildlife experience in Uganda’s remotest northeastern Kidepo National Park.
Apoka is located 437 km away from the city chaos, into the countryside among the untamed wilderness, an unrivalled base for intrepid adventurers seeking the quintessential African safari experience.
Sitting right on the edge of a rocky hill are ten beautifully furnished vacation rentals (each rented separately) with exquisite interiors that marry a real sense of interior design with the natural surroundings. The natural shades on rock, wood carvings, and hand-crafted wooden beds draped with soft mosquito nets bring out the idyllic classic romance for a wilderness getaway.
Hand-woven woollen carpets offer an element of added warmth, and secluded sitting rooms and private verandas with views across the Narus Valley invite meditative moments over the golden sunsets. A lovely ensuite bathroom features a large tropical shower and deep outdoor bathtub – the perfect refuge after a successful day of game viewing.
And if the wild uninvited visitors (lions, buffalo, giraffe, or leopard) don’t thrill you, take a dip in the sparkling swimming pool hewn out of the rock, bury yourself in a good book or a fun-filled board game and let the hours flicker by in the main sitting room.
Suppose you’re looking for a classic intrepid safari experience in unusual spaces of Uganda’s wilderness. In that case, Apoka Safari Lodge is your choice of unique safari vacation rental that provides interweaving traditional spaces and the natural world into a romantic, warm, relaxed, and intimate getaway!
Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp
Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp delivers on its off-grid promise with a look that is seemingly out of a fantasy novel or fairy tale. 82,000 acres of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest surrounding this remote safari vacation lodge in the foothills of the Virunga Mountains are thick with vegetation and woodland charm. Canvas tents with wooden floors and decking for a magical, whimsical feel delivers a pioneering jungle spirit.
With an ideal location close to the starting point for the gorilla trekking adventures in the impenetrable jungles, the eight tent camp is one of the most remote and atmospheric in Africa – certainly the most idyllic of all safari vacation rentals in Bwindi. It’s not uncommon for the giant of all apes to walk in on your evening siestas around the main areas.
Gorilla Forest Camp offers eight canvas tents with wooden floors and decking, fluffy beds, and ensuite bathrooms with bathtubs strategically positioned for the intriguing vises of the steamy forest. Open-air dining cottage overlooking the rainforest, a cozy campfire for communal evenings, a mini span, and a local crafts gift shop are some of the features that will keep you included during your vacation stay.
Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge
The rugged panorama of the Virungas separates this scenic village from Rwanda and DRC, with guests ascending to around 7,000 feet to reach this remote vacation property and experience the vast expanses of southwestern Uganda’s rugged landscapes.
Perched high on a magnificent ridge at the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge almost feels like it’s part of the rural landscape with twelve vacation cottages sitting into the hillside trees, transporting visitors to an idyllic setting akin to Tuscany or the South of France.
Nkuringo’s private cottages have a distinctive elegance and surprising luxury amid forest trees, flowers, and shrubs. Locally styled furnishings grace the spacious rooms, and light fills the space from your private viewing deck over the forest swath. There is also a private villa available, ideal for families or groups of friends traveling together.
With just a 10-minute walk from trekking activities into the world’s renowned rainforest jungle, Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge is a perfect base for gorilla trekking in the southern section of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge
Tucked within ancient trees of Buniga Forest, this remote jungle vacation lodge boasts luxurious touches with rustic modern furniture and elongated windows that frame enthralling views of the surrounding lush Bwindi forest and the Virunga Mountains.
Its private vacation cottages sprawling across the hillside will deliver an incredible dose of isolated tranquility. Each private cottage is built of local volcanic stone, with a spacious living room installed with a fireplace, vast overstuffed armchairs, and hand-woven carpets. Comfortable chairs on the outdoor verandas provide the perfect vantage point to admire the unforgettable vistas of the forest below. Blazing fireplaces create a cozy glow as evening falls.
The main activity that may attract you to this rural vacation getaway is trekking the endangered mountain gorillas a few minute’s walks from the lodge. A walk in the community, dancing with the native Batwa tribe, nature hiking, and bird watching around the area will also keep you well entertained during your stay.
Mount Gahinga Lodge
Nestled in the foothills of the Virunga Volcanoes, Mount Gahinga Lodge is an exclusive vacation lodge with a tranquil charm enthralled by the dramatic backdrop of three of the extinct Virunga volcanoes. Its rustic charm creates an absorbing atmosphere of tranquility and the region’s history.
Gahinga’s luxury private bandas reflect the magic of the aesthetic traditions of the native Bufimbira people, with their distinct colors. Each vacation banda’s interior is cozy and rustic with a walk-in ensuite costliness bathroom, fireplace, and private porch to watch the imposing steamy volcanoes.
If you’ve ever wanted to set up base at the base of a volcano, there’s no better place than Mount Gahinga Lodge. From any of the six stone bandas with papyrus roofs, you’ll be able to dart out to track the endangered mountain gorillas or precious golden monkeys, hike the volcano, or meet local Batwa pygmies the oldest settlers of the Central African rainforest.
Ishasha Wilderness Camp
If you’re looking for absolute solitude in a classic Africa safari vacation mode, head southwest to the Ishasha sector in Queen Elizabeth National Park for a few nights in the fittingly named Ishasha Wilderness Camp.
Ishasha Wilderness Camp is nestled in a pristine spot caressing into the glorious Ntungwe River bend, where hippos snort languidly in the river and elephants wallow in the shallows.
Channeling colonial charm, the tents are more akin to spacious apartments with four-poster beds fit for two and vintage leather trunks artistically scattered across the room. The cool, grass-thatched roof of the main area provides shade on even the hottest savannah afternoons with a vast, open-sided lounge, bar, library, and dining area facing the river banks. There’s plenty of chunky seating from which to admire the burbling river and all its four-legged visitors.
Dining al fresco under the starlit sky should rank high on your agenda, as should three-course picnics in the savannah – say goodbye to jam sandwiches, but be prepared to share the spread with a cheeky monkey or the tree-climbing lions.
Kyambura Gorge Lodge
With its prime position on the edge of Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Kyambura Ravine, Kyambura Gorge Lodge delivers style and grandeur inside and out. Transformed from an old coffee plantation storage facility, Kyambura’s rustic-elegant safari vacation rooms blend well-crafted hand-work, native Ugandan artwork, a granite facade, and an idyllic private vacation bandas that echo the surrounding landscape.
Kyambura Gorge Lodge is styled with a contemporary European theme accentuated with local artifacts to give guests an African cultural feel. Each vacation banda offers a unique view across the vast savannah plains or into the wide gorge with a cooling breeze running all the way through. The safari vacation getaway features eight bandas, a spacious common area, a swimming pool, a 30-minute free massage for every guest.
Stay here if you intend to catch sight of the park’s amazing northern game in one of Africa’s most beautiful and varied parks, centered around the waterway of the Kazinga Channel, where a plethora of animal species, big and small, gather for a quench or dip in the channels calm waters.
Elephant Plains Lodge
Elephant Plains Lodge is on the northeastern edge of Queen Elizabeth National Park, but it’s a different world out here by this safari vacation lodge, surrounded by vast acres of protected wilderness plains under an endless blanket of stars. The safari game drive and natural delights of Kasenyi game tracks, Mweya Peninsula, Lake Kikorongo, and Kazinga Channel are easy to access.
The peaceful rural adobe reflects the desert outside, and midcentury modern furniture pieces make for a more refined design than you might expect. The safari vacation cottages have large bathtub showers and are spaced out along the hilltop, offering tranquil privacy for quiet outside evenings. Large verandas overlook Lake Kikorongo, where you can watch the sunset on elephants and buffaloes by the watering hole.
The main area provides an extensive lounge with comfortable couches and intimate seating areas for you to enjoy a Ugandan gin and tonic and take in the beautiful views under the cooling breeze rolling in off lake George. The spacious restaurant has an outside dining deck with 270-degree views serving an international menu inspired by local flavors.
The lodge also has a sizeable eco-friendly swimming pool for guests to cool off at the end of the day and continue to take in the enthralling views offered from everywhere around the lodge.
Kyaninga Lodge
This purpose-built Uganda safari vacation rental delivers on its off-grid promise with a look that is seemingly out of a fantasy novel or fairy tale. The rugged lands surrounding Kyaninga Lodge in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains are thick with vegetation, dozens of crator lakes, and woodland charm. Knotted wooden beams and timber combines for a magical, whimsical feel that delivers a pioneering spirit.
Nestled on the edge of a spectacular crater lake, Kyaninga Lodge provides the perfect start for guests to explore the quaint Fort Portal region’s hidden natural amenities when they step out of their cottage. The gardens offer a stunning setting for relaxation, reflection, and space for vacation games. There is even a lawn tennis court for the joyful stretching of holiday muscles. A guided walk around Lake Kyaninga would put you in the path of some exciting wildlife sightings like colobus monkeys and baboons.
Venture beyond the compound and find the scenic links of crator lakes and the world-renowned Kibale Forest National Park, the primate capital of Africa. Kibale stands out as the best place in Africa to watch our cousin chimpanzee troops in their natural setting and twelve other primate species.
Mihingo Lodge
Equidistant between Uganda’s capital city and the primate trekking destinations in southwestern Uganda, there’s a natural frontier feel to this safari vacation lodge, which enjoys a coveted spot overlooking Lake Mburo National Park’s vast savannah plains.
Perched high on a 500 million-year-old rocky kopje, Mihingo Lodge is an enchanting setting of wilderness vacation luxury designed to blend beautifully with its natural surroundings. A tranquil pool overlooks a sweeping wild valley below the water where buffalo, impala, zebra, eland, warthogs, and bushbuck converge for an afternoon quench.
If you fancy classic game viewing on the back of a horse, you’re in for an authentic African bush treat. The lodge is the only vacation property in the park to offer day and night horseback safaris in Uganda.
High on the rocky kopje with stretching views of the plains sits the spacious dining and living area where all meals are served, and guests get social. A calming breeze from Lake Kacheera makes it one of the coolest places in the lodge on a hot day. It’s a perfect spot to watch wildlife and joy Sarah’s three-course menu—a fusion of different cultures, herbs, and spices from around the world with produce grown organically from the onsite garden.