All Blog Posts

10 Best-value Luxury Bwindi Safari Lodges & Camps

By Philip Briggs

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is Uganda’s most popular destination for gorilla trekking. With more than 25 gorilla groups available for daily tourist visits, more trekking permits are on offer here than at all of East Africa’s other gorilla destinations combined. As might be expected, there’s no shortage of accommodations at Bwindi, including several world-class luxury lodges and camps, as described below. If you plan to make your own bookings, be aware that Bwindi has four geographically distinct gorilla trekking hubs: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo. So you should check that your lodge is in the same location as your trekking permit.

The accommodations below are not ranked in a specific quality order.

1,170 Bwindi Tours

1. Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge (Rushaga)

Terrace facing the mountains at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge Ichumbi is a well-priced lodge with attractive brightly decorated cottages

There’s a vibrant African feel to the cottages at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge. Organic timber floors and woven basketwork ceilings are offset by brightly colored fabrics and draped walk-in mosquito nets. Attractively situated on green slopes, Ichumbi is one of the best-value Bwindi lodges and a great base for gorilla trekking at Rushaga. Smaller budget rooms are also available for the cost-conscious.

75 Ichumbi Tours

2. Mutanda Lake Resort (Rushaga)

Women on the dock at Mutanda Lake Resort, with mountains in the background Mutanda is a gorgeous lakeshore retreat often used as a base for trekking in nearby Rushaga

One of the most popular bases for tracking gorillas in Rushaga is Mutanda Lake Resort, which stands on a wooded peninsula about 20km/12mi to the south. The biggest attraction of this well-managed resort is its magnificent lakeshore setting on island-studded Lake Mutanda, with views across the water to the towering volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains. Accommodations range from rustic stilted standard rooms to larger and more modern luxury cottages. You can swim, canoe or paddleboard on the lake, which is also a rewarding spot for bird watching.

The drive from Mutanda to Rushaga takes at least one hour, so a relatively early start is required if you stay here the night before your gorilla trek. However, the setting more than compensates for the inconvenience. Mutanda lies about halfway between Bwindi and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. This makes it a particularly useful base for those who want to combine gorilla trekking in the former with golden monkey trekking in the latter.

55 Mutanda Tours

3. Mahogany Springs Lodge (Buhoma)

Terrace at Mahogany Springs Lodge Mahogany Springs is one of Uganda’s most popular overnight bases for gorilla trekkers

Mahogany Springs Lodge ranks among the best-value and most popular bases for gorilla trekking in Bwindi. Although it lies just outside the park boundary, roughly 1km/0.6mi from the headquarters at Buhoma, it has a pretty setting in a sloping patch of forest that runs down to the fast-flowing Munyanga River. The 12 spacious luxury cottages are decorated with locally made handicrafts and have private balconies looking out into the forest.

33 Mahogany Springs Tours

4. Four Gorillas Lodge (Rushaga)

Aerial view of Four Gorillas Lodge Four Gorillas Lodge is a good luxury base for tracking gorillas in Rushaga

The most luxurious lodge servicing Bwindi’s Rushaga sector, Four Gorillas stands right on the edge of the national park about 10 minutes’ drive from the gorilla trekking center. It consists of eight spacious cottages with warm timber floors and finishes, decor dominated by traditional local handicrafts, and private balconies that face the forest. The lodge enjoys a reputation for attentive service and good food.

18 Four Gorillas Tours

5. Buhoma Lodge (Buhoma)

Woman reading a book about gorillas in the common area of Buhoma Lodge Buhoma Lodge offers luxury accommodations inside Bwindi’s lushly forested interior

It would be something of an undersell to bill Buhoma Lodge as the most convenient base for gorilla trekking in Bwindi. Convenient it most certainly is, being situated just inside the park boundary, only two minutes’ walk from the trekking assembly point at the headquarters. But this luxurious lodge also offers great in-house wildlife viewing. Playful black-and-white colobus and L’Hoest’s monkeys swing past on a regular basis, while a giddying variety of colorful forest birds flit through the surrounding jungle. The bright and spacious cottages, which sprawl up a steep forested slope behind the stilted restaurant and bar, are very pleasant and comfortable.

17 Buhoma Lodge Tours

6. Engagi Lodge (Buhoma)

Terrace facing the mountains at Engagi Lodge Classy Engagi Lodge offers comfortable stilted cottages in forested grounds just outside Buhoma

Set on a forested slope a short distance outside Buhoma Gate, Engagi Lodge represents a great compromise between luxury and affordability. Made of stone, wood and thatch, the open-fronted dining area and lounge comes complete with fireplace and is decorated with some interesting historical prints. The eight stilted guest cottages all have secluded forest settings, solar-powered electricity and private terraces looking out into the canopy. In between formal activities, guests can wander down to the babbling Munyanga River to enjoy the plentiful birdlife and look for monkeys.

Engagi Lodge Tours

7. Kiho Gorilla Safari Lodge (Ruhija)

Suite at Kiho Gorilla Safari Lodge Kiho Gorilla Safari Lodge is a wonderful retreat in the heart of the forest just 7km/4mi from Ruhija

Ruhija is, in many ways, the most attractive of Bwindi’s four gorilla trekking hubs. It is the only one actually set within the park, rather than on the boundary, and it offers magnificent views across rolling forested hills to the volcanic outlines of the Virunga Mountains. For many years, nothing at Ruhija matched the most luxurious lodges at Buhoma, but that changed with the opening of the exclusive Kiho Gorilla Safari Lodge, only 7km/4mi from the Ruhija trekking trailhead. This modernistic lodge comprises 11 spacious cottages. All have a log fire, minibar, indoor and outdoor showers, jacuzzi tub and a sliding glass door leading out to a pergola-shaded balcony surrounded by bamboo forest. Amenities include a heated swimming pool and spa.

For bird-watchers, Ruhija is also a great base for doing the Mubwindi Trail, which leads to the swamp of the same name. This guided half-day walk offers the opportunity to view a number of rare species not easily seen elsewhere, including Grauer’s broadbill.

Kiho Tours

8. Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge (Nkuringo)

Suite at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge Stylish Clouds is probably the most luxurious lodge anywhere in or around Bwindi

Perched at 2,100m/6,890ft on a forested ridge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge is Uganda’s highest lodge. Fittingly, it comes across as an African version of a palatial Alpine ski chalet. The lodge has eight cozy guest cottages, each measuring 80m2/860ft2. Each cottage includes a king-size bed, a spacious lounge complete with plump sofas and roaring log fire, and a stylish modern bathroom. There’s no finer base for gorilla trekking in Bwindi’s remote southwestern Nkuringo sector.

On a clear day, the views toward the volcanic Virunga Mountains, with active Nyiragongo often glowing orange after dark, can be stunning. Luxurious touches include a personal butler, a pampering foot massage after your gorilla trek, and superb cuisine complemented by a selection of imported wines.

Clouds Tours

9. Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp (Buhoma)

Guests at Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp sitting around a fire The luxury tents at Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp are set on the jungled slopes of Bwindi

Combining the feel of an exclusive safari camp with a gorgeous rainforest setting, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp is one of the best luxury lodges in Bwindi. Each of the eight stylish standing tents comes with two queen-size beds, a modern bathroom and a private balcony. As with Buhoma Lodge, it lies inside the park, a few minutes’ walk from the gorilla trekking assembly point at the park headquarters. Wildlife viewing doesn’t stop when you get back to camp, either. Forest birds include the dazzling great blue turaco, monkeys pass through on a daily basis, and it’s not unheard of for gorillas to wander across the lawn.

Sanctuary Tours

10. Bwindi Lodge (Buhoma)

Suite at Bwindi Lodge Bwindi Lodge offers luxury accommodations with butler service in forested grounds outside Buhoma Gate

One of the smartest places to stay in the vicinity of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is Bwindi Lodge, which is run by the highly reputable Volcanoes Safaris. It stands just outside Buhoma Gate, in an area of regenerating forest that slopes down to the Munyaga River. Guests are accommodated in spacious and tastefully decorated cottages that come with private butlers and offer great forest views. The grounds incorporate a short walking trail where you are likely to see red-tailed monkey, black-and-white colobus and a variety of forest birds – indeed, gorillas also pass through on occasion!

Bwindi Lodge Tours