10 Best-value Luxury Uganda Safari Lodges & Camps

By Philip Briggs

Uganda is one of Africa’s most underrated safari destinations. It is best known for its mountain gorillas, which can be tracked in Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks. Rather less publicized is the fact that Uganda’s biodiverse network of parks also offers excellent chimpanzee trekking and a decent chance of spotting all the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino). Other attractions include some of Africa’s most scenic mountains and lakes, and a checklist of 1,080 bird species. The country is also served by a diverse network of accommodations, including several world-class safari lodges.

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

1,410 Uganda Safaris

1. Mweya Safari Lodge (Queen Elizabeth NP)

Mweya Safari Lodge Enjoy fabulous wildlife viewing from the longest-serving lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park

One of Uganda’s oldest hotels, Mweya Safari Lodge boasts a commanding cliff-top position on the Mweya Peninsula, which overlooks the Kazinga Channel as it flows into Lake Edward. Because the channel is a magnet for thirsty buffalo and elephant herds, Mweya offers perhaps the most reliable in-house wildlife viewing of any Uganda safari lodge. There’s also plentiful birdlife in the gardens, and on a clear day, you can see the snowcapped peaks of the Rwenzori.

With 50 rooms and four luxury tented units, Mweya is not as intimate or exclusive as smaller Uganda safari camps, but its prime location ensures it remains a very popular choice for upmarket safaris.

15 Mweya Tours

2. Buhoma Lodge (Bwindi NP)

Stilted Buhoma Lodge blends into the jungle of Uganda’s premier gorilla trekking destination

Combining luxurious accommodations with a gorgeous jungle setting, Buhoma Lodge is one of the best places to stay in Uganda. Accommodations are in spacious, well-lit and airy stilted cottages that climb up a steep forested slope behind the atmospheric first-floor restaurant and bar. The lodge is the most convenient base from which to visit Uganda’s mountain gorillas, since it lies within 100m/330ft of the trekking assembly point at the Buhoma park headquarters of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Because Buhoma Lodge is set inside the park entrance gate, wildlife viewing doesn’t stop when you get back to your room. Sit on your balcony and you might well see a flock of dazzling great blue turacos or an oddball black-and-white-casqued hornbill flap past, while L’Hoest’s monkeys make mischief on the walkways. Indeed, it’s not unheard of for gorillas to wander onto the premises!

17 Buhoma Tours

3. Primate Lodge Kibale (Kibale NP)

Primate Lodge Kibale Ideally located for chimp trekking, Primate Lodge stands in a forest alive with birds and monkeys

Primate Lodge is one of the finest safari lodges in Uganda. It accommodates guests in luxurious stone and thatch cottages set in Kibale National Park, the country’s top chimpanzee trekking destination. The lodge is only five minutes’ walk from the main chimp trekking trailhead. Guest cottages are spaced out widely in an area of rainforest where you’re likely to see red-tailed monkey, black-and-white colobus and a wide variety of birds.

Primate Lodge Tours

4. Paraa Safari Lodge (Murchison Falls NP)

Paraa Safari Lodge Paraa is a hotel-in-the-bush style lodge set on the Nile river upstream of the mighty Murchison Falls

One of Uganda’s largest safari lodges, Paraa was built in 1959. It sits on a slope overlooking the north bank of the Nile as it flows through Murchison Falls, the country’s largest national park. The 54-room lodge has undergone many upgrades since then, but it still enjoys a wonderful location that is best appreciated from the large and inviting swimming pool. It has comfortable, well-equipped rooms and a restaurant decorated in colonial style. Logistically, Paraa is perfectly situated for boat trips to the base of Murchison Falls and game drives on the wildlife-rich Delta Circuit.

15 Paraa Tours

5. Mahogany Springs Lodge (Bwindi NP)

Mahogany Springs Lodge Mahogany Springs is a well-priced and popular base for gorilla trekking in Bwindi

Located about 1km/0.6mi from Bwindi’s Buhoma park headquarters, Mahogany Springs Lodge is one of the best luxury bases for visits to Uganda’s premier gorilla trekking destination. Although it lies outside the national park, it has a beautiful location on a well-wooded slope overlooking the babbling Munyanga River. The 12 spacious guest cottages have an attractive organic feel thanks to the banana-leaf ceilings, earthy color schemes and use of locally made handicrafts. All rooms have private wooden balconies facing a forest alive with birds.

23 Mahogany Springs Tours

6. Mihingo Lodge (Lake Mburo NP)

Mihingo Lodge Enjoy magnificent views over Lake Mburo National Park from this effortlessly stylish hilltop lodge

Situated in a private wilderness area bordering Lake Mburo National Park, Mihingo is an exclusive family-owned lodge that stands out for its ‘wow’ factor. A dozen luxury tented chalets are scattered across a forested hill, with its rocky summit offering wonderful views in all directions. There’s also a beautiful open-sided dining area and a swimming pool set between the boulders. This is unquestionably the most luxurious Uganda safari lodge servicing the national park. It has the added value of offering horseback and walking safaris, as well as night drives that come with a decent chance of spotting leopards.

18 Mihingo Tours

7. Apoka Safari Lodge (Kidepo NP)

Apoka Safari Lodge Apoka is one of Uganda’s most luxurious lodges despite its remote setting in the wilds of Kidepo

The top safari lodge in northeast Uganda, Apoka stands on a rocky ridge overlooking a waterhole in Kidepo Valley National Park. Accommodations are in super-spacious chalets with canvas walls and private terraces. There’s also a wonderful natural rock swimming pool, as well as a shady thatched dining area with a view over the plains. Best of all, Apoka is the perfect base for exploring a relatively remote and little-known park where elephants and buffalo are likely to be seen on a daily basis, and lion, leopard and cheetah are all possible.

Apoka Tours

8. Elephant Plains Lodge (Queen Elizabeth NP)

Elephant Plains Lodge Enjoy unbridled luxury and fine views from this modern hilltop lodge bordering Queen Elizabeth National Park

Elephant Plains is arguably the most luxurious lodge servicing the ever-popular Queen Elizabeth National Park. The location alone is unforgettable. The lodge stands on a small hill that offers spectacular views across a nearby crater lake to the swampy northwest shore of Lake George. Although it lies just outside the national park, you’ll often see elephants walking on the plains below, and you might hear lions or hyenas calling at night. Accommodations consist of massive, attractively decorated cottages with wide, comfortable balconies. Amenities include a lovely terrace restaurant and perfectly sited infinity swimming pool.

Elephant Plains Tours

9. Kyaninga Lodge (Fort Portal)

Kyaninga Lodge The epic timber architecture and amazing setting make Kyaninga one of Uganda’s best-loved lodges

This luxury owner-managed property on the outskirts of Fort Portal boasts the most impressive architecture of any Uganda safari lodge. Built almost entirely from wood and thatch, it consists of eight spacious cottages spaced widely along a stilted wooden walkway on the forested rim of Kyaninga Crater Lake. The view across the lake toward the Rwenzori Mountains is sensational. There’s some great walking and canoeing on the property, and it’s one of the best places to stay prior to chimpanzee trekking in nearby Kibale National Park.

Kyaninga Tours

10. Semliki Safari Lodge (Toro-Semliki WR)

Classy Semliki Safari Lodge is a great base for exploring one of Uganda’s most remote reserves

Semliki Safari Lodge is the perfect luxury destination for serious wildlife enthusiasts and birders looking for a rewarding off-the-beaten-track experience. It is the only lodge in the little-visited Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve and it stands in jungled tropical grounds. You are almost certain to see black-and-white colobus, red-tailed monkey and a varied selection of birds here.

Activities include boat trips to look for shoebills on Lake Albert, guided forest walks in search of semi-habituated chimpanzees, and visits to the birding nirvana that is nearby Semuliki National Park. Game drives offer your best chance anywhere in East Africa of glimpsing the critically endangered African forest elephant. Yet despite Toro-Semliki being readily accessible from Fort Portal on a well-maintained and spectacularly scenic road, you’re unlikely to see another visitor during your stay.

Semliki Tours