Kibale Tourist Safari Lodge

Set on five acres above the Bigodi Swamp, Kibale Tourist Safari Lodge sits along the Fort Portal–Kamwenge road, on the edge of Kibale National Park. The chimpanzee trekking office is ten minutes' drive away, and forest sounds carry to the terrace after dark. Eleven grass-thatched cottages make up the property, each with a private bathroom and balcony facing the swamp or forest. A twelfth room, attached to the family cottage, shares a bathroom. Five cottages convert to triple occupancy; the family cottage itself splits into two or three bedrooms, useful for groups travelling together. It is a small property. The restaurant and lounge stand in a raised timber and thatch building overlooking the swamp, where monkeys move through the trees near the tables at mealtimes. Meals run à la carte rather than buffet, cooked to order by a kitchen used to both Ugandan and international dishes. An open fire burns most evenings, and guides lead nature walks and night walks through the forest and swamp from the lodge grounds. Birding is a draw here: over 600 species have been recorded in the wider Kibale-Queen Elizabeth corridor, and the swamp below the lodge holds its own resident population. Community walks into nearby villages can be arranged, taking in farms, craft shops, and local schools. Wi-Fi reaches the dining area but not the rooms.