Mihingo Lodge

Mihingo Lodge sits on private land that shares a boundary with Lake Mburo National Park in western Uganda. The twelve tented rooms stand on wooden platforms and are spread well apart across the property — some among trees with a view of a waterhole, some looking out over the lake, some on rocky outcrops. Each room has a large veranda, a round bathroom, and a thatched roof; no two are placed identically, and each is set far enough from the others that you have the ground to yourself. The lodge runs entirely on solar electricity, including refrigeration, water pumping, and water heating.

The main area has an open dining room above the valley, a bar, a two-level tower, and an infinity pool positioned to overlook the waterhole where animals come to drink. A thatched massage room sits in the forest. About forty metres from the waterhole, a signposted hide lets you watch wildlife at close range without a vehicle.

Most evenings, thick-tailed galagos — nocturnal primates — come to a platform below the bar. The lodge has been running horse safaris inside the park since 2009, adjusting pace to the rider's ability. Other activities include walking safaris with armed Uganda Wildlife Authority guides inside the park, night game drives (one of the few parks in Uganda where these are permitted), boat trips on Lake Mburo for hippos, crocodiles, and water birds including the African finfoot, game drives, mountain bike hire, guided runs across community land, and a tennis court. A bush breakfast can be combined with a morning ride, walk, or bike safari.