Our Accommodation in Uganda
Our accommodation while in Uganda was all booked as part of a package trip booked with Xavier’s Safari Memories. We felt it was easier to arrange everything through one contact person instead of booking it ourselves. The only ones we needed to book ourselves were for Kampala on the first night and Entebbe for the last night as they were not part of the package.
In general the accommodation was nice, the food was good, and the facilities were up to scratch. What we had booked could be considered as mid-level range, neither budget nor luxury, although both were available in some of the places we stayed.
If you’re looking for information on places to stay in Uganda then see the post below and hopefully you can find the information you are looking for.
1. Cassia Lodge, Kampala
Cassia Lodge is a beautiful setting looking over Lake Victoria and the capital city of Kampala. It is situated in one of the richer areas of the city. The accommodation block is overlooking the swimming pool and if you are on the upper floor level you will have some nice views from your balcony out over the scenery. The room is nice and spacious and provides mosquito nets over the bed and a comfortably sized toilet and shower.
The Room
The restaurant block is adjacent to the accommodation building and has the reception area on the ground floor and the bar and restaurant on the first floor. The restaurant has an outdoor seating area which is beautiful to sit on at evening time and listen to the sounds of frogs and look out over Lake Victoria.
The food in the restaurant is really good and we were very impressed by the menu and the quality of the food. A lot of locals will come to the restaurant at night for a romantic meal and it’s easy to see why. The restaurant also has an inside seating area if you don’t want to sit outside. The bar is nice and cozy if you wanted to relax in here for a while.
2. Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse, Kibale National Park
We spent two nights in this accommodation and we really enjoyed it. The grounds were really well maintained, with a tea plantation just to the front of the restaurant area, and a view overlooking the crater lake in the near distance. Sit here and relax and enjoy the sun setting off in the distance as you relax after your chimpanzee tracking experience that day.
The Villas
The thatched roof villas are all spaced out from each other giving a very private feeling to the area. You have a little covered balcony to sit on and if it’s raining its lovely to sit here and listen to the rain hitting the leaves of the banana trees.
The bedroom is comfortable, and the bathroom, while looking a little strange at first due to the full floor being of rounded stones, even in the shower, does the job.
The restaurant looks out over the tea plantations and is a set menu. You will get a choice of a few dishes to pick from, and to be fair they were all good. We had absolutely no complaints about the food here.
The grounds of the guesthouse are extremely well maintained and part of it is set aside for anyone who is camping instead of staying in villas.
3. Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park
What better way to experience the wildlife of Africa than to sit on your balcony and listen to the hippos making noise on the lake shore just below you, or to have the chance to have elephants walking past your front door. This accommodation provides just that opportunity!
The bush lodge eating area is out in the open, with fires and lamps lit at night, giving a real adventurous feel to the place. The food is again a set menu, but is of a really good quality. Sitting in the eating area at night with the fires burning and the sounds of the various animals around is an amazing experience.
The Lodge
The accommodation we stayed in was one of the villas, and it was top notch. The villa was large with a nice toilet, and a balcony you could sit on at night. The shower room was external and while this may take some people by surprise it adds to the experience. You will need to tell the staff when you are planning on having a shower as they need to manually add hot water to the tanks.
One other thing to note is that if you are moving around at night time then you need to inform the staff so they can send somebody with you in case you encounter one of the large wild animals which are prone to wandering into the lodge at night.
As well as the villas, the lodge also provides tented accommodation.
4. Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Kabale
As the sun goes down and the mist closes in on the mountains not too far away, you get a feeling of what it must have been like for Diane Fossey when she visited the mountain gorillas in this part of the world. The greenery of the jungle fills the hills that rise close by. Sitting beside the open fire in the night time you get the chance to revisit the memories of the day and listen to everybody else’s gorilla encounters along with telling them your own.
The Villas
The villas in Rushaga are large and well spaced out from each other. They have some stunning views from them, and a lovely balcony area to sit on. The bathroom and the toilet and shower are large and very sufficient. Our only issue with the accommodation was that the first night we had no hot water even though we were told there was. The staff moved us to a different villa the next night and it was fine then. Make sure and check the hot water if you are expecting it just to make sure you don’t end up having a cold shower!
The restaurant served a buffet type meal and this was excellent. There was soup and a variety of main courses to choose from. After the dinner you could sit on the veranda outside or take the short walk down to the open firepit to relax for the remainder of the evening. As the camp is up in the mountains it gets surprisingly cold here so the open firepit is a good option!
5. Bunyonyi Overland Resort, Kabale
Situated on the shore of Lake Bunyonyi this accommodation is mainly focused to what are termed as the ‘Overlanders’. This is the large trucks you may encounter on your journey around Uganda that carry a large number of backpackers and who are mostly on a camping trip pitching their own tents and cooking their own food. However it also has separate accommodation available in the form of villas for those not camping.
Problems at Bunyonyi
When we first checked into Bunyonyi we were brought to a pretty small and dark villa which we politely asked to be changed. It wasn’t what we had expected. We were given two choices, another larger villa, or a cave villa. This was a villa built to look like a cave. We choose this one as it was different. However, after we had settled in we noticed there was no power and no water. We were told this was a problem with the local supply and the generators would be turned on at 1800 in the evening.
We took a walk around the resort to pass the time but at 1815 there was still no power. After a lot of discussion with different people we were told our side of the camp would only get power and water after the kitchen had finished serving at 2230! Obviously this led to more frustration and complaining, and eventually we got our power and water!
The Cave House
The room itself was average, partly our own fault for expecting something amazing out of the cave room. But after an active trip we wanted just a place to rest ourselves. This resort is definitely more aimed at campers and Overlanders, and to be honest we wouldn’t really recommend it if you are looking for a nice place to stay and relax on your trip.
We had no complaints with the food or the restaurant however, these were really good with a large menu and some really good food. There was a masseuse located on the property too if you wanted a massage.
But unfortunately the standard of the villa, and the problem with the power and water took the joy from this accommodation. We also noticed that there was a terrible smell coming from the toilets and showers for the campers so again this was a negative for us.
We know that some people will say “but it’s Africa, you can’t expect luxury everywhere”, and we understand that. But if you are told that something is going to be provided and it’s not, or when you see that some places even more remote can manage to have power and hot water and this one can’t, then it creates a problem.
6. Pineapple Guest House, Entebbe
On our last night before leaving Uganda we checked into this accommodation in the town of Entebbe. With a colonial decoration and a homely feeling it was a nice place to spend our last night in this beautiful country.
On arrival we were greeted by the hostess and shown to our room. It was an average size, as expected in a house, but had tea, coffee, and fruit provided for us. We had asked if the restaurant was open and as it was after 2000 when we arrived we were told no. But to be fair they brought us some bread and butter which was a nice gesture from them.
The guesthouse felt like it was lived in by the owners with some nice decoration. Especially on the first floor landing level and the sitting room. It felt homely and welcoming.
The breakfast in the morning was simple but nice. The property has a swimming pool, which we didn’t get a chance to take advantage of unfortunately. All in all, the guesthouse was a nice way to end our time in Uganda.
Conclusion
In general the accommodation was nice; there were a little minor issues in some but these we got over. They all had hot water available which was good and to be honest not to be expected in the wilds of Africa. The food was decent in all and if you wanted a beer to help you relax after your day it was possible to get one.
Of course there were many more places available to choose from, but hopefully the above list will help in your decisions when you are booking accommodation in Uganda, either by yourself or through a tour company.