Buhoma Lodge

The chalets at Buhoma Lodge are nestled amongst the towering trees of the forest. Made out of naturally occurring materials, the chalets have a feel of nature to them, with polished wooden floors, exposed wooden beams and wooden furniture throughout. In the centre sits a large bed, covered in crisp bed linen and cosy cushions. All chalets come with their own ensuite bathroom, which include a feature stone wall and walk in shower, as well as a deep clawfoot bathtub. From the private balconies guests can spend their evenings gazing over the mist shrouded Bwindi Forest and breathe in the fresh scent of the damp forest. Bedrooms come in twin or double configurations.

Meals are eaten in the open air dining area of Buhoma Lodge. This affords guests unparalleled views across the luscious treetops as they dine, for a dining experience like no other. All meals are freshly prepared with local flavours and ingredients, and are created by talented chefs. Before or after dinner guests can grab a drink from the bar, which offers a range of imported and local drinks, and can relax round the warm crackling fireplace.

Make your way through the forest and try to find the mountain gorillas of Bwindi. Each walk is unique as the gorillas move through the forest, but once they have been spotted guests can spend an hour in the presence of these majestic gorillas.

Explore the diverse and luscious Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with a knowledgeable and friendly guide. Immerse yourself in the sights, smells and sounds of this wonder of nature and follow trails and tracks to find the hidden beauties of the forest. Also available are bird watching walks where your guide will be able to point out hidden bird nests and identify the different songs of some of the native species of bird.

For guests who wish to know more about their surroundings then there are various opportunities to engage with the local communities. Guests can go on a guided walk through the local village where they can buy some authentic souvenirs, they can visit the Batwa Pygmy drive, or visit the local school to learn about the local cultures. If guests wish to, they can visit the Bwindi Community Hospital which is part of the lodge’s social responsibility.

Spa treatments are available to guests who wish to relax, rejuvenate and refresh while staying at Buhoma Lodge. A complimentary massage can be arranged for overnight guests, and any additional stress-relieving massages can always be arranged.

Buhoma Lodge believes in a low impact tourism model, especially in regards to the wildlife of Uganda and the heritage of the country. All activities and tours are set up to be as least invasive as possible, both to the local communities and to the wildlife. The lodge also operates eco-friendly initiatives, to ensure their impact on the environment is as small as possible.

The Future Generations Trust is funded by both Wild Frontiers and Exclusive Camps and Lodges Uganda. “Each person and bed night” at Buhoma Lodge contributes towards the trusts’ income and they have various goals which they wish to achieve through this trust. One such goal is to reduce human/wildlife conflict which arises when people have to share their land, and farm land with wild animals, they are helping to reduce this by creating “a new generation of conservationists.”

Community support is also another big part of the trust and they have an emphasis on supporting and promoting sustainable projects and programmes to the communities surrounding the lodge. Staff volunteer programmes are encouraged “to assist local communities and younger generation educational projects.” Finally, The Future Generations Trust helps to ensure that Buhoma’s Lodge’s impact on the environment is as ethical as possible as well as being “environmentally friendly and sustainable.”

The running and operations of Buhoma’s Lodge and Exclusive Camps and Lodges Uganda are managed by an almost exclusively Ugandan staff. All staff also belong to industry and trade associations, making sure their workers and employment rights are protected. Whenever new staff members are needed the local community is always the first port of call.

Ishasha Wilderness Camp – another camp which is part of Exclusive Camps and Lodges Uganda – provides assistance to their local community uplift group, and sells the hand crafted products at the camp, providing an income for the crafters. Also supported by Exclusive Camps and Lodges Uganda is the Bwindi Hospital in Buhoma, they support the hospital with annual donations since they believe the hospital “plays a big part in supporting this large and scattered community.” Similarly, ‘Ride for a Women in Buhoma’ is a charity which is supported by the Future Generations Trust due to its aim of empowering women in the local area who struggle with domestic violence, poverty and HIV.

The Trust buys, uses and sells the womens locally made and hand crafted products, and taking guests of Exclusive Camps and Lodges Uganda to see these projects. The heritage of the area is also supported by The Future Generations Trust, by encouraging guests of their camps to visit the Batwa Trail in Bwindi, this trail was “created by the displaced Batwa pygmies to educate their children and to share their amazing heritage and traditions with the world.” This project is also self-sufficient for the Batwa people, making it sustainable and shining light on their culture through their own autonomy.

The Future Generations Trust actively supports and encourages others to support the ‘Uganda Conservation Foundation’. This organisation is involved in many projects around Uganda which helps to conserve and protect the local wildlife, such as anti-poaching activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park and Murchison Falls National Park as well as supporting specific projects such as the ‘Elephant trench’ which is close by Ishasha Wilderness Camp. The Trust is also a stakeholder in the ‘Lion Alliance’ which works in Queen Elizabeth National Park to help “recover the lion population” and to address “lion-human wildlife conflict” and work to reduce this.

The Trust has also become involved in an organisation called ‘Wildlife Clubs of Uganda’ which was started in 1975, and aims to protect wildlife and conservation by educating youth and engaging them, to help them “realise the importance of Uganda’s wildlife.” The Future Generations Trust has wildlife clubs at Paraa Primary School in Murchison Falls National Park, Zendaiere Primary School which is adjacent to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Watoto Primary School which is adjacent to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

Buhoma Lodge strives to be as environmentally friendly as possible, and aims to leave as small an ecological footprint as possible. The lodge was constructed from local materials, with designs that are conscious of their surroundings not requiring “huge foundations and thick brick walls.” When designing and building the camp local products such as the “bed spreads, local furniture, matting, baskets and local art” are found, thus helping local industries and communities as well as keeping their footprint low. There is also an emphasis on Ugandan products for the dry goods the camps use, such as coffee, sugar, flour and honey – with the camps avoiding “using products of manufacturing companies known to not be using sustainable production methods.”

Buhoma Lodge are part of a so-called “War on Waste”, to reduce their waste from their operations they are constantly innovating and searching for the “best available practices to actively minimise the amount of waste” they produce. Currently, they utilise recycling, repairing and all their waste disposal systems are “designed and implemented in line with Ugandan environmental laws.”

The water heating is done with “energy efficient burners” which don’t use trees or any supplies from within the protected National Park areas, and guests are encouraged to reuse their towels and to not have fresh linen every day as a way to save on the camp’s water usage. The water supply is mainly “rainfall and gravity fed” to utilise the natural resources around them. Also utilising the natural resources are the solar panels which harness the sun light and convert it to energy, used for lighting and part of their power supply.