Bwindi Lodge

Bwindi Lodge features 8 newly renovated luxury bandas, offering spacious and airy quarters with a superbly appointed terrace overlooking the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with spectacular views. Each unit features an en-suite bathroom with double vanities and shower facilities with hot & cold running water. Each Banda comes fully furnished in the classic safari style, offering a wealth of complimentary amenities meant to elevate the guest experience. You can sleep easy in comfortable, king-sized 4-poster beds, with mosquito nets to keep any creepy-crawlies at bay.

Amenities Include:

• En-suite bathroom
• Balcony / deck
• Lounge area
• Mosquito nets
• Dressing gowns
• Electrical outlets
• Hairdryer
• Fireplace
• Safe
• Complimentary laundry service

Bwindi Lodge’s Deluxe Banda is the perfect option for honeymooning guests seeking an intimate and exclusive stay in Uganda’s prime wildlife hotspot. This eloquent and cosy unit is fully furnished, with all the creature comforts one would expect of a ‘deluxe’ unit of this kind, including a king-sized 4-poster bed with draped mosquito nets, an en-suite bathroom with double vanities and shower facilities with hot & cold running water, a sprawling lounge area with comfortable furniture and a lavish selection of complimentary amenities.

Amenities Include:

• En-suite bathroom
• Balcony / deck
• Lounge area
• Mosquito nets
• Dressing gowns
• Electrical outlets
• Hairdryer
• Fireplace
• Safe
• Complimentary laundry service

Bwindi Lodge features a creative blend of the culinary delights, comprising Ugandan and European dishes that are prepared freshly each day from locally grown ingredients, including the traditional “Luwombo” chicken wrapped in banana leaves. Guests can look forward to new canapés, exotic cocktails like the Passion Fruit Mojito and premium wines and whiskies. Three meals are served daily, with a lavish three-course meal for guests to enjoy in the evening. If you have any specific dietary requirements, be sure to inform the lodge in advance so the appropriate accommodations can be made.

Parched? Come and quench your thirst at the award-winning Bwindi Bar, situated on the high street of the nearby village, where informal local tapas are served in a wonderful garden overlooking the forest. Featuring a wide selection of locally sourced alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, from pints to piña colada’s and everything in-between. The bar provides a practical training institution for local disadvantaged youths living near the Bwindi National Park in Buhoma. Feel free to swing by at a time of your choosing and enjoy a refreshing beverage at your own discretion.

There are three gorilla families that can be easily tracked from Bwindi Lodge at the Buhoma Sector of the forest, just a 5-minutes’ walk from the lodge. Guests can also track three other gorilla families from the Ruhija sector, a 2-hours’ drive from the lodge. This thrilling and unique wildlife tracking experience will leave a lasting impression on any guests’ excursion in this adventure to find the true alphas of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forrest.

For an in-depth understanding of the behaviour and conservation of gorillas, guests have the opportunity to join a veterinary doctor from the Gorillas Doctors or by a researcher from the Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) organisation in Buhoma. Gorilla Doctors are dedicated to conserving wild mountain and eastern lowland gorillas through life-saving veterinary medicine and a One Health approach.

This exclusive experience allows a total group of 8 guests to track a gorilla group in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forrest on their own. This once in a lifetime experience facilitates a deeper connection with these fascinating animals, accompanied by their own private guide who offers a personal briefing before departure.

Both Uganda and Rwanda offer some of the finest bird watching on all the African continent, with a vast diversity of bird species. Uganda has over 1,000 unique avian species, with 150 indigenous to Uganda. Rwanda has over 700 species of bird and is home to the second highest number of Albertine endemics in the Albertine region. Each of our lodges offers the chance to see a number of different birds, with the vast majority endemic to the Region.

Tea processing tours are available to interested Volcanoes Safaris guests, demonstrating how tea is grown, picked, and traditionally processed in Uganda. The tour also shows how ‘black’, ‘green’ and ‘white’ teas are produced and differentiated. Guests are invited to sample the fine teas at the end of the tour whilst looking out over the impressive forest.

In 2013 the VSPT began simple tea processing in partnership with the local communities, at the Volcanoes Safaris Bwindi Lodge, which is located at the edge of the primordial Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, World Heritage Site, and home to the infamous Mountain Gorilla of Southwest Uganda. Tea has proven to be a very useful buffer crop when planted between forest areas with protected wildlife, and local human communities. Animals do not eat tea so feel no need to come out of the forest to “crop raid” which is the source of much human-wildlife conflict in areas around National Parks.

What better way to unwind following an exciting days’ jungle excursion than a rejuvenating array of sustainably sourced spa treatments and wellness therapies at Bwindi’s hallmark Humula Forest Spa. One complimentary 30-minute massage is offered per guest per stay. Wake up in the morning feeling revitalised and ready for the next days’ adventure. Extra massages are available at additional costs.

Bwindi Community Hospital is a beacon of hope to local communities. Walkable from Bwindi Lodge, guests are welcome to visit the hospital and learn about the daily challenges and successes of the institution and remarkable staff.

Established in 2009, The Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust (VSPT) is a non-profit organisation that connects Volcanoes’ Rwanda and Uganda luxury lodges to the neighbouring communities and conservation activities. The VSPT receives funding through Volcanoes Safaris, which contributes $100 from safari bookings, as well as private donations from Bwindi Lodge guests and other contributors.

The VSPT aims to create long-term, self-sustaining projects aimed at enriching and fostering the livelihoods of indigenous communities, promoting the conservation of the great apes, restoring natural habitats, and working with communities and institutions to reduce human-wildlife conflict. As part of their stay at Volcanoes Lodges, guests get an opportunity to visit VSPT projects and to share in the lives of local communities.

Bwindi Lodge’s namesake Bwindi Bar provides training in hospitality to local youths from disadvantaged backgrounds. This community employment initiative helps to provide brighter prospects for vulnerable youths who may otherwise, through lack of opportunity and local prosperity, could turn to crime and other illegal means of sourcing income. In acknowledgement of this, Bwindi Lodge won the PURE Community Engagement Award in 2016.

In 2018, Volcanos Safaris announced the launch of the Gahinga Batwa Village, a permanent village for one of the oldest surviving indigenous communities within the Central African Forest, the Mount Gahinga Batwa Community from Gahinga, Uganda. Known for their unique culture in the forests, the Batwa of the Virunga Mountains survived by hunting small game, gathering plants and fruits, living in caves, and constructing huts of leaves and branches.

When the Mgahinga part of the Virunga volcanoes in Uganda was turned into a national park in 1991, the Gahinga Batwa were forced to relocate, leaving their culture and homeland behind. This newly allocated village will allow the Gahinga to reconnect with their cultural identity and way of life without fear of reprisal or relocation.

The Kyambura Women’s Coffee Cooperative is a community-based initiative designed to provide vocational training to women and an alternative, but sustainable, source of income. Eleven local women and their families are actively involved in the cooperative. At least 30% of the group is HIV positive and many are widowed. These women tend to over 1,500 Arabica and Robusta coffee plants in 100-acres of rejuvenated VSPT land and process the coffee by hand at a communal processing plant. Members of the cooperative commit to growing the coffee organically, without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. In rural, historically patriarchal communities, opportunities for vulnerable women are often few and far between, especially for those who are widowed and are suffering from illness.

The VSPT strives to undo these perceived misconceptions and abolish the stigma surrounding vulnerable women and provide them with life changing opportunities while treating them with the respect they indeed deserve. The coffee is sold to Volcanoes Safaris and served in all of their luxury lodges. The coffee tours are also a popular tourism attraction for Volcanoes Safaris guests, who can see how African coffees are harvested and processed before sampling the ‘best cup of coffee in Uganda’. The coffee plantation also acts as a buffer zone between the protected area of the gorge and local farmlands, reducing animal / human conflict.

In June 2014, in partnership with the Kyambura Women’s Coffee Cooperative and the local community, the VSPT opened a non-profit training café. The café provides a practical training institution for local youths, both male and female, who are disadvantaged as a result of the loss of parents, HIV/AIDS, or physical or mental disabilities. The training not only aims to provide practical experience to create more career opportunities in the region, but also to improve access to services, medication, and healthcare, thereby reducing the risk of transmitting HIV through increased education, while providing training for a sustainable livelihood.

The VSPT plans to take on an additional ten interns on a quarterly basis for both theoretical and practical training. Volcanoes Safaris guests staying at Kyambura Gorge Lodge can enjoy an insightful coffee tour, followed by a hearty homemade brunch with freshly brewed coffee served at the café, or a delicious pizza from the wood-burning oven for tours in the afternoon.

The Kyambura Drama and Dance Group is comprised of 30 members, ranging from 12-50 years olds from disadvantaged families, from the Omumashaka Village, near Queen Elizabeth National Park in Southwest Uganda. Representing five local tribes, the group performs educational plays about conservation and HIV/AIDS awareness to the people of the local community once a month, as well as to Volcanoes Safaris guests staying at Kyambura Gorge Lodge. Led by the charismatic Robert, the group utilises the medium of dance to promote education and awareness of local issues, as well as providing a great show for guests at the Kyambura Gorge Lodge.

Opened in November 2010, the playground was built by members of the community on land purchased by the VSPT located near the Kyambura Gorge Lodge and Queen Elizabeth National Park in Southwest Uganda. The playground provides a safe environment for local children to play, highlighting the resilience and spirit of the local community who banded together in support of local youth.

The area is used for football, netball, and the local Kyenzaza Primary School’s fitness lessons. By supporting the local community, the VSPT aims to encourage the conservation of chimpanzees and other local wildlife. In March 2012, the VSPT sponsored uniforms for the Kyenzaza Men’s and Women’s Football Teams and Kyenzaza Primary School’s boys’ team. In return for these uniforms, the teams are being trained in how to maintain the ground on their own.

The Volcanos Safaris Partnership Trust (VSPT) has worked on purchasing the 3km long buffer along the northern part of the Kyambura Gorge since 2009. With the purchase completed at the end of 2018 and following the Kyambura Eco-Tourism Project launch event in February 2019, a 3-hour guided walk has been developed and is offered to guests to showcase the buffer created by the project, which consists of approximately 3000 newly planted indigenous trees, the scenic views over the Gorge, the Park and Kyambura reserve, and the chance to experience the local homesteads.

The Kyambura Gorge Eco-tourism Project was launched in February 2019. VS and VSPT have been working to safeguard the gorge ecosystem for over 10 years, and today are the largest single stakeholder in the gorge ecosystem after the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

In January 2012, the VSPT, in association with Malaika Honey, organised practical beekeeping training for local members of the Kyambura community. The course provided apiary management, care and harvesting information to fifteen members of the Omumashaka Beekeepers Co-Operative, who have been producing honey in Kyambura since 2006. The local farmers were taught the necessary skills to become commercial beekeepers through practical, theoretical, and on-site training, provided and funded by the VSPT.

The hives have been set up to create a fence surrounding farmers’ land, helping to deter elephants from raiding the crops and reducing human-wildlife conflict – as elephants detest bees. Sales of honey and fees paid by international visitors help make the project sustainable and increase the livelihood of local people.

The VSPT secured 45-acres of wetland south of the Volcanoes Safaris Kyambura Gorge Lodge. The wetland, which previously had been used as an illegal brick works, is now regenerating rapidly back to its natural state. The rejuvenated wetlands now attract over 200 species of birds, various mammals, and diverse primates, with the site being used to train members of the community in birding and guiding. This project has been a key success for the VSPT, particularly regarding its ecosystem conservation efforts given the number of species that have now repopulated the area, with new entities added to the spotters list daily.

Over 2000 indigenous trees have also been replanted, with the help of the community and of Volcanoes guests, along the banks of the Kyambura River. Due to human encroachment and habitat destruction over the past two decades, hundreds of trees along the riverbank were cut down, leading to soil erosion and water pollution. Community outreach and guide training take place throughout the year with the objective of establishing an assortment of qualified local guides who can lead tours of the wetland. Guests can participate in a 2-hour guided walk of the wetland.

The VSPT, in partnership with the Mvule Trust, constructed a tree nursery and conservation outreach programme in the Kyambura area, located near Kyambura Gorge Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Southwest Uganda. The tree nursery seeks to establish a large nursery of approximately 400,000 indigenous trees on VSPT land adjacent to the National Park. The young trees will be allocated to community members living in the National Park, planted within the VSPT 100-acre restoration area along the Kyambura Gorge.

With the help of the community and of Volcanoes guests, to date, approximately 3000 trees have been planted in the Kyambura Buffer area, and an additional 2000 planted in the Kyambura Wetland. The Kyambura area is one of the most densely populated communities neighbouring Queen Elizabeth National Park. Communities in this area have depleted most of their natural resources including trees, wetland, and clean waterways. The forestry team will lead educational programmes at local primary schools so that children may learn the importance of trees, the environment, and how to plant and care for trees from a very early age.