Primate Lodge

Rooms

All the cottages have a homely feel, with large windows, comfortable beds and African-style decor, including local stone, bamboo and paintings. Each cottage has a private veranda and en suite bathroom with a flush toilet and hot water at certain times of the day. The rooms are spaced apart, ensuring privacy and uninterrupted views of the surrounding forest.

Location

The lodge is situated in Kibale Forest National Park, 36 kilometers from the town of Fort Portal and a two-minute walk from the park headquarters. Spanning 560 square kilometers, the forest is home to 13 different species of primate, including more than 1,000 chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, gray-cheeked mangabeys and bush babies. There are also around 325 bird species, as well as buffalo and forest elephant.

Food and drink

Meals are served in the spacious main dining room, consisting of both international and traditional African dishes. There’s also a bar located adjacent to the restaurant where you can enjoy a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, including coffee, while taking in views of the surrounding forest.

Facilities and activities

Free Wi-Fi is available in the public areas. The lodge has a fire cave where you can keep warm during cooler evenings while listening to the calls of forest animals. Cultural dances are regularly performed by locals from nearby rural villages, giving you a flavor of the area’s rich culture and traditions.

Environmental and social responsibility

To minimize its environmental impact, the lodge has been constructed using local materials and is powered by solar energy. The local community also benefits from the lodge, with many employed here and locally-grown products used in food served in the restaurant. Villagers also provide hand-made arts and crafts and engage in cultural performances at the lodge to gain an additional income.

Local excursions

A variety of forest experiences can be enjoyed with the guidance of knowledgeable rangers, including chimp tracking, educational forest walks, birdwatching trips and night walks in search of nocturnal animals. The nearby village of Bigodi gains revenue from offering Bigodi Swamp walks and village walks to learn more about the local culture.

En route from Fort Portal to the forest is the Crater Lakes region, where you can enjoy wonderful scenery, hike around Lake Nkuruba or visit Mahoma Falls, meeting local people as you go. The forest is also surrounded by green tea plantations, so you can visit tea estates to see how it is grown and processed and try some at the end.