Extraordinary Africa>Uganda>Queen Elizabeth National Park>Kyambura Gorge Lodge
This charming old coffee store, has been converted into one of Queen Elizabeth’s loveliest lodges, with a gentle, laid-back feel and a great location for chimp trekking in the nearby gorge.
What’s Kyambura Gorge Lodge really like?
Kyambura’s main building was the original coffee store and is now a lovely large airy dining and sitting room, with a shady verandah in front and a beautifully manicured lawn below. The overall feel is incredibly civilised, but don’t be fooled- when you go to bed a night a guard will walk with you in case you meet any wandering ellies and buffalo along the way. Away from here are eight large rooms looking out over the bush with a comfortable bedroom and ensuite bathroom. The latest additions to Kyambura are four deluxe bandas, which also have sitting rooms and private terraces. Nearby, the main house there’s a salt-water swimming pool where you can soak away the dust on a hot afternoon. It’s important to be aware, that as with many lodges in Uganda, Kyambura is part of the local community- when we stayed we could hear the call of the mosque, and drumming practice from the nearby village.
What can I do at Kyambura Gorge Lodge?
You’re reasonably far from the main game drive areas of Queen Elizabeth National Park, so unless you head out for a full day game drive, we think this is based used for exploring the area around the lodge. Aside from chimpanzee trekking in the gorge, you can also take nature walks with the lodge guides to try to spot black and white colobus monkeys, or visit one of the many amazing community projects that the lodge is involved with. You can visit the ladies processing locally grown coffee, or the hives for the excellent honey that’s served in the lodge. And if the Ugandan roads have battered you into submission, Kyambura can also arrange massages.
Giving back at Kyambura Gorge Lodge:
The company behind the lodge have a serious commitment to eco-tourism, but protecting the people and the land in this fragile area, they look after the chimps too. Projects include tree-planting and helping to create a protective buffer around the gorge, supporting a community café for training and job creation (you can visit during your stay), helping re-roof houses in the local village and using bees to help deter elephants from crop-raiding.
Want to know more? We’ve stayed here, so just
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