The best accommodations West

Just a stone's throw from the golf course, the premises, restored a few years ago, house seventeen clean, comfortable rooms equipped with everything you need: minibar, bathroom, television, air-conditioning, safe, cosy bed... In addition, they have a large mirror that allows you to sit down and readjust your heart's eye catchers as best you can before dinner (usually good) taken on the terrace by the swimming pool. With its relaxation area (sauna) and quietness, the Fort Motel, opened in 2006, is an ideal place for a green setting.

The Dutchess is not only the best table in Fort Portal. It is also a charming hotel with five rooms: three colourful, comfortable and fully equipped "luxury" rooms, one "semi-luxury" room with a "small corner" but sharing the shower with the single room (which has no WC). The Dutchess is owned by two friendly Dutchmen, Michel and Heleen, as indicated by the hoof-shaped key rings, the tulip-shaped toilet seats and the windmills lining the walls of the bathrooms. A nice address!

Situated above the lake of the same name, which is accessed by a steep path popular with colobus, this establishment is an excellent base for budget travellers wishing to explore the surrounding area. The Lakeside Cottage at the bottom of the crater is quiet and pleasant. Boat rental (10,000 Ush) for rowing on the sylvan lake waters. Many activities are offered by the staff to discover this beautiful area.

Situated just a stone's throw from the mosque, this hotel offers 29 fully equipped rooms (bathroom, mosquito net, fan or air conditioning, television...), clean if not shimmering, distributed around a central courtyard. Restaurant, bar, wifi and parking. Cordial staff able to direct you to the picturesque places and tourist sites surrounding Kasese. All in all, an address to consider if you want to tackle the slopes of Rwenzori or take a swim in the local hot springs...

Almost on the equator, close to the Bwera road and the cotton fields, the Marafiki has four colourful dormitories, with mosquito net beds, and safari tents,mounted on wooden platforms and designed with local materials. These tents have open-air showers with pebbled interior walls. Also of note: the pleasant communal dining room and the panoramic swimming pool. Sale of organic Arabica coffee produced on the slopes of Rwenzori. A good address.

The Elephant Plains Lodge, a luxurious counterpart to the nearby Simba Safari Camp owned by the same company, opened its doors at the end of 2018. Perched at an altitude of nearly 1,000 metres, it offers a sublime panorama of Lake George and the savannah expanses of the park. You will be able to enjoy the view from the pool, from the pretty and spacious cottages,each with a terrace, and from the common rooms (lounge, restaurant...) decorated with great care (sofas and armchairs in basketry, wooden works of art...). Good reception.

This beautiful establishment is run by a Dutch woman from Utrecht, Ineke. The pleasant rooms have a veranda where you can relax to the sound of birds chirping in the garden. The cows grazing in the adjoining meadow can be observed from the small wooden chalet, with its sober but engaging interior, intended for Robinsons d'un soir. The convivial common room serves as a restaurant and brings together the commensals around very good dishes.

John Tinka, founder of KAFRED, invites immersion-loving travellers to immerse themselves in the daily life of his household. Living the Ugandan way of life by tending the vegetable garden, preparing meals with family members and sharing the (tasty) meal with your hosts: it's possible at John's house! In a friendly atmosphere, you will be able to chat with young and old alike to learn all about Bigodi and how to prepare the famous rolex. The property, with its own rooms, is located a stone's throw from the KAFRED offices.

Not far from the village of Ibanda, there is a nice community project chaperoned by a nice team. In addition to its excellent location, just a stone's throw from the national park, the warm welcome of the staff and the spectacular views of the massif, Ruboni Community Camp has clean and functional rooms. The expansion of the parking lot and the land allotted to campers was in the pipeline during our visit. Independent travelers will be able to reach this verdant site by boda (20,000 to 30,000 Ush) or special hire (60,000 to 70,000 Ush) from Kasese.

The Mountains of the Moon, adjacent to the Botanical Garden, offers comfortable rooms. The soft green lawn is open to the view of guests sitting on the covered terrace. If the chirping of the chicks is not enough to relax them completely, they can relax further in the hotel's sauna, steam room or swimming pool. The more tense ones will even treat themselves to a massage or a cocktail in the lounge bar... A good address.

Quietly, this very pleasant lodge is nestled between sylve(next door!), swamps and farmland. The comfortable cottages,equipped with a balcony where a hammock hangs, are a real success. Under a natural fibre roof, there is a cosy lounge with a corner fireplace, a restaurant and a panoramic lounge with breathtaking views of the Rwenzori and the Kibale forest. The swimming pool and its surroundings are not pricked by cockchafers either! Inaugurated in May 2019, the Turaco Treetops is accessible from the town of Nkingo, split by the national highway.

Located on the shores of Lake George, this lodge is ideal for those seeking tranquility. The cottages are pleasant and well-equipped. The lounge, whose materials have been tastefully chosen, is a real success. From the lounge, you can see the fishermen's pirogues beyond the swimming pool and the grandfather's house. An address of excellent craftsmanship. The track leading to the lodge is easily spotted from the main road, about 15 kilometres south of Kasese.

An unpretentious downtown guesthouse to help out. The rooms are fine but can sometimes be noisy. The restaurant offers Ugandan culinary specialties: matooke, posho, kalo. The White House, which has never seen a US president pass by, has an internet café (rather slow connection; 1,500 Ush/hour). The location of this establishment should delight independent, non-vehicle travellers since the Link bus company's terminal and a boda-boda station are just a few steps away.

Located in the district of Boma, the YES Hostel is installed on the grounds of the eponymous Christian NGO. The money generated by the hostel is entirely donated to the organization that helps orphans. The dormitories and the two rooms share common sanitary facilities. Dishes can be ordered and eaten under the shelter built in the garden or in the common room with a table tennis table, board games, a small bookshop and some puzzles.

Twelve kilometres from Kasese (accessible by boda-boda for a few thousand Ugandan shillings), close to the mining barracks of Kilembe, this structure is the base camp of Rwenzori Trekking Services, so it is here that you will sleep before or after your crazy ascent if you go through this agency. The rooms, which share communal sanitary facilities, are basic but clean. Possibility to eat on the spot(steaks, vegetables, pasta...). Office of the above mentioned agency in the premises of this backpackers.

Excellent welcome and panoramic view of Lake Nyabikere ("frog lake") - frequented by fishermen and their traditional boats, pelicans and even two hippos - will be there if you stay at the Bushpig, which opened in December 2019 on the site previously owned by the CVK Resort. Located on the road leading from Fort Portal to the Kibale Forest, the resort has basic, clean, mosquito netted rooms and a small campground with a barbecue.

A good address for those who want to relax without ruin, this hotel offers a few pleasant rooms as well as small cottages in a lush garden. There is a good kitchen and the staff is warm.

Situated on the edge of the park, close to the national road and Kyambura Gorge, this sister establishment to the Kingfisher Safaris Resort in Jinja has twenty-four round thatched cottages. The whole complex is friendly, but the cottages are unfortunately crowded on top of each other. There is also a small swimming pool, a pleasant garden and a beautiful view of the Rift Valley. Camping is possible. Souvenir shop.