Primate Lodge

Nestled in the heart of Kibale National Park, Primate Lodge is one of the very best lodges in Uganda in which to be based if your focus is tracking chimpanzees. The lodge is actually set in the forest and is so well placed that you may be lucky enough to wake up to find a chimpanzee on your verandah.

Primate Lodge - The Details

Primate Lodge has a total of seventeen rooms, but you would be forgiven for having no idea on arrival. The lodge is right in the heart of the forest and in an effort to keep the lodge as natural as possible, each room is built in just a small clearing with the forest naturally growing around it. This gives each of the rooms an unrivalled sense of privacy, all having their own small access path through the trees snaking from the main path around the perimeter.

There are two room types here - nine Luxury Cottages and seven Forest Cottages. Whilst the Forest Cottages are fine, the Luxury ones are what we would recommend. Vey spacious and very private each has a good size en-suite, large and comfortable bed and a small outside veranda.

The main area has a welcoming and friendly atmosphere, dinner is served on the terrace and the food is tasty and hearty - perfect after a day of chimpanzee trekking.

Although there are numerous areas in Uganda where you can trek with chimps, Kibale is by far the best and has the best opportunity for photographers.

The trekking itself mimics a gorilla trek in that you meet at the park's headquarters before embarking on a trek through the forest, however the apes could not be any further apart. Whilst the gorillas are normally very relaxed and spend their time feeding in the same area, the chimps are more mobile and energetic. A sunny day will see the chimps sunning themselves on the upper branches of the trees whilst over cast days will see them far more mobile, swinging from branch to branch and often coming onto the forest floor where their energetic and lively antics are a marvel to watch.

For wildlife enthusiasts, a trip to the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary is also a great way to spend an afternoon. Home to over one-hundred and thirty species of bird as well as other members of the primate family, it is a fantastic afternoon excursion which will also demonstrate how vital a community-based approach to natural resources can benefit not only the tourism industry, but the wildlife it relies upon.