In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Volcanoes Safaris will begin construction of its fifth lodge next year, with a targeted opening date of Q4 2023. The lodge will be located near Kibale National Park, home to about 1 500 chimpanzees.
It joins three other properties in Uganda operated by Volcanoes Safaris: Mount Gahinga Lodge at Mgahinga National Park, Bwindi Lodge bordering Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and Kyambura Gorge Lodge overlooking Queen Elizabeth National Park. The company also operates Virunga Lodge in Rwanda.
Volcanoes Safaris founder, Praveen Moman, said the lodge would likely comprise deluxe rooms and a villa.
“For the moment we are at the concept stage of the new property, assessing the site, understanding its weather patterns and getting the feel of the design and build options so it should fit in a seamless way as if it always existed and just grew out of the earth.”
The 60ha site is dominated by a rocky outcrop from where there are views of the Queen Elizabeth plains and the Kazinga channel. The ridge also faces the snow-covered peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains (Mountains of the Moon) towards the west.
The site is an hour’s drive from Fort Portal and an hour from the Kasese airstrip, from which there are daily flights to and from Entebbe.
Volcanoes Safaris has been a pioneer of gorilla and chimpanzee eco-tourism in Uganda and Rwanda since 1997. The new lodge will be just 30 minutes from the chimpanzee tracking base in the Kibale Forest and will facilitate chimpanzee trekking experiences, according to Moman. Other activities available will include walking safaris and visits to community projects.
Moman said the lodge would be an appealing option for the loyal customer base Volcanoes has built over the past 25 years, attracting travellers from key source markets such as the US, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.
