The lodge has eight double rooms that allow for total comfort. Guests are also accommodated in large canvas tents with permanent thatched roofs. The tents have en-suite bathrooms with running water and private verandas with a breathtaking view. Sofas are piled with cushions, with ample lounging spaces. The lodge�s resident chef offers a creative mix referred to as the �Best food in Uganda�. Everything is homemade, from the fresh bread to the soups. The lodge employees are from the surrounding communities.
Semilik Safari Lodge offers guests interesting activities like chimpanzee trekking, guided walks and hiking, jungle walks fishing, bird-watching, spot lit night drives, game drives and visits to local communities. The lodge is working closely with the Indiana State University of the US in primate research projects. The cost for double rooms for foreign non-residents is US $296 and for East African Nationals US $218.
The mystery of Kabale
Bunyonyi Safari Resort (BSR), located deep in the highlands of Kabale District, southwestern Uganda, is a secret yet to be discovered. Located on the shores of Lake Bunyonyi, this unique tranquil place has spacious, self-contained and spacious cottages right at the waterfront. Guests can tour the numerous islands on the lake by motorboat. �Bunyonyi� means �little birds� and, indeed, at BSR guests are woken up every morning by the chirping of numerous birds. Some of the areas across the lake are famous rare bird species. Lake Bunyonyi is about 900m deep and it winds around numerous hills, creating islands. It has signs of volcanicity and mystery still surrounds its formation. It is a bilharzias-free lake and therefore safe for swimming. The area is also mosquito-free.
BSR have a pad out in the water for guests to sunbathe ands swim in private. Form there or the balcony, one can occasionally view the elusive water birds, the otters, as well as the surrounding hills. Guides will take guests round and give them the historical and cultural backgrounds of some of the islands. Visitors can also meet the pygmy tribes. In the evenings, one can enjoy a barbeque dinner with a campfire by the lakeside.
Lake Bunyonyi is one of the places in Uganda where guests can get clay fish, BSR�s specialty. The cuisine is mostly African but the chef is well versed in all continental dishes. Self-catering is also allowed at a minimal cost for small groups. Bunyonyi Safari Resort extends from the cottages to a small hilltop overlooking the lake. From this vantage point, the view of the Lake Bunyonyi, its surrounding islands against a backdrop of the volcanoes of Muhavura is splendid. The hall on this hilltop is furnished with a bar, a pool table, darts and other games. It is ideal for conferences and parties. The surrounding gardens are well manicured and beautiful.
BSR is offering special full board rates this season of US $40 per person per day. Visitors should look out for BSR�s new introductory package of US $110 per person for a two-night weekend that includes accommodation, meals and transport to and from Kampala, and lake tours. The minimum number of this tour is 12 people sharing in doubles. This tour can be combined with gorilla trekking in Bwindi or a visit to Lake Mburo National Park or Queen Elizabeth National Park at an added cost.
Hotel industry comes of age
The Uganda hospitality industry has evolved rapidly into a dynamic institution that places the interest of the client above all else. A visit to Uganda may be marked by stops in the following regions represented by a number of towns: Jinja, Mukono, Kampala, Entebbe, and towns within the refreshing tour circuit of western, north-western and north-eastern Uganda. In all these regions and towns, the hotels meet international standards and offer value for money.
Kampala, Entebbe and Mukono
Central Uganda boasts the country�s top hotels, with Kampala having hosted major international and regional conferences. Kampala has a variety of hotels that cater for different categories of tourists.
Colline Hotel
Colline Hotel is an old establishment in Mukono about 15 kilometres east of Kampala. The three-star hotel boasts a town-countryside tropical setting. It is an hour�s drive from Entebbe International Airport through Kampala along Jinja road. The hotel has more than 100 self-contained rooms, with 24-hour room service, DStv and direct telephone communication. It caters for transit tourists heading to and from Kampala.
Mukono�s unique setting in an area with bird life is reinforced by its high service standards. Colline offers guests unhindered access to all facilities such as the steam bath and health club. With a large garden, swimming pool and well-equipped health centre, Colline Hotel is another home away from home.
The hotel has two restaurants, Maxims and Kob, serving continental, international, oriental and local cuisine. It has three bars fully stocked with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The hotel has a launders residents� linen. Cultural troupes perform there regularly, keeping the guests fully entertained.
Hotel Africana
Hotel Africana overlooks the beautiful Uganda Golf Club�s par 72 Kitante course. The hotel is 40 minute drive from Entebbe and a mere three-minute drive to the city centre. It has 115 rooms compromising five suites, 23 deluxe rooms and 87 twin-bedrooms. The rooms are elaborately furnished to meet client needs. They are individually air-conditioned, have private baths and showers, telephones, multi-channel TV, radio and fridges. For children under three years, accommodation is free of charge while those between three and 12 pay half the rate of a single room. There are also rooms with connecting doors for families, and there is a large swimming pool.
Hotel Africana has a well-designed purpose-built, air-conditioned conference and banquet rooms, complete with modern audio-visual facilities, to cater for any function. Due to its location, the hotel offers a suitable venue for workshops of 10 to 250 people and outdoor functions of up to 1,000 people. The conference rooms are equipped with a high-speed wireless Internet connection.
Holiday Express Hotel
Located in the heart of Kampala at the junction of Luwum and Dastur Streets, Holiday Express Hotel allows business tourists to access vital services such as foreign exchange, downtown shopping and transport in and out of Kampala. The facilities are designed to meet regional and international standards. All the 42 rooms are soundproofed to allow maximum comfort. This eliminates the CBD-related cacophony. The hotel has a special rate for East African nationals. All the rooms are fitted with TV with more than 10 channels and a spacious study area. Holiday Express has hosted business tourists from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and Congo.
Hotel Equatoria
Hotel Equatoria is part of the Imperial Group of Hotels chain � Grand Imperial, Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel, Imperial Resort Beach and Hotel Equatorial. It is located in Kampala�s central business district, about 40 kilometres from Entebbe International Airport. Its strategic location provides an ideal environment for conferences, meetings, workshops, parties, recreation and rest. Hotel Equatoria has features that supplement its quality of service. Recently the hotel added 30 more shops to meet the shopping needs of the guests. Hotel Equatoria has one of the biggest shopping malls in the country and 89 air-conditioned rooms, 24 of which are executive class, with satellite television and in-house movies. Security is guaranteed as an electronic key card system is used. The executive rooms have a sitting area complete with speed special satellite Internet connections, mini-bars and direct dialing telephone services.
Grand Imperial Hotel
The Grand Imperial Hotel is one of the first hotels in Uganda built in the colonial era. It is the only hotel that has been used by every governor of the colonial era. The 103 rooms, including suites, reflect the urban elegance and easy southern charm of the city. The hotel, part of the Imperial Group of Hotels, is centrally located in Kampala, and is just a 30 minute drive from Entebbe International Airport. All the rooms have high-speed Internet connection, electronic safes and mini-bars and direct dialing telephone services. The hotel has a swimming pool, saunas and Jacuzzi, massage rooms, steam and spa baths, a shopping mall and a large secure car park. It also offers free personalized airport service, forex bureau and doctors on call 24 hours.
Imperial Resort Beach Hotel
The five-star Imperial Resort Beach Hotel is situated in Entebbe on 27 acres of landscaped gardens on the shores of Lake Victoria. It is only a seven-minute drive from Entebbe International Airport, and a 30 minute drive to Kampala. The hotel is the finest convention centre in Uganda and a global landmark, offering technologically advanced conference facilities overlooking the lake.
With 191 rooms on six floors, extensive conference and banquet facilities and restaurants and bars, it is an ideal venue for meetings. A modern amphitheatre, 1 km private beach stretch along Lake Victoria, swimming pool and health club are just some of the delights.
Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel
The Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel has hosted a number of key conferences, including a summit of African leaders and former American President, Bill Clinton. It has modern well-equipped conference facilities, high-speed internet connection in all rooms, electronic safes and mini-bars, direct dialing telephone service, swimming pool, saunas and Jacuzzi, large secure car parking, free personalized airport service and a doctor on a 24-hour call.
Speke Resort Country Lodge
Speke Resort and Country Lodge is a luxurious resort on the shores of Lake Victoria in Munyonyo, 12km from Kampala. This resort is spread over 50 acres of pristine land. It hosts leisure travelers, business and executive groups, weddings and other special travelers, business and executive groups, weddings and other special events. It is the epitome of an ultimate resort in the Great Lakes region. The emphasis is on exclusivity and comfort, with the d�cor incorporating ethnic design elements from various African communities.
The resort extends for over 400 metres along the shores of Lake Victoria. Landscaped gardens with indigenous plants and trees attract colorful birds and butterflies. Wide and well-lit pathways link the cottages, apartments and public areas. It includes 10 self-contained cottages, 20 serviced studio rooms, 11 one-bedroom apartments and 24 two-bedroom apartments with the latest amenities such as telephones, internet access and satellite TV. It has a large swimming pool, a restaurant, grocery, bar and an equestrian centre with 29 thoroughbred horses. There is a jetty where guests can hire speedboats
Mweya Safari Lodge
Mweya safari lodge is located on a peninsula in the heart of the Queen Elizabeth National Park. It offers sumptuous meals and luxurious accommodation and there are amazing views from every room, an abundance of game and birds. Easily accessible by air and road, Mweya Safari Lodge is the perfect place to start a refreshing experienced of Uganda.
Paraa Safari Lodge
Built in the early 1950s, Paraa offers visitors the dramatic Murchison Falls and a large variety of bird and animal species. Winston Churchill walked the 85 kilometres from Masindi to view the falls. Paraa is sandwiched by Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert in north-western Uganda and Murchison National Park. During Uganda�s political turmoil, the lodge collapsed but today the story is different. Guests can access it from Kampala by road or air.
Reference: Makeover Games
