Channel Your Inner Jane Goodall at this New Primate Lodge in Uganda

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The Afar take

Set on a ridge above Uganda’s Lugembe crater lake, with the Rwenzori Mountains looming to the west and the plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park unfurling far to the south, the views from Kibale Lodge are reason enough to visit. But the lodge’s proximity to Kibale National Park—the primate capital of the world, with an astonishing 13 species including our closest ape relatives, chimpanzees—make it worth the journey.

The beautifully designed thatched-roof lodge is Volcanoes Safaris’ first new property since 2011. The company’s founder, Ugandan-born Praveen Moman, launched small-scale, community-focused great ape tourism in Rwanda and Uganda in 1997, and Kibale Lodge completes a circuit of four lodges in Uganda and one in Rwanda that links the country’s main chimpanzee and gorilla sites on a primate-focused safari.

The lodge offers a luxury stay while remaining rooted in the region by connecting guests with the environment, wildlife, people, and traditions. At Kibale Lodge, $50 of each guest’s nightly rate supports the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, which supports programs such as Roots and Shoots, a partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute that teaches environmental studies as part of the local school curriculum.

Courtesy of Volcanoes Safaris

Who’s it for?

Wildlife lovers dreaming of encounters with apes and monkeys will love Kibale Lodge. Safari aficionados will appreciate the usual niceties, including post-trek cocktails, cozy common areas to rehash the day’s adventures, and dining with other guests in the main lodge or al fresco. Those looking to see the connection between tourism and community upliftment can visit some of the trust’s partnering organizations. I visited Pere Arche public school and met children who are learning about animal conservation and the negative impacts of poaching.

Prepare for a bit of a digital detox, as wifi can be spotty. But this lack of distractions encouraged me to dive into issues surrounding chimpanzee conservation and tourism with guides and other onsite experts. On my first evening I chatted over drinks with primatologist Emily Otali, field director of the Kibale Chimpanzee Project and Snare Removal Program, who was on property for a special talk for guests (note that she’s available upon request, depending on availability). Her insights into ape behavior and the importance of responsible chimpanzee trekking, were invaluable before heading into the forest.

The location

Moman scoured the hills near Kibale National Park looking for the right site for his newest lodge and chose this remote spot for its 360-degree views. After landing at Entebbe International Airport, travelers catch a 90-minute flight on an 11-seat Cessna Caravan to the airstrip in the town of Kasese, and from there, it’s an hour drive to the lodge by jeep.

The rural location pays off for the chance to track two of five groups of habituated chimpanzees in the national park. Before we hiked to the chimps, a ranger with the Uganda Wildlife Authority reiterated the responsible trekking rules Otali outlined the night before—we were to always wear a mask, never mimic their calls or feed them (or ourselves), and maintain a respectful distance of 25 feet whenever possible. Our group spent an hour watching a dozen or so chimps groom, play, climb trees, and “display,” where a male gunning for alpha status expressed dominance by shrieking, sprinting on all fours, and throwing his weight around spindly branches.

Guests can see other primates including baboons and red colobus monkeys on a stroll through the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, a sustainable tourism initiative where money raised from guided nature walks helps fund schools and community projects.

Head botanist Celine Ishimwe and her team of gardeners have planted more than 250,000 indigenous seedlings to connect the 150-acre property with the surrounding countryside. Hiking trails lead up to a hilltop viewpoint, or down to a crater lake. It’s worth making time to simply enjoy the grounds.

The rooms

Kibale Lodge’s six bandas are stand-alone cottages with private porches, seating areas, spacious bathrooms, and outdoor showers with views of green fields and hills. Volcanoes Safaris’ in-house team is creating two new bandas that will be completed in 2024. Their side-by-side positioning will be ideal for families traveling with teenagers (15 is the minimum age to track chimps in Kibale National Park). All accommodations were constructed using traditional local building materials such as papyrus for roofing, red soil with cow dung, and limestone for the walls. Reeds from nearby Lake Lugembe were used to make the interior banda doors and outdoor shower walls.

According to manager Tonny Kayanja, the design intends to feel “like you’re in the home of a Ugandan.” The hand-built furniture is minimalist yet elegant. The bedframes and desk chairs are crafted from braided banana leaf fibers, while the wide-plank wood floors are hewn from eucalyptus trees. Drum lamp shades come in bright patterns, and bronze animal sculptures on the fireplace mantel are from Rwenzori Founders, a nearby art center and gallery that supports Ugandan sculptors. My room featured a pangolin sculpture, the totem for the Lugave clan and an endangered and highly trafficked animal. Ample windows bring in natural light and views, and Uganda’s misty mountains and the lodge’s newly planted gardens become part of the aesthetic.

Courtesy of Volcanoes Safaris

The food and drink

Ugandan chef Acom Loise presents small but eclectic menus that change daily, with a focus on traditional dishes and ingredients, supplemented by produce grown on site in a hydroponic garden. Meals are served communally in the main lodge dining room or outside on the expansive patio, and guests select their next meal at the end of a seating (so, you order the next day’s breakfast at the end of dinner, for example).

Be sure and try matooke, which is an unsweetened type of banana served mashed; dodo, a local spinach-like steamed green; and chicken drizzled with a delicious sauce made from peanuts and spices. I became somewhat obsessed with the Ugandan Rolex, a lunch snack that’s basically a thin omelet rolled in a chapati (rolex is a play on “rolled eggs”). Breakfast was a daily treat, too, with hand-harvested coffee from neighboring sister lodge Kyambura Gorge, fresh seasonal juices such as passionfruit, and humongous, perfectly ripe avocados smashed on toast.

Courtesy of Volcanoes Safaris

Staff and service

On my first morning at Kibale, the gentle sound of singing from my butler Peter coaxed me awake. He greeted me with a smile and a tray of coffee, milk and cookies. It was just the mental lift I needed to beat jet lag.

This personal hospitality extends across the property. All the staff, who hail from Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, knew my name after day one, and greeted me warmly. When they caught on that I really liked sundowner cocktails after returning from chimp trekking, the Kibale Sunsets (Jack Daniel’s, lemon juice and a splash of red wine) kept coming and eased post-trek aches. What’s more, Peter whisked away my muddy hiking boots and gators and returned them in mint condition a few hours later.

Courtesy of Volcanoes Safaris

Accessibility

Currently, the lodge doesn’t have any completely accessible rooms, but staff can make modifications for guests with mobility concerns by adding ramps to eliminate stairs, says Kayanja. For chimpanzee trekking, porters in Kibale National Park are equipped to carry people to see the apes on a stretcher, a mode of transport they call the “Ugandan helicopter.”

Spa and wellness

A massage is included in a stay at Kibale Lodge, and you’ll want the kinks worked out after navigating over fallen trees, mossy roots, and slippery rocks in pursuit of chimps. Choose between a Swedish relaxation massage or deep-tissue therapeutic massage. There’s also a sauna adjacent to an outdoor pool. You can take a dip after getting your sweat on, then relax in a lounger and gaze out at Uganda’s shades of green.