Ndali Lodge

PLAN MY TRIP

Nestled in the heart of Uganda’s crater lake region, Ndali Lodge is a special place waiting to be discovered.

Three generations of the Price/Sturdy family have owned, farmed, and shared Ndali with visitors. Their attention to detail makes for an incredible stay. Eight luxurious cottages are comfortably furnished with four-poster beds draped in fabric and locally crafted materials. Each cottage comes with an en suite bathroom with a shower, a toilet, a deep bath, and a sink. A private terrace overlooks the gardens towards the Rwenzori Mountains in the background.

The lodge sits at the center of 1,000-acres of privately owned fertile farmland still cultivated in a traditional style and producing bananas, vanilla, tea, coffee, cassava, sorghum, and millet. It is also perched on the rim of an extinct volcano, which has since filled with water forming the awe-inspiring Lake Nyinambuga. The lake is 250-acres in size and 430 feet deep. In the background stand the magnificent Rwenzori Mountains known as the Mountains of the Moon. Less than an hour’s drive away in the rainforests of Kibale Forest National Park, chimpanzees flourish. Kibale is home to Africa’s largest concentration of chimps. And other primates, birds, and butterflies also call the area home.

With Kibale Forest so close by, the lodge is a popular stop for chimpanzee treks led by expert guides who point out the local flora and fauna along the way. Local guides also take guests on walks around the farm, to the Mahoma Waterfall, past alcohol brewing in oil drums, around crater rims, and on a boat ride, all the while enjoying the diverse wildlife. There is a jetty below the lodge on Lake Nyinambuga that is used for sunbathing or swimming in the lake. An inflatable two-man kayak is perfect for exploring the lake and birdwatching like the local kingfisher or watching wildlife on the shore. Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary can be toured for a chance to see a variety of mammals and monkeys. But it is best known for its birds including black-billed turaco, grey parrot, white-winged warbler, white-collared oliveback, African marsh harrier, and papyrus gonolek.

Overall, the main lodge area is infused with a feeling of spacious simplicity, light, and openness and is connected by breezeways to the dining room and sitting room. Elegant, delectable, candlelit dinners are served in the dining room by attentive staff. In the morning, a full English breakfast on the veranda is not complete without Ndali’s fresh-squeezed passion fruit juice and homemade bread with wild honey. There is also a refreshing pool for an afternoon swim.