About This Property
Buhoma Lodge sits inside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, in Uganda’s Buhoma sector — one of only two lodges in the park, and a short walk from the morning gorilla-trekking briefing point. Hillside chalets look over the forest canopy, in the home range of some of the last remaining mountain gorillas.
The lodge lists ten individually designed chalets, built with locally sourced materials. Each has a private veranda, insect-proof screens, solar lighting, a safe, and an en-suite bathroom with a flush toilet and a rain shower. Some chalets also have a bathtub. The family/honeymoon chalet adds a separate lounge with an open fireplace.
The elevated central lounge, bar and dining area looks into the forest. Fireplaces take the chill off Bwindi’s cool evenings. Meals use local produce: international dishes, and Ugandan food such as matoke and groundnut sauce. Rooms are warmed by hot coals, with a hot-water bottle in the bed.
Gorilla tracking is the reason to come. Sightings are not guaranteed; the lodge cites viewing success of over 90%, and one hour with the family once they are found.
Overnight in Bwindi is required the night before an early start. A second night is strongly recommended, and two to three nights is the usual stay. Park fees and gorilla permits are extra.
When you are not on a trek there are guided forest and birding walks (more than 350 bird species, including Albertine Rift endemics), a 3–4 hour waterfall hike with a Uganda Wildlife Authority guide, and community visits. L’Hoest’s monkeys are noted as regular visitors to the lodge gardens.
After a day in the forest: one complementary massage per stay, boot cleaning, and complimentary laundry if you stay two nights or more. Wi-Fi is free; charging points are limited to the central area because power is solar. Check-in is from 14:00; check-out at 10:00.
Many travellers continue from Bwindi to an East African savannah safari in the Serengeti National Park or the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Why We Love It
We love Buhoma Lodge for the simple geography: it is inside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, one of only two lodges that can say that, and the gorilla briefing is a short walk, not a drive. That is the whole point of this camp.
Ten hillside chalets look into the canopy. The central lounge has fireplaces for Bwindi’s cool evenings, meals use local produce, and the small human extras — a hot-water bottle in the bed, a complementary massage when you come off the trail, boots cleaned — are written into how the lodge actually runs.
We also like that the stay is not only the hour with the gorillas. Forest and waterfall walks, Albertine Rift birding, and community visits give you a reason to book the second and third night the lodge recommends.
It is a homely, solar-powered forest lodge, not a polished savannah camp. Charging is in the main area, and some rooms sit up the hill. If you want to be in the park the night before you track, that trade-off is the correct one.
From here, a Kenya or Tanzania savannah week is a common next step — Angama Mara on the Masai Mara escarpment is one East African pairing.
Rooms & Details
Forest Chalet
Ten hillside chalets, built from local materials, look over the Bwindi canopy from private verandas. Each has insect-proof screens, solar lighting, a safe, and an en-suite rain shower with hot water; some also have a bathtub. Beds are warmed with hot coals and a hot-water bottle; there is no air conditioning.
Family / Honeymoon Chalet
One of the ten chalets is set up as a family or honeymoon unit, with the same forest-facing layout plus a separate lounge and open fireplace. Children aged 5–12 sharing with adults pay a discounted rate. Under-fives (maximum two per room) stay free on the official tariff.
Lounge, Bar & Dining
An elevated lounge, bar and dining room looks into the forest, with fireplaces for Bwindi’s cool evenings. Meals are full board and cooked with local produce — international dishes plus Ugandan food such as matoke and groundnut sauce. Complimentary Wi-Fi, a spa treatment room, a curio shop and room service sit in this central area; charging points are here, not in the chalets.
Viewing Deck
A timber deck off the main lodge sits in the canopy above Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. It is the place for a drink after the trek, and for watching L’Hoest’s monkeys in the gardens.
Amenities & Features
Cancellation Policy
Standard reservations (up to four paying rooms), from the official rates page: 42+ days before arrival — 20% or deposit forfeited; 41–30 days — 40%; 29–15 days — 65%; less than 14 days — 100%. Gorilla or chimp permits paid on the guest’s behalf are non-refundable. Group and non-standard terms differ.
Photo Gallery
Rates
Prices start from $380 per night. Final pricing depends on season, room type, and availability. Check current rates on our booking partner's site for the most accurate pricing.
Rates are per person sharing, full board. Official 2026 indicative international rate from USD 380 per adult per night in low season (sharing in double/twin). High season: January, February, July, August, September, December. Shoulder: March, June, October. Low: April, May, November. Included: full-board accommodation, three multi-course meals a day, all hot beverages and bar snacks, house drinks, one complementary massage per stay, and other lodge services. Excluded: national park fees, gorilla permits, road transfers, premium and non-house drinks, optional activities, and USD 10 per person per night for the Future Generations Trust. Children 5–12 sharing with adults at a discounted rate; under 5 (max two per room) free of charge. Easter and Christmas supplements are extra. A 20% non-refundable deposit is due within 14 days of confirmation; full payment at least 30 days before arrival. Go2Africa did not publish a USD from-price on this listing.
What's Included
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- House drinks (water, sodas, house wines, local beers, Ugandan spirits)
- One complimentary massage per stay
- Complimentary laundry for stays of two nights or more, and hiking-boot cleaning
- Bird watching around the lodge
- House drinks with full-board meals (water, sodas, house wines, local beers and Ugandan spirits)
Full board: accommodation, three meals a day, hot beverages, bar snacks, house drinks, one complementary massage per stay, complimentary laundry for two nights or more, and hiking-boot cleaning. Park fees, gorilla permits, road transfers, premium drinks, optional activities and the USD 10 Future Generations Trust levy are extra.
Location
How to Get There
By air — Kihihi Airstrip
Go2Africa names Kihihi, Uganda, as the nearest airport. The lodge: twice-daily scheduled light-aircraft flights land at Kihihi, then a 90–120 minute road transfer depending on road conditions. Charter flights to Kihihi are possible from Entebbe and other East African hubs. The lodge provides transfers to and from the airstrip (road transfers are excluded from the room rate).
By road from Entebbe or Kampala
A full day’s drive to Buhoma in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Check-in is from 14:00.
From other parks
About six hours by road from Lake Mburo National Park, and about two hours from Queen Elizabeth National Park (Ishasha Sector). Reservations staff can help with gorilla-trekking logistics and tailor-made Uganda itineraries.
Nearby Attractions
Buhoma gorilla-trekking trailhead and Uganda Wildlife Authority briefing point; Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (waterfall hike, forest walks, birding, butterflies); Buhoma Community Village Walk; Batwa Empowerment Village; Ride 4 a Woman; Bwindi Community Hospital
Things to Do
At the property
Watch the forest from a chalet veranda or the elevated lounge. Bird around camp — more than 350 species recorded in this area, including Albertine Rift endemics. After gorilla trekking, the spa treatment room offers the complementary massage included in the stay, and staff clean hiking boots. Evenings are built around the fireplaces and a full-board dinner.
In the local area
Gorilla tracking in the Buhoma sector is the main outing (permit extra; eight visitors per group is the usual UWA cap). Guided Bwindi forest walks with a Uganda Wildlife Authority guide include a popular 3–4 hour hike to a waterfall. Community visits cover the Buhoma village walk, Batwa Empowerment Village, Ride 4 a Woman, and Bwindi Community Hospital.
Day trips
Most guests stay in Buhoma for the trek and forest. Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Ishasha Sector is about two hours by road if you are combining Ugandan parks. Gorilla permits and park fees are booked separately from the room.
Good to Know
Inside the park: One of only two lodges inside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a short walk from the Buhoma gorilla-tracking meeting point. Overnight in Bwindi is required the night before tracking; a second night is highly recommended because tracking can take a full day. Ideally two to three nights.
Children: Children under 12 are welcome. Official rates discount children 5–12 sharing with adults; under 5 (maximum two per room) stay free.
Meal plan: Full board — three multi-course meals a day, hot beverages, bar snacks and house drinks. International dishes plus local food such as matoke and groundnut sauce. Premium drinks extra.
After the trek: One complementary massage per stay; complimentary hiking-boot cleaning; laundry without charge for guests staying two nights or more (by hand, weather permitting).
Power and water: Eco-friendly solar lighting; power points for charging are limited to the central area. Water is gravity-fed. Rooms are heated with hot coals; hot-water bottles are placed in beds.
Access: Chalets are scattered on a hillside with elevated forest views. Some rooms involve stairs.
Permits: Gorilla-trekking permits and Uganda Wildlife Authority park fees are not included. Sightings cannot be guaranteed; the lodge cites viewing success rates of over 90%. Once gorillas are found, visitors are allowed one hour with them. A USD 10 per person per night Future Generations Trust levy is extra.
Check-in / out: 14:00 / 10:00 unless otherwise agreed with management.
Who It's For
Travellers whose main aim is mountain gorilla trekking in Buhoma and who want to sleep inside the national park, a short walk from the briefing rather than a road transfer. Couples (including the family/honeymoon chalet), small families with children under 12, and first-time Uganda visitors. Not a savannah Big Five lodge: this is rainforest, primates and steep hillside paths. Some chalets involve stairs.
Best Time to Visit
Gorilla trekking is offered year-round. Drier forest trails are typically June–September and December–February. The lodge’s 2026 high-season months are January, February, July, August, September and December; shoulder March, June and October; low April, May and November. Overnight in Bwindi the night before tracking; 2–3 nights is suggested.
