Kyambura Gorge Lodge

Queen Elizabeth National Park and the adjacent Kyambura Game Reserve in southwest Uganda protect one of the most diverse ecosystems in all of Africa. Over 600 species of bird live here, and it’s one of the few places you can both chimpanzee trek and take savannah game drives at the same lodge. Kyambura Gorge Lodge overlooks Kyambura Gorge, which cuts a path between the national park and the game reserve. The lodge is a former coffee store that was recently updated into one of the most interesting hotels in Uganda. Its eight spacious bandas have dramatic views of the protected landscape with the Mountains of the Moon in the distance.

The highlight of a stay here is certainly the chimpanzee trekking down into the gorge, but there are a plethora of options. Walking safaris and game drives of Queen Elizabeth National Park feature elephants and the famous tree-climbing lions. Guests can even ride along with a lion researcher. Boat tours down the nearby Kazinga Channel, a waterway that connects Lake Edward and Lake George, will encounter hippos and other wildlife that has come to drink.