Chameleon Hill Lodge

Chameleon Hill Lodge is a luxury accommodation facility situated on lake mutanda. The lodge is a perfect place to stay of you are going for gorilla trekking in the southern sectors of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. Travelers staying at Chameleon Hill Lodge can trek mountain gorillas in Nkuringo sector and Rushaga sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park.

Chameleon Hill Lodge has 10 chalets that have five double rooms and five twin rooms with extra beds, a wardrobe, en sure bathrooms, mosquito nets, bedside tables, a safe, fire extinguisher, a torch, and a private terrace with stunning views of lake mutanda.

Chameleon Hill Lodge has free parking, free breakfast, free internet, airport transfers, laundry services, ironing services, dry cleaning, a bar with different kinds of drinks, and a restaurant with professional chefs that cook local and international foods. If you are looking for a perfect place to stay during your gorilla trekking safari, then Chameleon Hill Lodge on Lake Mutanda is available at any time of the year.

Book a single room at Chameleon Hill Lodge

Getting to Chameleon Hill Lodge

Chameleon Hill Lodge can be accessed within a single day using air transport and road transport. The lodge can be accessed in 1 hour and 45 minutes using air transport from Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe international airport to Kisoro airstrip where you drive to the lodge in about 2 hours. Road transport users can drive from Kigali and cross to Uganda through Katuna border in Kabale and Cyanika border in Kisoro. Travelers from Kampala can access Chameleon Hill Lodge by driving through Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale, or Kisoro and the journey takes 9-10 hours.

Activities to do while staying at Chameleon Hill Lodge

Gorilla trekking: Travelers staying at Chameleon Hill Lodge can encounter mountain gorillas of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga national park. The gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park can be done in Rushaga and Nkuringo sector. To trek these gorillas, you will have to wake up early in the morning drive to the sector offices, and reach in time to attend the briefing.

During the briefing, you will be taught about the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity, grouped not exceeding 8 people, and given armed ranger guides to lead you into the jungle. The search for gorillas in both Bwindi and Mgahinga national park can take 2-7 hours and these depend on the speed of trekkers as well as the location of the gorilla family. When the mountain gorillas are located, one hour is given to trekkers to watch them do daily activities, take photos and learn about gorilla habits.

Gorilla habituation: Chameleon Hill Lodge is one of the lodges to stay while going for gorilla habituation in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. The lodge is located one hour drive to Nkuringo sector and 45 minutes drive to Rushaga sector where semi-habituated mountain gorilla families of Bwindi do live. Gorilla habituation involves moving around the jungle with a help of the armed ranger guide to look for semi-habituated mountain gorillas. Gorilla habituation gives you up to 4 hours of being with mountain gorillas and trying to make them get used to human presence around them. The only mountain gorilla families undergoing habituation in Bwindi are Bikingi gorilla family in Rushaga and Bushaho gorilla family in Nkuringo sector

Birding: Travelers staying at Chameleon Hill Lodge and are bird lovers can ask their tour operators or lodge management to organize for them birding activities in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park or around the lodge. Birding in Bwindi gives you an opportunity to encounter over 350 bird species that have been recorded in the park.

Birding can be done in Nkuringo sector or Rushaga sector where travelers get an opportunity to see bird species such as brown snake eagle, hadada ibis, northern pin tail, black kite, hammer kop, sacred ibis, African black duck, African fish eagle, hottentot teal, African jacana, great blue turaco, cattle egret, little grebe, grey crowned crane, bat hawk, palm nut vulture, African hobby, black crake, handsome francolin, olive pigeon, common cuckoo, diederrik cuckoo, Rwenzori batis, horus swift, and African wood owl among others

Nature walks: While staying at Chameleon Hill Lodge, nature walk activities can be done around the lodge, Lake Mutanda, or inside Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. Guests who do nature walks inside Bwindi impenetrable forest national park do get an opportunity to encounter park animals such as olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, potto, blue monkeys, mountain gorillas, elephants, buffaloes, giant forest hogs, bush pigs, and birds such as greater honeyguide, crowned hornbill, grey throated barbet, lesser hone guide, blue-throated roller, fine banded woodpecker, and African pitta among others.

Community visits: While staying at Chameleon Hill Lodge, cultural visits will take you to the surrounding communities which are for the Batwa pygmies. The Batwa pygmies are remembered to be the initial habitats of the Bwindi forest but they lost their homes when the government was gazetting the park to protect endangered mountain gorillas. The Batwa decided to stay around the park boundaries and visit their homes to give you an opportunity to listen to their stories of long ago, see people do daily activities, taste their local foods, visit traditional healers, gift shops, and in the end you will get entertained by the local dancers.

Golden monkey trekking

Golden monkey trekking: Golden monkey trekking is another activity that can be done by guests staying at Chameleon Hill Lodge. The activity can only be done in Mgahinga national park where these beautiful primates are found. Golden monkey trekking is like any other primate trekking activity as it starts with a briefing where participants are taught about the rules and regulations of the trekking activity. Trekkers are led by armed ranger guides who protect them from dangerous wild animals and show the right tracks to use. The moment the golden monkeys are located, the trekkers are given 1 hour to be around these apes watch them do daily activities, take photos, record videos, take photos and learn about their habits.

Best time to stay at Chameleon Hill Lodge

Travelers can book to stay at chameleon hill lode for their safari to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga national park at any time of the year but there are months that are better than the rest. The dry months from June to September and December to February are the best to stay at Chameleon Hill Lodge while having a safari in Bwindi or Mgahinga because they are characterized by little or no rainfall that keeps the trekking trails dry, the roads leading to the lodge and the park are passable and the vegetation in the parks is low giving good views of the wild animals.

Travelers especially the budget travelers that enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities can stay at Chameleon Hill Lodge during their safari in Bwindi and Mgahimga national park during the rainy season. The rainy season occurs from March to May and October to November characterized by too much rainfall that makes the trekking trails in the park muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall with unclear views of the park animals and the roads leading to the park and lodge are impassable.