Gift of Nature Lodge
Gift of Nature Lodge is one of the best budget accommodation facilities you can stay from at Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. The lodge is used by travelers visiting Ruhija sector on the eastern side of Bwindi gorilla park. Gift of Nature Lodge is a perfect place to stay if you are to trek gorilla families such as Bitukira, Kyaguliro, Mukiza, and Oruzogo all found in Ruhija sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park.
Gift of Nature Lodge has 2 separate blocks with 8 single, double, and twin rooms each room having bathrobes with hot and cold showers, iron, telephone, laptop safe, minibar, room service, clothes rack, shower, alarm clock, and a refrigerator. Gift of Nature Lodge has free parking, hot tub, babysitting, WIFI, luggage store, laundry services, free breakfast, children’s activities, a fireplace, a well-stocked bar, and a restaurant with good food prepared by professional chefs.
Getting to Gift of Nature Lodge
Gift of Nature Lodge is located near the Ruhija region of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and travelers can access it using road transport or air transport. The lodge can be accessed using air transport by flying from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airstrip to Kisoro airstrip where you use road transport for about 2 hours to get to the lodge.
Travelers using road transport can access the lodge within 4-5 hours from Kigali or 9-10 hours from Entebbe international airport. From Kigali, travelers can access this Lodge by crossing to Uganda using Katuna border in Kabale or Cyanika border in Kisoro and then connecting to Ruhija region. Travelers from kampala/Entebbe can access Gift of Nature Lodge by using Kampala/Masaka via Mbarara Kabale road and connect to Ruhija sector.
Activities to do while staying at Gift of Nature Lodge
Encounter mountain gorillas in Uganda
Encountering mountain gorillas
With four mountain gorilla families fully habituated, Ruhija sector is one of the places where mountain gorilla trekking activities happen in Bwindi. Guests staying at Gift of Nature Lodge can be part of the gorilla trekking activities where they will walk through the jungles of the forest in search of them for 2-7 hours depending on the location of the gorilla family and the speed of trekkers.
Before trekking starts, the trekkers learn about the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activities from the ranger guides and they are grouped not exceeding 8 people. The search for the mountain gorillas is led by armed ranger guides who know where these mountain gorillas could have slept the previous night. When trekkers meet the mountain gorilla family, they are given 1 hour to be around the members, watch them do daily activities, take photos and learn about their habits.
Birding
Birding in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is done all throughout the year and therefore bird lovers staying at Gift of Nature Lodge can always be part of this amazing activity. Ruhija sector is one of the regions where travelers like to do birding activities because it harbors more than 350 bird species. some of the birds you would meet in this region include red-tailed bristlebill, forest robin, western nector, grey wagtail, cape wagtail, equatorial akalat, western nector, African jacana, great blue turaco, grey crowned crane, olive thrush, sedge warbler, green crombec, chin spot batis, and Rwenzori batis among others.
Batwa experience
Guests staying at Gift of Nature Lodge can be part of the Batwa experience where they visit different homes of these pygmies to know more about their lives. The Batwa are the shortest people in the country who used to live in the jungles of Bwindi until the government asked them to move out so that they could protect mountain gorillas and the forest. Staying at Gift of Nature Lodge, you will be led by the local guides to the Batwa communities and you will start by going around the forest where they will tell you how they used to live in there. They will show you how different plants were used to cure illness. When you get to their communities, you will visit different homes, interact with the local people, see how they live their day to day life, and get entertained by the traditional dancers.
Nature walks in Bwindi forest national park
Nature walks
Gift of Nature Lodge provides visitors with unmatched nature walk activities around the lodge or the jungles of the Bwindi forest. Guests can even book nature walks activities where they get time to spend the whole day inside the jungles of Bwindi meeting different park animals such as monkeys, buffaloes, giant forest hogs, duikers, elephants, bush pigs, olive baboons, and birds such as African jacana, great blue turaco, grey crowned crane, lesser honey guide, olive woodpecker, rock martin, grey wagtail and much more.
Best time to stay at Gift of Nature Lodge
Most of the travelers that stay at Gift of Nature lodge have safaris in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and therefore the best time to stay would be the dry season. The dry season occurs from June to September and December to February. It’s characterized by little or no rainfall that keeps the trekking trails dry, the vegetation is short and thin with good views of the animals and the roads leading to the park are passable.
Travelers can as well book and stay at Gift of Nature Lodge near Ruhija sector of Bwindi in the rainy season and this favors budget travelers because the lodges are at a discount. Budget travelers should note that during the rainy season, the trekking trails are muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall and thick with unclear views of the park animals and the roads leading to the park are in poor conditions.
