Nile Safari Lodge

Nile Safari Lodge: situated at the southern part of River Nile, Nile Safari Lodge is an eco-friendly accommodation facility for luxury travelers. Nile Safari Lodge is one of the luxury accommodation facilities found inside Murchison falls national park in the northwestern part of Uganda.

Nile Safari Lodge was started in 1993 to provide luxury accommodation services to luxury tourists in Murchison falls national park. Nile Safari Lodge has 8 luxury grass thatched bandas that are built overlooking River Nile. Each of the bandas has en suite bathrooms, sitting area, large beds, a mosquito net, and a veranda that gives stunning views of the River Nile as well as Murchison falls National park.

Nile Safari Lodge has got deluxe bandas, exclusive bandas, and family villa with double, twin, and single rooms. At Nile Safari Lodge, they have a swimming pool, indoor dining room, Mtoni spa, Peponi bar, a restaurant with local and international foods, and then an outdoor campfire.

For travelers that want to say at Nile Safari Lodge, they can book directly with the lodge or use a tour operator and this should be 3-4 months in advance most especially of planning to visit the park in the dry season because the rooms sell out quickly. To book the luxury accommodation you will need the dates of the month and year you want to stay at the lodge and then a deposit for your room to be booked.

Activities to do while staying at Nile Safari Lodge

Chimpanzee trekking: Chimpanzee trekking is an activity guests staying at Nile Safari Lodge can be part of. The chimpanzee trekking activity is done in Budongo forest which is a few hour’s drive from the lodge. Tourists staying at Nile Safari Lodge can be part of the chimpanzee trekking activity in the morning or afternoon hours.

Tourists will start with the briefing at the forest offices where they will be taught about the rules and regulations of the chimpanzee trekking activity and thereafter given armed ranger guides to lead them into the jungle. The ranger guides lead tourists through different trails of the park searching for chimpanzees but with opportunities of meeting different mammals, primates and birds.

The moment the chimpanzees are spotted, trekkers will be asked to keep the rules as they get near them. Trekkers will be given 1 hour to be around the chimpanzees and this will allow them to learn about their habits, take photos and watch them do daily activities among others.

Game drives: This is arguably the most done activity by tourists staying at Nile Safari Lodge. It’s every person’s dream to encounter different wildlife species on their visit to Murchison falls national park. There are game drives organized in the morning, afternoon, or night hours to enable tourists to see different park animals.

The day game drives are not guided however the night game drives are guided to protect tourists from dangerous animals. The game drives in Murchison falls national park will give tourists staying at Nile Safari Lodge an opportunity to see animals such as lions, buffaloes, duikers, leopards, giraffes, hyenas, elephants, topis, oribis, waterbucks, and Uganda kobs among others.

Sights of black-headed gonoleck Murchison Falls Park

Birding: Are you a bird lover staying at Nile Safari Lodge? Well, you could be part of the birding group to different areas of the park or you could do simple birding around your lodge. Over 451 bird species are said to be finding a home in Murchison falls national park and these live in the savannah, woodland, and riverine vegetation.

Good birders staying at Nile Safari Lodge will be able to see birds such as Vaseline masked weaver, beautiful sunbird, black-billed barbet, whistling cisticola, white-browed sparrow weaver, marabou stork, rock pratincole, long-toed plover, black-headed gonoleck, grey-headed bush shrike, double toothed barbet, rock pratincole, yellow-throated greenbul, fawn-breasted waxbill, spotted verreaux eagle owl, black-faced waxbill, grey crowned crane, denham’s bustard, and red-winged grey warbler, etc.

Boat cruise: Nile Safari Lodge is located a few km from the River Nile therefore all travelers staying at this lodge have a chance to be part of the boat cruise activity. The boat cruise on the river is done twice a day and this can be to the bottom of the falls or to the Nile delta. The bottom of the falls boat cruise is the one you should miss out on because it will enable you to see the Murchison falls which are said to be the strongest in the whole world.

The boat cruise starts at Paraa jetty and lasts for 2-3 hours giving tourists an opportunity to explore the source of the Nile. During the boat cruise, tourists will be able to see hippos, crocodiles, water birds, and different park animals such as elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, and antelopes at the shores trying to graze or drink water.

Fishing: Nile Safari Lodge is located near the River Nile and this is a good place for tourists who love fishing to stay. Sport fishing activities are organized at this lodge to enable clients to have a good time on the River Nile trying to catch different fish species like tilapia, Nile perch, and catch fish among others. The sport fishing activity on the River Nile inside the park is done on a catch and release basis but participants are rewarded at the end of the game.

Nature walks: Tourists staying at the Lodge can use their free time to do nature walks instead of resting at the lodge. The nature walks will enable them to explore different sectors of the park on foot while enjoying the wild. The nature walks are done in different areas of the park to enable tourists to see as many attractions within the park as they can.

There are nature walks to the top of the falls where tourists get an opportunity to see how the Murchison falls are formed. The activity is a 45 minutes walk but still, tourists can use vehicles to get to the top. At the top of the falls, tourists will be able to have a clear view of the park, wildlife, River Nile and the Murchison falls. The Murchison falls are formed when the water coming at a very high speed squeezes itself through a 7 meter wide narrow gorge getting its way to a pool 40 meters below the rocks.

accessing Nile Safari Lodge

Nile Safari Lodge is found within Murchison falls national park which means tourists must access the park first to get to the lodge. Murchison falls national park can be accessed in a single day using road transport or air transport. Travelers using chattered flights access the park faster in 1 hour and 15 minutes by flying from Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe international airport to Bugugu airstrip.

Travelers can still use road transport to get to Nile Safari Lodge from Kampala/Entebbe by going through Luwero, Nakasongola, Masindi, Kichumbanyabo gate, Mubako gate to this Lodge. This journey takes only 5 hours and it comes with amazing views of the different attractions along the way.

Best time to stay at Nile Safari Lodge

Nile Safari Lodge is open for tourists at any time of the year but the best time to stay here would be the best time to visit Murchison falls national park. The best time to have a safari in the park is the dry season from June to September and December to February because the park receives little or no rainfall. Tourists staying at the Lodge will enjoy most of the park activities as the vegetation is short with good views of different attractions.

Tourists especially budget travelers can visit Murchison falls national park in the rainy season and stay at Nile Safari Lodge if they want to spend a night or more in the park. During the rainy season which is from March to May and October to November, tourists will be able to get discounts on the prices of this luxury accommodation. The rainy season comes with a lot of rainfall which destroys most of the park activities.