Paraa Safari Lodge - Uganda Safaris

Overlooking the longest river in the world (River Nile),Paraa Safari Lodge is strategically located in Murchison Falls National Park in the north west of Uganda.This is one of the best points to have a wider view of the River Nile because its where the River channels into a gorge only 6 meters wide as it travels from the south.A also visitor enjoys a splendid view of one of the world's most powerful flows of nature( the Murchison Falls).
The lodge makes the visitor feel at home by providing a comfortable environment that facilitate relaxation
The lodge has a bygone reflection of the early explorers that is mixed with modern architecture.

Accommodation

The swimming pool at the Lodge

Paraa Safari Lodge has 54 rooms each with an en-suit bathroom and a  private balcony where a visitor can stand and enjoy the beauty of the park.

• -Standard Rooms:There are double,single and twin standard rooms at the lodge.These are strategically located to enhance a wonderful view of the park,a swimming pool and a breathtaking environment.Each room has a private balcony,an en-suite bathroom and fans.

• Queen's cottages:These offer an ultimate comfort  for the visitors because of their unique architecture compliments.While at the balcony,the visitor can enjoy a splendid view of vegetation and rich wildlife plus River Nile.Each room has an AC Units,a mini bar,an en-suite bathroom,a large dinning and living room,a luxury master bedroom with a king-sized bed and a large balcony.
• Suites:The lodge has suite that are perfect for relaxing with special features like fans and A.c units,mini-bar-suit bathroom and a large window for wildlife views.

Facilities

•  Bar and Restaurant
• Cuisine
• Gift shop
• Swimming pool
• Business Centre
• Conference facilities

Activities at the Lodge
While at the Lodge,a visitor is exposed to numerous activities including;

• Safari drives
• Birding
• Chimpanzee trekking
• Boat rides to the Delta
• Nature walks
• Bush breakfast
• Visits to the Murchison falls

Ihamba Safari Lodge - Uganda Safaris

Location
Ihamba Safari Lodge is found in Queen Elizabeth National Park on the shore of Lake George in a village called Kayendero fishing village.Constructed in stone and thatched,the lodge is attractive and this beauty matches with the beautiful landscape.The splendid environment at the lodge is one of the breathtaking features at this African-designed lodge.A guest at the lodge can enjoy great views of Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Rwenzori mountains because the rooms are strategically located.
The tranquility of the atmosphere that is accompanied by different sounds from birds,are one of the unforgettable experiences at Ihamba Safari Lodge.

Accommodation at the Lodge
Ihamba Safari Lodge has 10 family cottages each with a private en-suite bathroom,spacious beds,enough space and a private balcony.The spacious cottages have a couch that can be turned into a double bed in case one has children that he/she wants to stay with.
In addition,each cottage has a private deck  where a visitor can relax while enjoying the wonderful view of the park.

Facilities at Ihamba Safari Lode include:

• Bar and Restaurant
• Private en-suite bathroom
• Swimming pool
• Enough parking space
• Laundry and housekeeping services
• Library
• Internet services

Activities carried out at the lodge include;

• Bird watching
• Cultural walks
• Nature walks
• Spot fishing
• Boat rides 
• Game views from the lodge

Tourist activities around the Lodge:

• Birding in Maramagambo Forest
• Boat cruising on the Kazinga channel
• Spot fishing on Lake George
• Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorgr
• Guided nature walks through Maramagambo Forest
• Hiking on Mountain Rwenzori
• Game drives

Katara Lodge - Uganda Safaris

Location
Located on the Great Rift Valley escarpment with magnificent views of Queen Elizabeth National Park plus views of Lake Edward,Virunga and Rwenzori mountains and the beautiful Savannah.

Outside view of the Lodge

 Accommodation
Katara Lodge has 7 luxurious thatched cottages situated on splendid hills the overlooks the beautiful savannah to offer a relaxing environment to guests.
The cottages were designed in an African style and this makes them stand out from a far distance.They are made of wooden floors,grass thatched roofs and have balconies to provide great views to visitors.Each cottage has an en-suite bathroom and an eco friendly bathroom plus a private bathroom.
There are also 7 regular cottages and a family cottage.The regular cottages have 1 sitting and sleeping area each with a double and a 4 poster star bed.

Some the activities carried out at the Lodge include;

1. Game drives through Queen Elizabeth National Park
2. Chimp tracking 
3. Nature walks that are guided
4. Boat cruising on Kazinga channel
5. Cultural walks

Ishasha Wilderness Camp

Location
Located in the remote southern Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park,Ishasha Wilderness Camp offers a splendid atmosphere that is spiced up by the tree-climbing lions spotted resting in tree branches.

One of the tents at the camp

Accommodation 
Ishasha Wilderness Camp has 10 spacious framed canvas rooms that are strategically located in the wooded area just a few meters from the River.These rooms are furnished and well designed each with a private en-suit bathroom with both cold and hot water,a flushing eco friendly toilet,a dressing area and a  balcony that offers a wide view of the park.









Facilities at the Camp
Some of the facilities that are found at Ishasha Wilderness Camp include;

• Bar/ lounge
• Private bathroom
• Tours/ticket assistance
• Free parking

Rates

Single

Single- USD 60.00 per night

Standard twin room-USD 80 per night

Large double room

Single-USD 112 per night

Mweya Safari Lodge - Uganda Safaris

Where is the Lodge located?

Mweya Safari Lodge is found on a peninsula in the heart of Queen Elizabeth National Park (QNP).The Lodge is strategically located to offer a wonderful view of the park.

Accommodation

The Lodge has 50 rooms including standard rooms,deluxe rooms,suites,tents and cottages.

Each room has an electronic safe,telephone,a private balcony,fan and an en-suit bathroom.

Inside view of one of the rooms

Facilities

Mweya Safari Lodge has the following facilities;

 .Swimming pool

. Restaurant and cuisine

.A business center

.A gift shop

.Conference facilities

.Well stocked bar

What are some of the activities carried out at the lodge?

Game viewing at Mweya safari Lodge

.Birding

.Water safari

.wildlife Safaris

.Chimpanzee trekking

.Cultural Safaris

.Gorilla Safaris

.Bush breakfast

What are the rates as per 2013?

Note that the rates below are subject to change

All values are VAT inclusive (18%) and inclusive of 5% service charge

Room type	suit(USD) per room	Royal cottage(USD)	Presidential cottage (USD)	Queen's cottage (USD)
Bed and Breakfast	405	674	928	1005
Full board	453	770	1024	1101

Room type	single(USD) per room	double(USD) per room	Standard double(USD) per tent	Deluxe single per room	Deluxe double per tent
Bed and Breakfast	182	316	364	364	405
Full board	206	364	412	412	453

How a tourist can bargain for a favorable price in Uganda - Uganda Safaris

Though its part of business,overcharging and bargaining in Uganda have become so common and if its your first time in the country,you may pay much for less.So its advisable that you take note of the prices of the prevailing charges before you set off for a gorilla Safari to Uganda.Many tourists come with a lot of money but due to ignorance about bargaining norms in Uganda,they end up over spending and run short of money.

Ugandan shilling notes

Therefore tourists in Uganda will sometimes need to bargain over prices at some instances for example when buying curios.However,it should be understood that the fact that a curio seller is open to negotiations does not mean that you were initially overcharged or ripped off.Curio sellers will generally quote a price knowing well that you are going to bargain it down and it is not necessary to respond in an accusatory manner.It is impossible to say by how much you should bargain the initial price down unless you are used to it.What some people do, is to mention a price half that the seller has suggested so that he doesn't keep so far away from the real price.The best way to prepare for bargaining is to make a survey in the shops to see how much different shops charge for what you want to buy and then get an average of the total.Other instances where bargaining and overcharging is common are;chartering a private taxi, organizing a guide,and when buying some market produce.

When it comes to tourists,sellers in Uganda seem to charge relatively higher prices because they think that they are ignorant of the prevailing prices.This explains why tourists in Uganda are always seen moving with guides and deal with travel companies mostly to avoid any form of cheating.Minibus-conductors often try to overcharge tourists.The best way to counter this is to check the correct ticket price in advance with an impartial party,and to book your ticket the day before you travel.If you fail to do that,you will have to haggle with these conductors in order to reach at an agreed transport charge.

Something you should know about overcharging and bargaining is that it is the fact of being overcharged that annoys,the amount itself is generally of little consequence in the wider context of a trip to to Uganda.But this overcharging among Ugandan traders is due to the economic conditions in the country given the fact that generally Ugandans are much poorer than they will ever be.So when they see tourists from developed countries,they always struggle hard to get as much money from them as possible where needs be.

However,not everything in Uganda is hiked because there is a bargaining and overcharging norm .Some goods and services are out of this bracket and once a trader or service provider tells you the price,it is the last price.For instance prices in hotels,restaurants and shops are generally fixed,and overcharging in such places is too unusual for it to be worth challenging a price unless it is blatantly ridiculous.

How to choose what to drink on a safari in Uganda

Much as there are some tourists who want to have a taste of what a foreign country has to provide,Uganda has got a wide variety of drinks that can be enjoyed by tourists on their safaris.Some of these drinks are locally made and others are manufactured.The widely and cheap by international standards,soft drinks in this “Pearl of Africa” are; coca-cola, Pepsi,and Fanta. The presence of factories that produce these drinks in the country is one of the key drives to the wide consumption of these soft drinks.If one is not interested in these fizzy stuff, South African imported juices at supermarkets in Kampala and other large towns can do good for you.Treated tap-water is consumed on a large scale in the towns but bottled mineral water is also available for those who want to move with their water.Some of the bottled mineral water in Uganda that is consumed is;Rwenzori,Wava,Rain drop, 
Azwa,Highland,Aqua Sipi,Riham,and Disan.

Chai is another widely drunk hot beverage ( a sweet tea where all ingredients are boiled together).In Uganda,chai is often flavored with spices such as ginger.Milk tea in Uganda is conc in that milk is got directly from the locally grazed cows and it does not pass through any processing.

People enjoying local brew (Malwa) in Uganda

Apart from the soft drinks,alcohol in Uganda is largely consumed with beer as the main alcoholic drink.This alcohol is both domestically made and imported.Uganda is the second in Africa when it comes to alcohol consumption and this has attracted many foreign alcohol industries to to sell in this East African country. Jinja's Nile Breweries brews different types of alcohol namely;club,Nile Special,ESB,and castle larger,while Port Bell's Whilst Uganda breweries brews Bell,Pilsner,Tusker and Guinness.Another popular beers that are consumed are; moonberg lager and Eagle Larger.All beers come in 500ml bottles that cost US$1 in local bars and up to US$3 in some supermarkets and hotels.

A collection of some drinks

A selection of superior plonk-quality wines from South Africa is available in most tourist-class hotels in the country and bars,as well as in some supermarkets generally around US$10-20 per bottle.Another common alcohol that is consumed in Uganda is;Bond 7 whisky and local gin called waragi,that can be bought very cheaply in a variety of bottle sizes.

There is also a cultural brew that is enjoyed by the Ugandans known as “MALWA” ,made from millet and sorghum.Many tourist wonder how this local brew that looks like porridge make people drunk.This brew is not too strong (about 2% alcohol) and one has to consume it in large quantities in order to get drunk.The brew is not bottled and it is taken from a pot.It is of late that Nile Breweries in Jinja has started packaging this cultural brew and each goes for only US$0.6.