A Peek Inside Bwindi Lodge, Uganda - Room Video

A Peek Inside Bwindi Lodge, Uganda - Room Video

Friday 6 October 2017

Back in January, I spent some time travelling around Uganda for the Irish Independent (you can read my piece here). As well as being a mind-bendingly beautiful country, Uganda is stuffed to the gills with the kind of wildlife you could only ever dream of seeing. In a little over a week, I saw lions, kobs, rhinos, hippos and more giraffes than you could shake a stick at (note: it is frowned upon to shake sticks at giraffes). I was charged at by both a chimpanzee and an elephant (both teenage males, shockingly), saw a herd of tiny newborn warthogs waddling behind their mother and, miraculously, managed to get through the week without seeing a dreaded python.

But the highlight? Seeing gorillas in the wild, on an arduous trek that took me through the Impenetrable Forest. It was undeniably tough, taking seven hours in total and costing me literal blood, sweat and tears. But when I caught that first glimpse of an actual, real-life gorilla, casually stripping a branch of its leaves with her razor-sharp teeth, it was all worth it.

The night before the trek, we stayed in the stunning Bwindi Lodge, a luxurious property from Volcanoes Safaris right in the heart of Bwindi. Surrounded by thick jungle, Bwindi Lodge has eight Bandas staggered across the slopes of the property, all with incredible views of the forest (from which the gorillas sometimes saunter out to wander around the grounds.)

The lodge itself is a mighty impressive sight, with steep steps linking the Bandas to the main building and back to the village. I'm going to write more about Bwindi Lodge and its various amenities, services and charitable programmes soon, but in the meantime take a look at my Banda in the video below...