Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge sits on a forested ridge in Bwindi. It offers wide views of the Virunga Volcanoes, and on a clear night you can even see the glow of Mount Nyiragongo. It is one of the Wild Places Africa lodges.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park hosts half of the world’s mountain gorillas. The park also has 351 bird species, 400 plant species, 200 butterfly species, 120 mammals, and many more. It was established in 1991 and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
The rooms are built with local volcanic stone. Each has a large sitting area with a fireplace, a private lounge, an en suite bathroom with a walk-in shower, and a veranda with chairs where guests can relax. The lodge has eight spacious cottages designed to give a true African feel.
Meals are prepared with fresh local ingredients and include both local and international dishes. Guests can eat in the dining area or on their private veranda. Every afternoon, homemade cakes are also served at the cottages.
The lodge is close to the starting point of gorilla trekking. Other activities offered include bird watching, forest walks, and community visits at an extra cost. After trekking, guests can enjoy a relaxing foot massage.
Activities near the lodge
- Gorilla Trekking: Gorilla trekking is the main reason visitors come to Bwindi. From Clouds Lodge, the starting point is only a short distance away. Trekking begins in the early morning. The time taken depends on the hikers’ pace and the location of the gorilla family. Once the gorillas are found, visitors are allowed one hour to watch and take photos.
- Bird Watching & Waterfall Hike: Bwindi is a great place for bird watching with more than 351 species, 23 of them found only in this area. Bird walks usually take 2 to 3 hours. Some birds to look out for include the black bee-eater, African sooty flycatcher, white-tailed ant thrush, African green broadbill, blue-headed sunbird, and short-tailed warbler. The park also has waterfalls surrounded by forest. These areas attract many bird species and butterflies, making them a good place for short hikes.
- Cultural Encounters: Visitors can meet the Batwa people, who lived in the forest as hunters and gatherers for more than a thousand years before the area was declared a national park. On a community visit, you can meet a local medicine man and learn how plants are used for healing, see how a traditional meal is prepared, listen to old forest stories, and enjoy dances performed by the community.
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