Ndali lodge is located just adjacent to the Kibale National Park headquarters in Ndali – Kasende crater lake center. This is just 26km from Fort Portal town. The lodge is 5 hours drive from Kampala via Fort Portal. From its exciting location to its magnificent views, surveying the ‘Mountains of the Moon’, Ndali Lodge is a truly beautiful place. Situated on the rim of an extinct volcano, which has since filled with water, the lodge looks out upon the incredible Lake Nyinambuga.
Ndali lodge offers 8 en-suite stone and thatch cottages which are all suitable for families. With an emphasis on using local materials, the interiors are imaginatively and comfortably furnished. Each cottage consists of a bath, shower, water closet (WC), hand basin and a private verandah. The verandahs are perfect for watching the sun setting behind the Rwenzori Mountains, the snow-capped peaks which are clearly visible on a clear day.
Ndali Lodge lies at the centre of 1,000 acres of privately owned fertile farmland, still cultivated in a traditional style. It is perfectly situated for viewing a mass of wildlife, flora and local cultural attractions, having an English country-house atmosphere in an African setting.
Overview of Ndali Lodge
Built on land originally owned by tea farmer Trevor Price, and developed by his son in the 1990s, Ndali Lodge is now run by Aubrey Price. Aubrey’s attention to detail, care for the land and ability to create a relaxed and real Ugandan country experience is remarkable, and has thus been referred to guests’ feedback.
With a thatch, wood and stone build, Mark, Aubrey’s father, is credited with Ndali Lodge design. This is also in addition to the fact that it is built from locally sourced and found materials. The lodge consists of a main lodge and 8 sleeping cottages, situated on the rim of an extinct volcano.
The main lodge includes a reception, lounge, dining area, bar and veranda. These are marked by polished floors, white walls, exposed beams, lightweight seating and well chosen local artefacts. The are is lit at night with candles or hurricane lamps, which makes the main lodge’s interiors welcoming, intimate and relaxing.
Accommodation & Facilities at Ndali Lodge
There is a main thatched lodge with spacious sitting room, reception area and dinning room flanked by 8 cottages providing luxurious accommodation for 16 guests. The cottages which face west offer a panoramic view of the spectacular Rwenzori mountains. They were designed by Capt. Mark Price and are built of local stone and thatch. The interiors are imaginatively and comfortably furnished where the decor emphasis in on the use local materials. Each cottage, large enough to accommodate a family, has en-suite facilities
At night the dining room is festooned with candles since the lodge has no electricity.
The sitting room, reception and dining room are open out to spectacular views of Lake Nyinambuga, and are connected by two open passageways or breezeways. Fruit bats, owls and frogs like to use them as a highway to the crater lake.
Facilities include a swimming pool, lounge, library, dining room and laundry.
Dining
Excellent food (mostly produced on the farm) is served in beautiful surroundings, often on the terrace outside. The food is fabulous, cut above most lodges’ food with an impeccable service. This is clearly a place where the owners’ enthusiasm and professionalism rub off onto the other staff. Dinner setting is a real occasion, and the selection of curries and condiments provided cannot be out of place at a top restaurant in Uganda.
All Ndali’s water comes directly from the lake, pumped up hydraulic ram based on technology invented in the 1770’s.
Activities Around Ndali Lodge
Walks around the 1,000 acre farmland to Mahoma waterfall, boating on the lake, swimming in the lake, trips to tea plantations and the amazing chimpanzee trekking in the nearby Kibale Forest National Park and nature walks in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary.
Ndali Lodge provides a perfect base from which to visit some of the region’s most popular attractions. Kibale Forest National Park, famous home of the largest concentration of chimpanzees in Africa, as well as a bewildering variety of other primates, birds and butterflies, can be reached within 45 minutes.
Close by is the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, a community-based conservation project that is home to a variety of monkeys and other mammals. More importantly, some of the rarely seen birds on your bird watching trip can be found. Such bird species include the White-winged Warbler, White-collared Oliveback and Papyrus Gonolek. Other species frequently spotted are the African Marsh Harrier, African Harrier-Hawk, Grey Parrot, Black-billed Turaco, Yellow-billed Barbet and White-breasted Negrofinch.
A little further afield, three more of Uganda’s National Parks are within easy driving distance from Ndali Lodge. From the world heritage listed Rwenzori Mountains National Park to Uganda’s most famous park, Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Closer to home, Ndali provides local guides for walks around the 1,000 acre farm and the Ndali Vanilla processing plant or to the nearby Muhoma Falls. Walks will take you around crater rims, past alcohol brewing oil drums, through banana plantations, vanilla plantations, coffee terraces, plots of cassava, groundnuts, sorghum and millet.
Below the lodge, on the lake itself, is a sturdy jetty, set in the most tranquil and secluded spot frequented by 5 different species of Kingfisher. From here, guests can swim in the lake, soak up the sun or simply get away from it all. We have an inflatable two-man kayak that can be used for spotting birds and other wildlife by the lakeshore.
The lodge is a perfect place for a weekend retreat, to relax by the swimming pool, enjoy sauna and massage. You can also do yoga on the yoga pagoda or simply recharge and watch the abundant flora and fauna. A good selection of which can be seen from the verandas of both the lodge and the cottages.
Visitors to Kibale Forest National Park can compliment their holiday to visit Queen Elizabeth national park for an amazing wildlife safari experience in Uganda. This is one of the parks where guests can have a balloon safari in Uganda to witness wildlife movement from above, an amazing experience that lasts for a lifetime.