OVERVIEW:
Katara Lodge is an excellent option for travellers hoping to explore Uganda’s most popular park and surrounds from a very comfortable base. Katara Lodge is situated just 16 kilometres from the Katunguru gate of Queen Elizabeth National Park, within farmland upon the Great Rift Valley escarpment.
ACCESS & LOCATION:
The lodge may be accessed via road transfer from Kampala, Kabale, or Fort Portal, or via flight from Kihihi, Mweya, or Kasese. Katara is set in well-kept gardens, not far from the banana plantations of Katara village.
ACCOMMODATION & FACILITIES AT KATARA LODGE:
In the classic safari style, the communal building is a timber, stone, and thatch lodge. Inside, there is a lounge with comfy seating around coffee tables, as well as a smart dining area and a well-stocked bar. The lodge is open sided, providing amazing views down to the savanna of Queen Elizabeth National Park, and beyond to Lake Edward and the mountain ranges of Virunga and Rwenzori. Guests may choose to dine outside too, and Katara’s fire-pit is the perfect place for morning and evening beverages. There is also a spacious swimming pool and an adjacent pool-bar.
Guest accommodation consists of eight chalets, all positioned farther down the hillside. They are made out of local materials in addition to canvas that can be rolled back to reveal the superb scenery. Seven are regular chalets and the eighth is for families. Each of the regular chalets contains a spacious open-plan bedroom and lounge, with double bed, four-poster star bed, a small dining table and chairs, and a couple of easy chairs next to a coffee table. The star bed can be wheeled out onto the private veranda, so you can spend nights under the African sky! The en-suite facilities of every regular chalet comprise flush toilet, twin washbasins, rain shower, and rolltop bathtub with shower attachment. The family chalet provides one double bedroom and one twin bedroom, with space for an extra bed if required. There is a shared lounge, a shared bathroom, and a veranda set with a swing seat and two hammocks.
ACTIVITIES AT KATARA LODGE:
From this comfy base camp, you can enjoy an excellent assortment of activities in and around Queen Elizabeth N.P.
- Game drives are available in the park, and you can expect to see a real wealth of wildlife.
- There are also cruises on Kazinga Channel, chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge and Kalinzu Forest Reserve, additional walks in Kalinzu, and guided nature walks in Maramagambo Forest.
- The park boasts almost a hundred species of mammal, including lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, hyena and chimpanzee, and is home to the famous tree-climbing lions! The bird count is equally impressive, with highlights such as martial eagle, great flamingo, pink-backed pelican and shoebill stork. Katara also offers interpretive walks around the nearby village and farmland.
Staff at the lodge are happy to help arrange all these activities for you. Service standards throughout the property are exceptionally good, and you can be certain of feeling at home here. The accommodation is booked on a full-board basis, including all meals, a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and a laundry service.
*This property is unfenced and located in a wildlife area, so large and potentially dangerous animals do pass through. If you opt to stay here, always be alert when walking around the camp and request for a member of staff to escort you if you have any concerns. Any guest is escorted after dark as a matter of course.