Katara Lodge

Close to Queen Elizabeth National Park • Luxury accommodation in thatched cottages • Game drives, chimp tracking, guided nature walks

Katara Lodge is located on the Kichwamba escarpment, that was formed as a result of volcanic activity. The area boasts of 72 explosion craters, and several undulating hills and valleys, that together provide very beautiful scenery. The Lodge is a short (15km) drive from the main entrance of the Queen Elizabeth National Park, set on the edge of the hills overlooking the open savannah. Due to its impressive diversity of habitats (forest, grassland, woodland and swamp), the park is home to 95 mammal and 612 bird species. Mammals you can expect to see are hippopotamus, elephant, buffalo, hyena, lion, leopard, water buck, Uganda kob, giant forest hog and warthog. Bird species include the martial eagle, black-rumped button quail, African skimmer, chapin’s flycatcher, pelicans, eagle owl, flamingo and shoebill.

The lodge offers accommodation in five luxurious thatched cottages on a beautiful stretch of hills overlooking the open savannah in a serene and relaxing atmosphere. Each spacious cottage was hand crafted using locally available materials and carved into the hillside by the Katara village community. The cottages combine wooden floors, grass thatched roofs and canvas that can be folded away for uninterrupted views of the park stretching out below. The bathrooms are luxuriously fitted - the romantic roll bath, or the invigorating rain shower, provide a perfect way to unwind after a thrilling day on safari. The water is heated using solar thermal energy.

You may choose to start the evening with a sundowner on the private veranda perched on stilts. During the dry season, the more adventurous can roll the sky bed onto the veranda and spend the night under the starlit African sky. On a lucky day, you might be woken up by the trumpeting sound of the elephants in the savannah below. The main bar and dining area is a large thatched structure, completely open to the western side providing a beautiful view of the plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park, with the Rwenzori Mountains a stunning backdrop on a clear day.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is a wonderful park with an incredible biodiversity. Its stunning territory includes open savannah, dense papyrus swamps, crater lakes, the extensive Maramagambo Forest and the forested Kyambura Gorge. The park boasts almost 100 mammal species and over 600 bird species.
While you are staying at Katara Lodge, there are a number of activities which you can undertake:

- Game drives through the Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Launch cruise on the Kazinga channel
- Chimp tracking in Kyambura Gorge
- Chimp tracking or forest walks in Kalinzu Forest Reserve
- Guided nature walks in the Maramagambo Forest
- Scenery viewing
- Interpretive village walk

For game drives, scenary viewing and the interpretative village walk, the Lodge is working with the Albertine Rift Tourism for Conservation, a local organisation that seeks to marry eco-tourism with the culture of the local people, by providing tour guiding services. Most of these activities are within 30 minutes or less of Katara Lodge, but may need to be arranged in advance.

A final activity is worth mentioning separately - relaxing at the lodge.  Sitting on your veranda, or relaxing in one of our hammocks, you can simply soak up the view of the plains, take a break on your busy safari schedule, forget about the Kampala traffic jams, or enjoy one of the novels from our library.

[ Contact us to plan your safari ]