Luxury at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge
Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge is a luxury lodge in the Nkuringo sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, south of the park. It draws visitors for mountain gorilla trekking, featuring the Nkuringo and Christmas families for gorilla trekking and Bushaho for gorilla habituation. The remote lodge offers stunning views of the Virunga Volcanoes and the Great Rift Valley. The Nkuringo Gorilla family trailhead is right by the lodge, allowing for a 2-hour trek within the premises.
Rushaga is home to seven habituated gorilla families and is a short trip from Clouds. Clouds, built nearly 20 years ago with various organisations and the local community, focuses on ecotourism and conserving gorillas’ habitat. Guests can stay in private stone cottages with comfortable seating. After gorilla tracking, guests can enjoy plenty of unique and delicious food.
Location of Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge
This magnificent Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, which features a tapestry of internal mosaic constructions of African descent, is located near a forested ridge of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest entrance. The lodge’s eight cottages each have verandahs that provide a picturesque view of the forest and part of the Virunga volcanoes. The room configurations include twin, double, and single rooms with extra beds, a fireplace, and oversized armchairs. The bathrooms are equipped with both cold and hot showers. The main lodge has a dining area, lounge, reception, and balcony. Free wifi, parking, breakfast, laundry, massage, gift shop, bar with soft and strong drinks, and restaurant with delicious local and international food made by skilled chefs.
Getting to Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge
Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge is a luxury accommodation in Bwindi’s Nkuringo neighborhood, accessible by flight or car. Luxury visitors can fly from Kajjansi or Entebbe international airport to Kisoro airport in one hour and 45 minutes. The journey takes one to two hours, offering stunning views of the surrounding area. From Kigali, travelers can enter Uganda at the Katuna border in Kabale or the Cyanika border in Kisoro. Those leaving Kampala can travel through Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale, and other places.
Activities to do at Clouds
Gorilla Trekking
Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge is the best place for those who want to experience gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Nkuringo is one of the numerous sectors where mountain gorilla trekking and mountain gorilla habituation programmes are carried out. At the sector headquarters, where park wardens give information on trekking regulations, the procedure of meeting mountain gorillas starts early in the morning. Four individuals embark on gorilla habituation with the assistance of armed ranger guides, conservationists, and researchers, while eight individuals walk with two-armed ranger guides.
The Nkuringo sector mountain gorilla search might take two to seven hours, depending on the location of the gorilla family and the pace of the trekkers. When trekkers find a fully habituated mountain gorilla family, they can spend an hour with them; if they find a semi-habituated gorilla family, they can spend four hours with them, observe them going about their daily lives, learn about their traditions, take photos, and engage in activities that help them get used to being around people.
Birdwatching- Luxury at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge
Birdwatching in the surrounding area is an option for visitors at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge. They will be escorted around a variety of birding routes in the Nkuringo sector by a ranger guide. Approximately 350 different species of birds can be seen in the Nkuringo sector and other parts of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The following are some of the birds to look out for: compact weaver, Green Crombec, Zebra waxbill, African Citril, Oriole Finch, African Jacana, Bronze Sunbird, Shelly’s Crimsonwing, Wallers starling, tiny sunbird, African fire finch, Grey Apalis, White-chinned Prinia, Brown Illadopsis, Grey-headed Sparrow, and more.
Batwa Cultural Visit
Activities like the Batwa cultural experience are simpler to engage in at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge. Since they started the Batwa cultural experience, the funds raised are given to the Batwa people rather than the park. The first activity of a tour to the Batwa communities is to go through the forest where the Batwa people originally lived before the government forced them to leave to protect the mountain gorillas. Following your tour to different homesteads and conversations with the locals, you will witness the Batwa people going about their daily lives, meet traditional healers, and enjoy traditional Batwa dancers’ entertainment.
Nature walks
Nature trails in the Nkuringo sector of Bwindi, close to Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, allow guests to see the national park on foot. Wildlife such as buffaloes, elephants, duikers, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons, giant forest hogs, and a variety of birds, including Rwenzori Batis, Olive Thrush, Cape Ribbon Chat, Brown Chested Alethe, Green Hylia, Sooty Flycatcher, Brown Illadopsis, Mountain Illadopsis, Dusky Tit, and many more, can be seen up close on nature walks, which are best enjoyed within the park.
What is the best time to stay at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge
Although Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge welcomes guests throughout the year, the finest time to stay there is during the dry months when visiting Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. December through February and June through September are the driest months to visit this lodge and safari in Bwindi. The walking routes are kept dry throughout these months by the little to no rainfall, the short, sparse foliage that offers great animal vistas, and the well-kept roads that lead to the park.
Travellers can benefit from substantial discounts on accommodations at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge during the rainy seasons of March through May and October through November. Keep in mind that during the rainy season, the roads going there are occasionally inaccessible, the tall and dense foliage blocks views of the park’s wildlife, and significant rainfall makes the trekking trails muddy and slick.
