Ndali Lodge, Crater Lakes

Ndali Lodge is a well-managed luxury lodge located in Fort Portal, Western Uganda, facing the magnificent Lake Nyinambuga in the center of Bunyaruguru Crater Lake, approximately 26 kilometers south of Fort Portal and 40 minutes from Kibale Forest. Ndali Lodge is built on a tea plantation spanning approximately 1000 acres of farmland. Ndali Lodge is positioned on the ridge of an extinct volcano crater, which is now filled with a tranquil lake.

The Lodge is owner-operated and built with locally produced and found materials on land previously owned by tea farmer Trevor Price and expanded by his son in the 1990s. The main lodge has a foyer, lounge, dining room, bar, and patio. The main lodge's furnishings are friendly, small, and peaceful, with polished floors, white walls, exposed beams, lightweight seating, well-chosen local artifacts, and nighttime lighting from candles or hurricane lamps.

Ndali is situated on a 1000 acre estate. Apart from about 100 acres on which coffee, bananas and vanilla are cultivated, the rest has been reforested during the last 16 years so that there is a real habitat for birds and monkeys. The power of the lodge is all solar, including the refrigeration. It boasts an innovative ‘Hydraulic Ram’ pump to bring the water from the lake to the lodge which uses gravity and no fuel. There is also a small, fast growing eucalyptus forest on the estate which provides all of the firewood for its hot water system. The crops cultivated on the estate provide vital jobs for nearby communities.

Access: The property is normally reached by flight from Entebbe to Fort Portal Airstrip, from whence it is about a 60-minute drive. It is also feasible to travel here via guided overland safari from Queen Elizabeth National Park (3 hours) or Bwindi Forest (8 hours). Driving from Kampala could take up to 5-7 hours, depending on traffic and road conditions.