Grassrootz Exclusive - 8 days the best of the west

On the banks of Lake Victoria lies our beautiful, picture perfect golf resort with a 18-hole golf course, designed by Golf Plan with a challenging layout for golfers of all skill levels. The views of the lake and its surroundings are soft on the eye with ample bird life, while each hole has a different and relaxed feel to it. Its unique features include a finishing hole with an island green that is not seen in many courses. Additional amenities and services include a driving range, caddies, equipment rentals and golf professionals to provide instruction for juniors and adults.

Take a trip to Paradise Island, an unspoiled paradise covered by dense tropical forest that is inhabited by monkeys as well as birds. Later, treat yourself to a tour around the fishing villages and meet Ugandans to learn their culture and ways.

Located 23 km offshore from Entebbe, this 100-acre forested island is a safe haven for juvenile/ orphaned chimpanzees who are free to enjoy the natural habitat on this wonderful island.

Enjoy fishing from the waters of the largest lake in Africa, Lake Victoria, at Paradise Island right off Entebbe.

The resort’s boating marina on Lake Victoria is located on a man-made bay featuring a channel and yacht basin with moorings for yachts and motorboats. Take a trip to the channel to Lutembe beach and view the exotic birdlife or cruise to Ngamba Island, a chimpanzee preserve where guests can participate in feeding the animals. Additionally, we offer dawn lunch and sundowner cruises for small groups.

The Gorilla tracking starting point is located just 2 minutes away from Mahogany Springs. This experience will remain in your memories forever and can not be put into words. $600 per permit per day.

A luxury Spa perched overlooking the river and forest. This Opatra London Spa offers luxurious facials, massages and foot treatments. Pre-booking is highly recommended.

Opatra uses the latest devices and cutting edge technology to deliver high-end skin care treatments and products.

Mahogany Springs is a bird watchers dream. Located on an open piece of land with a river running through. it is the ideal lodge for any keen bird watchers. Mahogany Springs also offers complimentary tours around their extensive gardens with their resident bird watching expert.

All clients can visit the school free of charge. It is 2 minutes away from Mahogany Springs by car or a 7 minute walk.

We support various community projects that our clients can visit all around the area

Located around 3 minutes away from Mahogany Springs this hospital is led by a phenomenal team of International doctors. Visit the hospital and learn all about the challenges and accomplishment's of running a hospital in a remote area like Bwindi.

Spend time with the Batwa/Pygmy tribe, one of the oldest tribes in the world. Learn all about their culture and traditions from mock hunting techniques, fire making, tree house building and more.

This escorted walk in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, traces the river up into the park, where 3 beautiful waterfalls can be found along the way.

Along the way you will see various wildlife including many bird species.

Spend time down by our river. The magical Munyanga river runs through Mahogany Springs. You can go for a lovely stroll along its banks or simply relax with an ice cool drink and let us serve you.

This amazing guided walk will take you all the way through to the South side of the Forest (Nkuringo). The walk can take 3-5 hours and is an experience never to be forgotten. Your luggage will be carried through the forest for you or can be driven around if you have a large amount. You will then have the experience of sleeping on both sides of the forest which are totally unique with their own views and of course different Gorilla Groups.

The Building of a permanent settlement for the Gahinga Batwa, Uganda

The Batwa are thought to be one of the oldest surviving indigenous people in the Central African Region. Known for their unique pygmy culture in the forests, the Batwa of the Virunga Mountains survived by hunting small game, gathering plants and fruits, living in caves and constructing huts of leaves and branches.

With international attention on conservation of the endangered mountain gorillas, the Mgahinga part of the Virunga volcanoes in Uganda was turned into a national park in 1991 to provide protection to the wildlife from poaching and habitat encroachment. The creation of the park required the Batwa to be removed from their homes in the mountains and be displaced in a modern world unfamiliar to them. The Batwa ended up squatting in nearby farm land. They earned a living through occasional labor or begging. With limited education, adapting to the modern world has been a difficult journey. They do not have resources or land and suffer from acute poverty, malnutrition and poor health.

Volcanoes Safaris has now built a permanent village for the Batwa community and their families. About 10 acres of land has been purchased to allow them to build homes, a community centre and have land for agricultural and recreational use. The homes were completed in early 2018 and the official launch of the village took place at the end of May 2018.

The Gahinga Batwa community is comprised of over 100 adults and children. They have had no permanent home since they left Mgahinga National Park over 25 years ago.

There is 1 gorilla family that can be easily tracked in MGahinga National Park, just a short distance from the lodge.

The cost is 700 USD per person per trek.

With only a small number remaining in the world, the Golden Monkey can be found in the foothills of the volcanic mountains of Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. Characterized by its bright golden body, cheeks and tail, with contrasting black limbs, crown and tail end, these playful primates are a pleasure to watch. Whether you choose to do this on the Rwandan or Ugandan side, the walk will take you from the bamboo stands and forested gorge on the lower levels of the volcanoes, to the elevated heath and moorland higher up.

Supported by the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, this hands-on experience will open your eyes to another world – that of one of Uganda’s longest surviving tribes. Visit the local Batwa community in their traditional dwellings and learn about how they have lived for generations in the surrounding forest.

Supported by the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, the local Batwa community visits Mount Gahinga Lodge and performs their traditional song and dance for lodge guests.

Guests staying at Virunga Lodge or Gahinga Lodge have easy access to the Virunga chain of volcanoes, which offer challenging hikes and stunning panoramas. The three most popular volcanoes to climb are Mt. Gahinga, Mt. Sabyinyo, and Mt. Muhavura. These hikes are of varying difficulty and typically take a full day. The treks starts at 7:00am from the park headquarters, from where visitors drive to the base of the volcano.

Located less than a kilometer from Mount Gahinga Lodge, the Kisozi Caldera is an easy to moderate hike to the top of a small hill where the caldera sweeps from corner to corner. A caldera is formed by volcanic eruptions, and many dot the stunning landscape of this volcanic region.

Both Uganda and Rwanda offer some of the world’s best bird watching, with a vast diversity of bird species. Uganda has over 1,000 bird species with 150 found only in Uganda. Rwanda has over 700 bird species and is home to the second highest number of Albertine endemics in the Albertine region. Each of our lodges offers the chance to see a number of different birds, with the vast majority endemic to the Region.

This exclusive experience allows a total group of 8 guests to track a gorilla group in the forest on their own. This enables guests to have a deeper connection with these fascinating animals, accompanied by their own guide who can give them personal briefing.

The cost is 5600 USD per trek per day in Uganda, for a maximum of 8 guests.

The lodge is available for exclusive use bookings.

Horse Safaris in and around Lake Mburo National Park

Mihingo Lodge has been operating horse safaris inside Lake Mburo National Park since 2009. We carefully adjust the rides according to the riding skills of each group; for beginners and inexperienced riders we only walk the horses. In fact, a walk on a horse is the best way to view game. It is peaceful and relaxing, and you get very close to the animals. For advanced riders there are also lovely stretches for trotting and cantering. We have 1 thoroughbreds (16 hands, weight limit 90kg), 2 five-year-old thoroughbred/ warmblood crossbreds (17 hands, weight limit 100kg), 3 thoroughbred/ Ethiopian pony crossbreds (13 hands, weight limit 75kg) and 2 tough Ethiopian ponies (12 hands, weight limit 60kg), in total 8 horses.
Inside Lake Mburo National Park where we ride on some fantastic routes. One of the best rides in the park is a 3- to 4-hours ride into Acacia valley where we often find the Rothschild giraffe. It is a fantastic feeling being close to the giraffe on horseback.

Horse safaris are an exciting way to see the wildlife around Mihingo Lodge. Without any engine sound and fumes you feel part of nature and often get the chance to see the more timid animals. It is an exhilarating experience not to be missed. We sometimes see Rothschild’s giraffe, eland, and buffalo and nearly always warthog, topi, impala, bushbuck, waterbuck, and zebra on our horse safaris, although this depends very much on the time of year and the rain fall in the area. Experiencing game from horseback is very special; zebra come towards you to check out the strange relative without

stripes. Even the normally very shy elands curiously look at the horses without running away, just keeping their distance. Mini Trappe who is one of the leading horse safari operators in Tanzania was amazed how beautiful the rids in Lake Mburo are.

Short Rides (1 to 2 hours):
One-hour rides are always done outside the park as it is not possible to reach good game viewing areas inside the park in such a short time. Even most 2 hours rides are mostly done outside the park as you will see more game outside the park on a short ride. If you are a very good rider and we canter a lot, we can reach some of the good areas in the Park in 2 hours but it is advisable to have more time.

Long Rides (3 to 4 hours):
If guests want to see giraffes and they are experienced riders, they will have a good chance if they book a 3- or 4-hours ride. For not experienced riders they need to book at least a 4-hours ride to make it into the areas where we find giraffes and back as they will mostly just be walking and maybe testing a bit of trotting. My favorite ride is a 4-hours ride on to Warukiri Ridge in the middle of the Park with lovely views into different valleys in the park and long canters in Research valley. From Warukiri Ridge you can see 8 of the lakes surrounding Lake Mburo National Park and in the rainy season the waterhole at the end of the ridge attracts buffalo and eland and sometimes you can even find a hippo in this waterhole on top of a hill.

Our maximum weight limit for guests is 100 kg, but most of our horses cannot carry more than 80 kg or less. We provide fully adjustable helmets in all sizes and chaps, and ride with English style saddles. We recommend that you wear long trousers and strong shoes, if possible, with heels. We are not taking more than six guests out at a time, but this depends on the weight of the riders and the availability of the horses. All our rides are accompanied by at least one experienced horse guide, but in most cases, there are two guides accompanying each ride.

Nearly all our guests absolutely loved the horse safaris no matter if experienced or first-time riders! For further information please contact our managers and reservations team on reservations@mihingolodge.com, call them on +256 752 410 509 or have a look at our website www.mihingolodge.com.

Please note that guests staying at Mihingo Lodge always have priority when it comes to rides, and we can’t book rides for guests staying in other lodges in advance and can only confirm a booking for guests not staying with us the evening before a morning ride and at midday on the same day of an afternoon ride if we have availability.

If you don’t feel like spending any more time in a car and you’re are not too comfortable on a horse then hire one of our good quality mountain bikes to explore the bush.

If you’re adventurous and like to keep fit, grab a bike and explore the sandy tracks outside the Park. You can hire one of our Mihingo guides to join you on your ride and make sure you don’t get lost! Tracks are suitable for a gentle family ride out taking in the wildlife all around but there is plenty for the more extreme riders to explore. Drive off the larger roads on to narrow animal paths and clamber over termite mounds while you put our bikes through their paces!

As we only have 2 bikes for kids please book early to avoid disappointment. Most of the year there is just as much wildlife beyond the borders of the Park as there is inside. You’re very likely to see zebra, impala, warthogs as well as a variety of other antelope.

Mountain Bike Safaris inside the Park can also be arranged.

Walking Safaris are a magical way to experience the bush. They allow you to notice smaller details often overlooked when in a car or riding a horse.

Within the Park:
All walks in the park must be accompanied with an armed UWA guide. You can technically walk anywhere in the park once a guide is in attendance. The most popular walks are inside the park, walking with giraffes, which is an incredible experience walking along with the totally habituated giraffe. You can get as close as 10 meters to these gentle giants. Longer walks onto Warukir Ridge are also possible with fantastic views and lots of wildlife.

Outside the Park:
You may take a walk with a Mihingo guide outside the park where you will often see just as many animals as inside. A 2 hour walk down the hill and into the valleys around the lodge is a great way to explore the area.

There are many beautiful drives to explore in the Park either heading out yourself with a map, with a guide or hiring the lodge open sided Land Rover or our stretch Land Cruiser. Research Track is one of our favourite drives where you are likely to see buffalo wallowing in the mud, zebra, impala, topi, bush buck and warthog.

For spectacular views, park at the bottom of Kazuma look-out and walk up to the top; from here the view is stunning and you can see 5 lakes including Lake Mburo. For some 4 x 4 driving during the rainy season Eland track is the most challenging.

Feel like doing nothing and relaxing to the maximum? Full body massages are available, taking approximately 1 hour. It is possible for two people to enjoy massages at the same time in our dedicated massage rondavel which is situated in the forest with birds and butterflies fluttering past.

Mihingo lodge has a hide about 40 metres to the south of the waterhole and saltlick visible from the dining room. One can easily spend several hours watching wildlife come and go and capture great pictures if you are quiet.

The 15 minute trail is signposted from below the dining room as ‘hide’.

If you travel a few further metres beyond the hide, you will find a second secret shelter known as the den. If you are feeling adventurous then quietly sneak along the path and crawl on your knees to reach inside this exciting new cavern, located even nearer to the watering hole.

If you are feeling extra energetic our Mihingo guides would love to take you out on a run roaming across the community lands (outside the park).

From 5km – 15km we will tailor the experience to meet your needs.

Mihingo Lodge has a hard surface tennis court a short walk from the main area. We have tennis rackets and balls for any of the guests who would like to play.

Lake Mburo is one of the few parks where you can go on a night game drive! At night there is a whole variety of animals that you would not see in the day including bush pigs, genet cat and white tailed mongoose to mention but a few. Night drives also give you the best chance of finding leopards, spotted hyena. It is an interesting experience out at night with a spotlight, an unusual twist on your regular game drives.

Please inform us in time, so we can organize your night drive as it is mandatory to have a UWA guide for all night drives. Also, there are only a limited number of spotlights so get in touch as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Night drives can be done in your own vehicle or in the Mihingo safari vehicle.

Hire a bike or take a short drive to one of the schools we support and see for yourself the work this school is doing for many of the children in the community. The parents in the community also contribute to the running of the school and often fees are waivered for orphans. Spend an hour interacting with the children, talking to the teachers or even running some of the games and activities you used to do at school. There is no charge for the school visit, but any donation or kind hearted gesture is appreciated, be it a few pens & books to sponsoring a student’s schooling.

A boat trip on Lake Mburo is the best way to see the lake and its inhabitants. It is particularly good for water birds (especially Finfoot, White-backed Heron and Fish Eagles) but you will also come across hippos, crocodiles and other animals coming down for a drink.

The boat trip takes approximately 1½ hours. Lifejackets are available at the landing site also in children’s sizes. The boat is small, holding a maximum of fourteen and has a covered roof.

Boat trips leave at 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm and 5.30pm

To get children interacting more with the environment and leave them enthused about the bush and its animals, Mihingo Lodge offers a bush experience for kids. On a two hours excursion, we can get them out interacting and learning about the bush and its animals. If you are interested in this for your children (or just want a few hours’ peace & quiet!) please speak to us to organise a bush experience.

We can combine a walking safari, a mountain bike safari or a horse ride starting at Mihingo Lodge with a bush breakfast.

Mihingo Lodge is one of the few places in Africa where you can watch thick-tailed Gallagos in their natural environment. These are a nocturnal primate species that have become very used to our guests and come to the platform below the bar most evenings.

We are very strict and only give them 2 small pieces of banana to ensure that they still have to forage for their own food which includes fruit, lizards, moths and other insects.

We never allow anyone to touch the Gallagos or take photos with a flash as this can easily damage their eyes. You will be able to see the thick-tailed Gallagos interacting with each other.

Bush babies hide during the day in order to avoid contact with predators such as eagles and large snakes and to avoid competing with Vervet monkeys for resources. Since they are easily captured on the ground they mostly stay in trees and rely on their extraordinary jumping abilities.