Newly built, magnificent lodges have popped up in several of the country's ten national parks, making it a welcoming, landlocked country (all with amenities you might not expect from their remote locations: Hot showers, flush toilets, and delicious restaurants come standard). Here are seven of the best places to stay in Uganda (the Pearl of Africa), from sumptuous "glamping" tents only feet from the Nile to exclusive lodges nestled amid a tangle of jungle.
Mahogany Springs Safari Lodge: This property, nestled in the Virunga Volcanoes Mountain range, features sun-drenched cottages, a sweeping main lodge with views of the Munyanga River, and the beautiful lake Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. After a day of gorilla tracking, unwind next to the fireplace or on the wraparound terrace; Bwindi is one of only a few spots in the world where people may get within feet of mountain gorillas, who eat, play, and slumber without giving their guests a second consideration. This is one of the best places to stay in Uganda.
Apoka Safari Lodge: Kidepo Valley National Park is in northern Uganda, near the borders of South Sudan and Kenya. This is the safari holiday you've always imagined: a dry, fawn-colored terrain filled with Tim Burton–esque acacia bushes and big Kigelia trees, with the roar of lions rolling in from a distance. Apoka Safari Lodge is a gorgeous oasis of luxury places to stay in Uganda in the heart of the rough savannah, with an open-air main lodge, a curated handicraft shop, and even a luxurious swimming pool, not to mention ten attractive cottages in Uganda with individual terraces and outdoor stone tubs. Come for the solitude; my party saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, lions, and no other jeeps on three half-day game excursions.
Kyambua Gorge Lodge: The eight-cottage resort, which is built in a converted coffee processing facility, boasts magnificent views of the densely forested Kyambura Gorge as well as the fabulously biodiverse Queen Elizabeth National Park. Thanks to its diverse ecosystem, including papyrus swamps, crater lakes, and broad, rolling savannah, the 764-square-mile park is home to about 100 animal species and over 600 bird species. It's also a great place to go birding, monitoring chimps, and seeing lions, leopards, elephants, and other animals, as well as visiting the Rwenzori Sculpture Foundry & Gallery, which features the work of European and Ugandan artists. Made from locally sourced, ecologically friendly materials and fitted and manufactured by local craftsmen, Kyambura Gorge is one of the modern and luxurious places to stay in Uganda.
Baker's Lodge: A little notice put next to a hanging rattan seat on the grounds of this Nile-front resort warns, "Beware of Crocodiles." Hippopotami, buffalo, baboons, monitor lizards, and a slew of other animals are known to saunter along the river, past this property's Plein air lodge, eight thatched "safari rooms," and small patches of outdoor seating. Go on a water safari past herds of elephants, hippos, and more crocs than you can handle with Baker's as your home base, then stop at Murchison Falls National Park's eponymous cascade for a walk to the top: The Nile, which is miles wide at other times, squeezes through a canyon that is just 23 feet wide at the summit
Ishasha Wilderness Camp: The Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to one of only two known populations of tree-climbing lions, making it a birdwatcher's dream. (Yes, the pride is truly resting among the knobby branches of fig trees.) The only camp inside the park, Ishasha Wilderness Camp, is a constellation of ten luxury canvas tents placed close to the Ntungwe River, allowing convenient access to safari drives and sundowners viewing the magnificent African bush. The site also offers morning hot-air balloon flights, where guests willing to awake before dawn are rewarded with views of predators on the hunt.