Mihingo lodge is a luxury eco-lodge located in Lake Mburo National Park which is Uganda’s smallest savannah National Park situated in western Uganda.
The lodge is a family owned lodge established in 2008 after it had been constructed by local craftsmen that built it by hands, cutting steps into the rocks and adorning the rooms with kikoy fabrics obtained from the islands of Kenya and other materials sourced from various parts of the country.
Mihingo lodge is perched high on a rocky kopje whose Precambrian granite boulders were formed over 500 million years and thus offering magnificent and spectacular views over a vast savannah landscape. This environmentally friendly lodge was lovingly built to blend into its natural surrounding using exposed rock surfaces, plaster mixed with natural pigments to reflect the lodge’s earthy surrounding, wood fashioned using limbs from dead olive wood trees and many more.
This lodge is known to offer comfort, relaxation and the best experience of being in nature.
The lodge therefore features a variety of facilities and services such as the following;
Accommodation
Mihingo lodge has up to 12 luxury tented rooms that blend into the surrounding environment designed to provide guests with tranquility and privacy.
Each of the rooms has its own unique features and its own enchanting name and offering stunning views of the savannah grasslands below where animals roam to graze and quench their thirst around watering holes.
The rooms were designed with walls of canvas and natural rocks each thatched with triangular and conical roofs. Each spacious canvas tent features an en-suite bathroom, showers with hot and cold running water, a four-poster bed, a mosquito net and other legit beddings, a writing desk, flushing toilets, a comfortable seating arrangement at the balcony to enjoy the spectacular views of the surrounding and many others. The rooms have therefore been sensitively designed to complement the local environment with great attention with its doorways being framed by stunning pieces of dead olive wood.
The lodge’s lights are solar-powered with each room having its own solar-powered water heater reflecting on its being environmentally friendly.
Restaurant and bar
The restaurant has canvas walls with a grass-thatched roof with rustic wooden furniture. Meals are put to table by the lodge’s professional chefs that prepare delicious meals both local and international. A higher spot on a kopje is always set for dinner for guests to enjoy the sweeping panoramic views of the surrounding and natural breezes from Lake Kacheera. The bar is well-stocked with all sorts of drinks such as wines, beers, spirits, soft beverages, cocktails and many more that guests sip either in a warm or cold ambiance of Lake Mburo National Park.
Swimming pool
The lodge also features an infinity swimming pool that overlooks the valley where animals can easily be seen at the water holes such as buffaloes, impalas, bush bucks, warthogs, elands, zebras and many more. This is the best place to cool after strenuous activities like cycling tours, nature walks, bird watching and many more as well as during the scorching heat of Africa.
The main lounge
This is the best place to relax while sipping a glass of wine or juice as well as reading your favorite book. The lounge is where guests receive their briefing about the lodge and several facilities that the lodge offers.
Several other services include strong Wi-Fi in the main hall, room service, laundry services, spacious parking, gift shop, local community guided tours to mention but a few.
Activities at Mihingo lodge
Horseback riding trips in Lake Mburo National Park
It is at Mihingo where one can view several animals while at the back of another animal. Trained staff in collaboration with Park rangers guides visitors on a 1 to 3 hours’ horseback adventure through the Park’s vast savannah grasslands where they marvel its natural beauty and diverse wild inhabitants.
Guided nature walks
Guided nature walks or walking safaris are easily done from the lodge for guests interested in exploring Lake Mburo National Park on foot and those yearning for its serenity. These guided nature walks often commence from Rwonyo with the guidance of an armed ranger to salt licks which is arguably the best place for wildlife viewing.
Game drives
An astonishing and exhilarating game viewing experience is guaranteed since Lake Mburo boasts with up 68 mammal species and over 350 bird species. Game drives are done from a pop-up safari vehicle with the guidance of a ranger guide through the Park’s wild inhabitants to see a variety of animals such as the burgeoning giraffe population, thriving hippo community, elands, impalas, warthogs, buffaloes to mention but a few.
Boat cruise in Lake Mburo
This rewarding experience is done along Lake Mburo as guests keep their eyes peeled for crocodiles busking along the Lake’s shores, schools of hippopotamuses and an array of bird species roam the Lake such as cormorants, kingfishers, African fish eagles, African Finfoot, pelicans, herons and many more. Vast wildlife species keep frequenting the Lake shores such as buffaloes, bushbucks, and other antelopes adding to the allure of the cruise experience.
Bird watching
From Mihingo lodge, bird watching enthusiasts have an opportunity to explore Lake Mburo National Park that presents up to 350 bird species. Bird watching is done either in the morning or evening with the guidance of an experienced birder guide who helps guests identify a variety of bird species in the wild. Bird watching can also be done on a boat cruise where visitors immerse themselves in a mesmerizing world of avian diversity.
Sport fishing
Fishing excursions can easily be organized for visitors at Mihingo lodge to Lake Mburo known to protect up to six fish species such as Angara fish, catfish, lungfish, tilapia and others. Fishing enthusiasts are advised to carry with their fishing equipment though there is a possibility of hiring them out from the fishing guides.
Community walks
This is where guests at Mihingo lodge can experience the deep-rooted cultures and traditions of people that live along Lake Mburo National Park known as the Bahima. Making visits to these communities, guests get an insight into the Bahima way of life where they learn the art of crafting local ghee, milking, preparing local dishes, engage in conversations with the locals and learn more about their traditions and cultures.
