Mweya Safari Lodge

You stay at Mweya Safari Lodge on a peninsula in Queen Elizabeth National Park, where the Kazinga Channel connects Lake George to Lake Edward. The lodge looks out over the water, with views of the Rwenzori Mountains to the west. Rooms, cottages, and safari tents are set on raised platforms, each with private bathrooms, furnished patios, and fans. The Classic Rooms face Lakes George and Edward; the Deluxe Rooms add air-conditioning; the Superior Suites include living rooms; and the tents sit closer to the water.

Game drives leave twice daily — mornings cold, afternoons golden — and the lodge’s vehicles go out with rangers who know the park’s wildlife: elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, and the occasional giant forest hog. The Kasenyi sector to the east is known for its lions, which hunt the Uganda kob that graze there. Boat trips on the Kazinga Channel are quieter, drifting past hippos and birds on the banks.

The Tembo Bar serves drinks beside the water, and the restaurant plates meals with views of the channel. The lodge supports the local Kazinga Community through education programs, working with USAID and the Pearls of Uganda initiative to expand the primary school and promote conservation education.

The Kazinga Channel flows west from Lake George to Lake Edward, but the change in water level is slight — forty centimetres over thirty-six kilometres — so the current moves slowly. From the lodge terrace, it is hard to tell which way the water is going.