Engagi Lodge is one of the luxury accommodation facilities in Buhoma that give you a breathtaking scenery overlooking Bwindi Forest. Engagi Lodge is situated in the Buhoma sector of the Park and spans from the main road then to the park headquarter and then down to River Munyaga. The lodge was constructed using locally made materials around the areas especially rocks, and the famous eucalyptus trees within the area. The rooms of the lodge are mainly thatched by grass and banana fibers that were easily obtained from the local community members. Visitors staying at Engagi Lodge have got a chance to walk around the river and see different wildlife species including birds.

Rooms and Rates at Engagi Lodge.

There are eight self-contained cottages at Engagi Lodge that are well spaced, spaced out, and veiled in the greenery. Each chalet has got double, twin, and a bathroom with hot and cold running water and decent private flushing toilets. All 8 have got a private verandah where you can sit and enjoy your morning or evening coffee as you take the cool breezes for the forest. Relaxing at your verandah allows you to see the nice-looking canopy of the forest. The cottages are powered by solar as a way to promote sustainable ecotourism and minimize the negative impacts on the environment. You can also have the charging spots where you can charge your phone from and wood-burning boilers to supply hot water so in short Engagi Lodge is an eco-friendly Lodge. The rooms at Engagi Lodge go united stated dollars 250 per person per night with a Full board meal however this price may be higher in the dry season which comes in July, August, September, December, January, and February and this is regarded as the peak season.

How to access Engagi Lodge in Buhoma

You can get to Engagi Lodge directly from Kabale or Entebbe / Kajjansi by private means of transport and this will take you around 8-9 hours to drive from Kampala to the lodge. Visitors using public transport will need to board a bus from the Kampala Kisenyi bus terminal and the buses charges around 12 dollars per seat. The bus will drive you in the southwestern direction up to Kabale and then to Kisoro towns and once you have arrived in these towns then you can now use the services of a Boda Boda or a special hire to drive you to the lodge. A special hire can charge you around USD30 depending on your bargaining power. There are also domestic chartered flights from Entebbe / Kajjansi to Kisoro/Kihihi airstrips and then from here, you can link with the driver-guide.  Heras country resort can as well be accessed from Kigali Rwanda and in fact, this is a shorter distance as it will take you only 4-5 hours to drive from Kigali to the lodge via Cyanika or Katuna Rwanda border with Uganda. Upon reaching Kisoro or Kabale towns, you again drive for an additional one to two hours to reach the Engagi lodge.

What to do at Engagi Lodge?

Visitors can decide to stay at Engagi lodge while on their honeymoon vacation, birthday holidays, and family adventures. While staying at this lodge then expect to engage in the following activities

Gorilla trekking

Gorilla trekking is the chief activity do in the Buhoma trekking sector for visitors staying at Engagi Lodge.  The lodge is about 20 minutes to Buhoma park headquarters and then about one and a half hours to Ruhija Park headquarters. This activity of gorilla trekking in the Buhoma and Ruhija Gorilla trekking sectors will enable you to see the habituated mountain gorilla families. And therefore you don’t know to miss this activity while on your flying safari to the Buhoma gorilla trekking sector.  The journey to gorilla trekking starts after a briefing at the headquarter at Buhoma at 7:00 am. The briefing is done to ensure that the visitors don’t deviate from the gorilla trekking rules that might the behaviors of the gorillas. Some visitors have found gorilla trekking trips so tiresome and ended up hiring porter services to help them with their luggage and sometimes may give you a hand while walking. Mountain gorillas are not far ways close to human beings as they share 95% of the DNA with that of humans. This makes it so interesting to come and be nearby these human-like creatures

Gorilla permits are a must requirement when it comes to gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable forest National Park. Each gorilla family is visited by 8 visitors per day in Buhoma and once you contact us at Africa Adventure Vacations via our website page we shall send you the invoices and a book your permit temporality and once you make payments then, Africa Adventure Vacations will book and secure your permits and send you a copy of the receipt showing clearly the booking ID to confirm that your gorilla trekking. The process of getting the gorilla permit is not difficult as you can get it through your permit through Africa Adventure Vacations. Gorilla trekking permits are only allowed to clients/visitors/persons above 15 years.

Gorilla Habituation Experience

It is only in Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park that the Gorilla habituation process is done. Staying at Engagi Lodge is of great importance for visitors to go for gorilla habituation experience trips. In this activity, visitors will be allowed to spend 4hours with a gorilla as they learn how they are being trained to get familiar with people. However, only 4 people will be allowed for this great experience. The cost of a gorilla habituation permit in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in United States dollars 1500 per visitor per trek. Just book with us in advance your gorilla habituation experience permit in advance.

Birding and Nature Walk

Buhoma is an excellent bird-watching sector in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. Bwindi Impenetrable forest National park records over 348 species of birds which include the twenty-five 25 restricted-range species with twenty-three accustomed to the Albertine Rift. Some of the bird species that only be spotted in the Bwindi impenetrable forest national park Buhoma sector include Shelley’s Crimson-wing – which is vulnerable, Chapin’s Flycatcher, -African Green Broadbill, and Grauer’s Rush Warbler among others. Staying at Engagi Lodge will enable you not only to see gorillas but also different bird species. The birding trail that leads you to River Munyaga is exciting since the place is full of bird species. Birds such as African Green Broadbill, Grauer’s Warbler (and Short-tailed Warbler can only be seen in the Bwindi Buhoma sector and the broadbill are believed to be close to Asian species as compared to African species.

Community and Batwa experience

While staying at Engagi lodge, you will be able to visit the local communities especially those around Buhoma in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park should be an activity that you should not miss. Batwa people’s community experience is the best. These were known as pygmies until when they were removed from the park and now stay around the park as adjacent communities. These people are so good and have been integrated into the conservation of the park. Your stay at Engagi Lodge will enable you to interact with the Batwa and learn more about their culture and their ways of life.  See their ancestral homes which are the forests, communicate with them as they will lecture you on how best they used to hunt and gather fruits since these were their livelihood activities. There are different women groups engaged in making local crafts and selling different kinds of foodstuff. There are several community schools around the park and feel that you can as well visit these community schools and support them with simple scholastic materials at your will.