Where to stay in Mabira Forest?

Mabira Forest is situated in Buikwe district between Kampala and Jinja in central Uganda. There are plenty of accommodations to choose from where you will stay while there. These include.

The Rainforest Lodge

This is an eco-friendly accommodation in the heart of Mabira Forest. The Rainforest Lodge is strategically positioned between 2 major Ugandan cities — Kampala and Jinja. The Rain Forest Lodge features 12 independent timber cabins, a swimming pool, conference and seminar facilities, sauna, and a massage place. All the cabins in the Rainforest Lodge feature ensuite bathrooms and individual viewing decks. Single, double/twin, and triple rooms are available.

All rooms offer panoramic views of the forest. Even without a guide, any guest at Rainforest Lodge can enjoy a soothing nature walk in Mabira Forest. This helps in rejuvenating your senses that are often affected by the bustle of city life. The staff offer some of the best services you will ever experience. These range from cooking, massaging, security, an on-site bar, laundry, and other personalized services. The food prepared also includes various international dishes.

At the on-site bar, plenty of drinks are available for you to choose from. The drinks menu features whiskeys, spirits, beers, champagne, sodas, etc. There is a lounge for you to soak in the ambience as you sip your drink, unwind, and converse quietly. You can also lounge on the poolside recliners. Bonfires are created every dusk to provide you with warmth and a space for social interactions under the vast night sky. The Rainforest Lodge is 55.8 kilometers from Kampala, along the Kampala-Jinja highway.

Griffin Falls Camp

This is also situated within Mabira Forest. The accommodation options in Griffin Falls Camp are divided into self-contained eco-nests, modest bandas, quadruple banda and camping. They offer twin beds and four beds for guests to enjoy a restful night’s sleep. Griffin Falls Camp has a spacious, eco-friendly restaurant where local and western cuisines are served. Eating in the quiet embrace of Mabira Forest ensures that each guest enjoys a natural calm with other guests.

At Griffin Falls Camp, the atmosphere and facilities are conducive to holding conferences, seminars, and workshops. The conference rooms are equipped with comfortable chairs, functional tables, and modern presentation equipment to ensure a seamless meeting/conference. In the absence of hydropower, solar and standby generators are available alternatives offered by Griffin Falls Camp.

Staying at Griffin Falls Camp is the perfect way to wake up and do a canopy super skyway. From here, you can also do birdwatching, forest walks, and archery, among others. Camping here is a unique experience because you enjoy the sound of the forest at night. Griffin Falls Camp is situated 54.4 kilometers from Kampala. This is when you travel along the Kampala-Jinja highway.

How to reach there?

The best mode of transport to the Rainforest Lodge and Griffin Falls Camp is road transport. Driving to the Rainforest Lodge takes almost 2 hours if traffic and road conditions are favorable. Driving to Griffin Falls Camp also takes almost the same time, and you will drive via the same route. This being a scenic drive, you will have plenty of landscapes to see while on the road. Enroute, you may wish to visit the Sezibwa Falls to see this natural wonder.

We offer a diverse range of vehicles that you will need to travel to any of the accommodations mentioned. SUVs, sedans, safari vans, or even buses are available in our fleet for private transportation. You can hire any of these for a safe and comfortable travel experience to Mabira Forest. A driver guide with a lot of knowledge about the travel will also be offered for you to travel safely and comfortably.

What to do in Mabira Forest?

With a wide mass area full of epic attractions, Mabira Forest paves the way for exploration due to various things to do, as shown below.

Mangabey tracking

Tracking mangabeys offers a uniquely amazing chance to track and see a habituated mangabey troop in the wild. Excellent guides are offered by Mabira Forest management to ensure that you see these old-world monkeys express their unique behaviors. While on the mangabey trails, you have a great chance of encountering other primates like baboons, etc.

Ziplining

This is an opportunity to reach the tree-tops of Mabira Forest while flying at high speed. You also get a unique perspective of Mabira Forest since you can observe the scenery, birds, primates, and ground mammals while ziplining. The thrilling ziplining is operated by experienced people who will ensure that you are safe in the air.

Nature walk

A guided nature walk is a key tour activity in Mabira Forest. This is thanks to the availability of numerous nature trails inside the forest. These have been created to ensure that visitors can access various forest mammals, birds, trees, herbs, scenes, butterflies, and waterfalls, etc.

Birdwatching

Birding is a captivating activity that visitors will enjoy in a forest with at least 316 bird species. So, expect to view the white-spotted flufftails, yellow-throated tinkerbird, sooty boubou, and speckled tinkerbird, among others. Birding can be done while tracking mangabeys, ziplining, and during a nature walk.

Sándor Jakubinyi

14:31 22 Feb 24

2019 megigazulás

12:45 21 Feb 24

We went on a two-week trip with my family, organised by Coleb from Standard Safaris.

I had my concerns about organised trips, but this one didn’t justify any of those. Everything went very smoothly, even when some problems arose with one of the cars it got fixed by next morning, the accomodations were clean and comfortable, the programs were exciting and well-balanced - everything was done to a truly high standard.

If you plan to visit Uganda and are looking for a guide, I warmly recommend Coleb and his team. In case you have a choice of drivers, go for Godwin, his presence made this trip even more enjoyable - cheerful, helpful, good sense of humour, generally a great person. Just look for the guy with a big smile and big heart:)

Bert Simoens

09:38 08 Jan 24

We recently embarked on a safari adventure with Standard Safaris in Uganda, which was truly exceptional. Our guide, Yonah, was outstanding - his kindness, knowledge, and discretion significantly enhanced our experience. He was the heart of our trip.

The local company's planning was offering a tailor-made journey that matched our interests. We saw an array of wildlife in Murchison, enjoyed rafting at Jinja, and experienced mountain biking at Sipi. A visit to Kidepo National Park was a highlight and comes highly recommended.

The vehicle provided was comfortable and reliable. We highly recommend Standard Safaris for anyone seeking an unforgettable safari in Uganda. Their professionalism and the exceptional guidance of staff like Yonah make them an great choice.

Michał Kostrzewa

00:41 15 Nov 23

We are all extremely grateful Standard Safaris for an incredible East Africa experience. I recently booked a custom trip for group of 8 people, including an 8-year-old boy, from Kampala through Queen Elizabeth National Park and on to Rwanda and Burundi. Coleb delivered on everything that was discussed and agreed upon beforehand.

The car provided was in great condition and our driver Meddy went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable, informed, and had the best possible time. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. All local services were inlcuded in (reasonable) price that we agreed, so there was no need to worry about payments during the 6 day trip. Also Standard Safaris agreed took care about safety and security by helping us organize armed ranger while in the park.

The whole trip was hassle-free and smooth. We saw amazing wildlife in Queen Elizabeth NP, took in the sights of Rwanda and Burundi, and made lifelong memories.

I would happily book with Standard Safaris again in a heartbeat and recommend them wholeheartedly to anyone looking for the best East Africa trip. They provide top-notch service while ensuring you have an incredible, customized experience. If you want a hassle-free, flawlessly organized African adventure, Standard Safaris is the tour operator to book with.

Ivan Nammanda

18:31 27 Oct 23

Very organized travel operator who chose awesome guide to make our trip wonderful.

We booked a nine days trip with Standard Safaris and all was perfect from start to finish. Coleb was very prompt at replying and easy to liaise with ahead of the trip. We had done a lot of research and had an itinerary in mind and Coleb helped us to put everything together to make this happen for a very reasonable price.  On the trip we had a private vehicle for the whole tour which was exactly what we wanted. Bryan was our driver and an amazing guide - really friendly and knowledgable, working hard to find the things that we wanted to see and quickly understanding what was of interest to us/how much information to give.

Would highly recommend a trip to Uganda with Standard Safaris. We are definitely coming back soon!

MUGAIGA KENNETH

18:01 27 Oct 23

The company has very courteous tour guides with wide knowledge of fauna and frola in the whole of East Africa.
The choice of safari Lodges is good with first class treatment.
Game drive security is assured.
Almost The whole of September I was traversing through DRC, Uganda,and Rwanda on a gorilla tour and wildlife expedition.
Everything was arranged and booked perfectly by Standard Safaris.
The owner, Coleb was always helpful whenever we needed to ask questions about this gorilla safari in Uganda and beyond.
It was a complex expedition but Standard safaris and Coleb made it look amazingly easy.
I’ll recommend Standard safaris 200%, for all gorilla safaris in Uganda, Rwanda and wildlife tours in east africa.

travel uganda

16:35 27 Oct 23

This is so far the best gorilla trekking company in Uganda, and africa, by far. I had a wonderful time with Standard Safaris as a solo traveler.
My guide was excellent and our safari planner, Coleb was quick with responses and the prices were very friendly.
I’ll definitely book with Standard safaris on my next gorilla tour in Rwanda and Uganda.