Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge Opens in Uganda

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Located high on a ridge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge looks down into the thick treetop canopy of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. © Michael Rourke.

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Guests will enjoy comfortable surroundings and unparalleled local hospitality after what is arguably one of the top wildlife viewing experiences. © Michael Rourke.

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Through guest fees and other income, the lodge pours resources back into mountain gorilla conservation and projects that support community well-being. © Michael Rourke.

VIRUNGA HEARTLAND, UGANDA--High up in the mountains of southwestern Uganda, on the edge of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, a new community tourism venture has just opened for business. Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge is the result of a unique partnership between the Nkuringo community, the African Wildlife Foundation through the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP), and a leading private operator.

Designed to protect the habitat of the critically endangered mountain gorilla, the lodge will directly benefit the Nkuringo community, which has a significant ownership stake in the venture through the Nkuringo Community Development Foundation (NCDF). With strategic support from IGCP, NCDF planned and secured financing for the lodge, which was built with funds from USAID.

The Uganda Safari Company, a leading private operator, will manage the lodge in partnership with NCDF. Guest fees and other income will be reinvested to conserve mountain gorilla habitat and in community development projects such as improving roads.

Visitors to Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge come to view Uganda’s Nkuringo group of mountain gorillas. Habituated for tourism only since 2004, these gorillas range at the southeastern edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Park.

Along with 10 comfortable stone cottages, the lodge has a main building that includes a reception area, dining room, and lounge. From the main balcony, guests can look out into the lush montane rainforest of the Virunga Volcanoes.

The lodge is part of IGCP’s tri-national program to protect the highly endangered mountain gorilla. Earlier this year, AWF and its other coalition partners dedicated Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, a high-end lodge that puts mountain gorilla conservation to work for the people of northern Rwanda. This year Condé Naste Traveler named Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge one of the world’s hottest new destinations.

To learn more about IGCP’s work, click here.

To plan your visit to Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, click here.