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Acacia Wilderness Lodge is located on a peninsula inside Queen Elizabeth National Park, right next to Mweya Safari Lodge.
The resort describes itself somewhat modestly as a bed and breakfast – this is deliberate, an attempt at making it seem more palatable to the non-seasoned traveller and the everyday man, one would think.
It sits on a sprawling piece of real estate strategically located on what might be described as a cliff edge that offers a breathtaking view of Lake Edward and the surrounding peninsula.
Most tourist lodges in Uganda lean towards what you might call a ‘luxury’ definition, and this is inevitably reflected in their pricing, which targets incoming traffic from foreign tourists and affluent Ugandans.
There have been some attempts at tapping into the domestic tourism market, but this remains a tall order for the most part. Acacia Wilderness Lodge is one of a few tourist lodges I know of that blends luxury experiences and pocket-friendly prices. That is the reason I brushed away their modest self-definition of ‘bed and breakfast’. But I will get to that bit later.
Acacia Wilderness Lodge is the brainchild of the proprietor of Travel Neza, Laura Kagame, whose travel agency has cut a swath in the marketplace by specialising in leisure holiday packages. It was a niche market for Laura when she started the agency – no one was doing leisure holidays as an exclusive service. Travel Neza’s packages are impressively competitive when it comes to pricing, and the agency can pitch you a package anywhere on the planet- except Ukraine or Gaza (for obvious reasons); that is how wide their networks and concessions are.
It was inevitable that, eventually, she would delve into the domestic tourism market as a provider of facilities herself. She’s done so with something of a splash.
First, she’s noted how far Queen Elizabeth National Park is from the rest of the planet. Growing up, I often heard mythical tales of Mweya Safari Lodge and Queen Elizabeth National Park, and the one thing that stood out was the distance from Kampala. By road, it’s about seven hours away.
The package for Acacia Wilderness includes a hotel in Mbarara named Acacia Boutique Hotel. It is a neat little hotel in the centre of Mbarara, with an airy garden and broad menu, where we stopped for a complimentary meal (part of the package). We replenished ourselves (I must have polished off about 3 glasses of pineapple juice and 3 bottles of cold water, along with my meal – I opted for a cobb salad and a chicken biriyani) before we hit the road again. Our lunch break was about two hours; we needed it.
From Mbarara, we branched off to Kasese, content that we were fed and more than half the journey was over. I don’t think anyone can oversell how recuperative a road trip in Uganda can be for city folks. The countryside is filled with lush vegetation, more and more of its actual cultivation that can be breath-taking. At the same time, the trading centres offer a completely different take on what peri-urban living can be far from the nation’s capital. The Matooke and the tea farms stand out most – you get to understand other roles Agriculture plays with regarding to our Gross Domestic Product.
We turned off the main road at the Queen Elizabeth National Park entry. The sunset was spectacular, like something off a movie set, captured in its glory by the monolithic structures marking the park’s entrance.
The drive into the park as we made our way to Acacia Wilderness Lodge is an experience on its own. We drove past elephants, kobs, antelopes, and warthogs with impressive frequency, especially considering that this is not typically the route used for game drives.
Human activity in the park is closely monitored, with signs warning visitors about trash. We would also encounter the occasional labourer walking along the road and wonder at his bravery. Where there are herbivores, there are likely to be carnivores, after all.
Eventually, of course, the road led to the concession within Queen Elizabeth National Park where resort facilities are accepted. After presenting our bona fides, our vehicle was allowed into what looked curiously like a gated community, complete with its own fuel station. Off to the left of this entrance is Mweya Safari Lodge, its stately windows glowing in the twilight. We drove ahead and, after a couple of turns, entered the compound belonging to Acacia Wilderness Lodge.
Acacia Wilderness Lodge is a sprawling facility built to lend an air of expansiveness. Its main building has a reception area, a reservations area, a lounge, bar, restaurant, a library, a TV area (which came in handy when we were trying to catch up with the Premier League), and a porch with an infinity pool.
Flanking the main building on each side is a collection of 30 rooms, set up cleverly into semi-detached bungalows of sorts. The architecture is interesting, emphasising light and space, ecologically sound materials (there’s a lot of wood), and deliberate taste in the interior décor (the dining area is imposing in this regard). This was not just a bed and breakfast, no sir.
We were met by a reservations manager who obviously loves his job (his enthusiasm is infectious) and glasses of juice that I washed down with glee (I am a big juice fan).
After signing in, we were taken to our rooms and given a careful briefing. We were not to wander about casually because the compound within which Acacia Wilderness sits is not sealed off, so wild animals from the game park wander about with remarkable ease. This particular briefing is given with a level of seriousness that sounds like a legal disclaimer.
The rooms were gorgeous, large, and airy, with stone-themed bathrooms that you just had to love. We cleaned up and fled for supper—a seven-hour drive will make you hungry. Dinner was a loud, relieved affair—everyone was glad to be off the road, and the rustic, comfy set-up of Acacia Wilderness was a welcome change. Dinner was chicken stew, steamed rice, Irish potatoes, and a salad—easy on the palate and fortifying on the tummy.
After dinner the barman was inevitably busy, as everyone let their hair down. Some of the groups I had travelled with even swam in that ‘ole infinity pool. I don’t swim, so I was content to lounge in my seat, order a whiskey, throw some ice in it and take in the night air, which was just heavenly. I needed this.
Before long, it was time to hit the sack. We were escorted cautiously to our rooms, where I almost ran to my bed (it looked that inviting). I slept like I hadn’t slept in weeks, the cotton sheets soothing my skin in a vast, delightfully fluffy bed. The nip in the night air made those comfy beddings even comfier.
The next morning, we were greeted by a spectacular sunrise. Possibly because of the cleaner air and the stretches of landscape, and maybe because you have more time to notice it, the sun always seems ready to put on a show.
Everyone was scrambling to get ready for a day of sightseeing, which would include a game drive. Packing some sandwiches, fruit and water, we drove out of the park to the game drive section. Here, the animal population is much higher, with warthogs, menacing hippos wallowing, and tons of buffalo and antelope herds at every turn. We didn’t get to see any lions, which was kinda sad (but probably not sad for the antelopes). The rest of the day’s activities included a trip to the equator, which has a new monument that is somewhat more dramatic and easier on the eye than the old one, which is just a little sad and forlorn looking. By coincidence, it was International Tourism Day or something like that, so the location was jam packed with humans and the media and influencers.
The girls managed to sneak a few pictures of the shiny new equator monument in between press pictures with the Minister of Tourism Tom Butiime and the Uganda Tourism Board CEO Lily Ajarova.
We then visited a pair of crater lakes set up on top of a medium mountain range whose name I will have to recall from our guide and driver, an equable fellow named Jimmy. The crater lakes are viewed from a hilltop whose drop is spectacular and terrifying. The view is just gorgeous.
The locals have an interesting myth about the twin crater lakes, which have been paired together for time immemorial.
“Couples come here to propose to each other, and those relationships tend to be long and stable, as long, legend says, as the lakes have been together. It’s good luck for love and relationships to visit this place, even to renew your vows,” our guide added, looking meaningfully at a group of 5 women who were there to celebrate a friend’s birthday and had come without their partners. Maybe next time, they could do a repeat visit with husbands in tow. The group of women cackled to the skies at the idea.
We returned for a quick lunch before we were hauled off for a boat ride. The boat ride offers a spectacular perspective of the resort—you can watch the spread from the lake as it looms over the peninsula.
After the boat ride, everyone was left to their devices while waiting for dinner. I returned to the restaurant and its swimming pool deck with its spectacular views. Out in the lounge, three or four lads from another group were watching the Arsenal game. I caught up with that for a few minutes (very satisfactory ending, by the way) and returned to the restaurant and took in the rest of the folks in the place. It was a curious mix.
Acacia Wilderness welcomes walk – ins, something unheard of in tourism resorts. In one corner was a party of about 6 – two Americans and their Ugandan friends, celebrating a birthday. In another, the mayor of Hoima was in town along with a pair of Kampala-based politicians. In another family of four, a mother and father of two little children had come out for tea and snacks. The father met my gaze and held it. His gaze seemed to say that I am here for Sunday tea with my family. It was an eclectic gathering of people. A lot of the obviously foreign guests were there alongside other local friends, a theme that seemed to repeat itself each way I looked. Interesting.
I used the portable Bluetooth speaker that our group had to play music off YouTube. The ladies in our group loved local music, so I threw that into the mix, working my way through songs from Rema (Sili Muyembe), Irene Namubiru and Julie Mutessasira (Yani) and Chris Evans (Ndikusasulaki), I stayed carefully away from Gloria Bugie because she identifies as a musician, but I am not going to have her impose what she believes herself to be on me. Eventually, I threw in some Eagles (Hotel California) and Led Zeppelin (Stairway to Heaven). The group with the Americans cheered.
I worked my way through a whiskey, coke and ice cube combination that was all about letting my hair down. It was the most relaxed I have been in two years.
For dinner, I chose deep-fried fish in sweet and sour sauce and chapatti. The fish was elegantly fried, the gravy deliciously heavy, and the chapatti option I went with was the right choice – delicate, light on the palate and tasty.
The chef seemed a little overwhelmed by the numbers, and I didn’t blame him. The erratic nature of walk-ins and an open house policy will do that to you when you have to scramble to respond to them and their varied demands.
The five women who were with our group were having a lavish birthday celebration and passed some cake around courteously to everyone. It was a huge cake with lots to go around, but more importantly, it was delicious. Some of the girls in our group ended up in the pool again. I lounged out on the restaurant porch, enjoying the fact that the bar seemed to have an endless supply of ice.
Eventually, we were escorted back to our rooms. While I had an evening shower, the hot water creating a steam fog in my bathroom, I heard the beginnings of a storm outside and grinned to myself. There a few better things than a storm in the wild, and it rained through most of the night.
The next morning was bittersweet because we were leaving. A lavish spread was put out for us, possibly to rub this in. We ate watching the rain-drenched view from that timeless restaurant porch. We hit the road fast and hard, and everyone was anxious to get back to Kampala. We stopped over in Mbarara for some folks to pick up snacks at the KFC, but my focus was different – Lukaya. Once we were there, I went over to the stoves and picked up some roasted chicken and some roasted liver. The drop-off took place at the Travel Neza office in Kisementi, and we all parted with the usual promise to keep in touch. I struggled not to roll my eyes at that one.
On my way to my place, dodging potholes and the Sunday traffic, I knew I planned to go back to the Wilderness.
I wanted more – and with rates like theirs, it was more than likely.