Bakers Lodge

Bakers Lodge has ten individual eco-friendly safari suites. The suites all have thatched roofs, with high exposed thatch ceilings adding dimension and character to the suites. The suites are spacious, open plan and filled with bright, natural light which floods in from one side of the suite which is completely open, affording a panoramic view of the rolling grasslands and across the river. Mosquito netting curtains can be drawn across this side during the night time to keep the pesky bugs out.

All the furniture in the rooms is handcrafted and wooden, including the bed which comes complete with surrounding mosquito netting and sits facing the open side, allowing guests to enjoy the breathtaking view from the comfort of their own bed. All suites come with an ensuite bathroom, with showers and claw-footed freestanding bathtubs, for a relaxing soak. Each suite also comes with its own private decking so guests can unwind in privacy and take in their surroundings.

Guests can dine in the central lounge and dining area, and feast on food which is freshly prepared and a rainbow of colours. The bar, which is built around a large tree branch offers a variety of refreshing beers, creative cocktails and fine wines. The dining room has a wooden decking area, where guests can enjoy al fresco meals such as breakfast during the gentle sunrise or dinner at sunset, with views of the flowing Nile River.

For a traditional African safari experience guests can go on a Game Drive. The drive will take you through the rolling savannah area of the northern bank and includes s short boat trip which leads guests to an area excellent for animal spotting. Guests may see giraffe, lion, leopard, elephant, antelope or buffalo, and a wide range of bird life.

Guests have the opportunity to relax on a boat safari, floating along the river, all the way to the famous Murchison Falls – the main attraction of the park. A variety of wildlife and bird life can be seen from the boat, and you may be lucky enough to spot some Nile crocodiles or a lazy hippo pod. Also available is a boat safari to the Victoria Nile Delta, where guests can see some of the rarer wetland birds such as the white winged warbler, papyrus yellow warbler and shoebill. A shorter cruise is available to guests, for a more relaxing afternoon gliding down the river – or enjoy a unique sunrise cruise, which includes breakfast, or a sunset or summoner cruise, in the golden tones of the evening light.

Guests can travel to Budongo Forest, which is where roughly 90 habituated chimpanzees live. Guests can trek through the forest to try to catch a glimpse of these amazing creatures. Distance has to be maintained – but once found – guests can spend an hour observing the chimpanzees in the wild. The minimum age for this activity is 15 years, however birding walks to see some of the amazing birdlife are available for all ages.

For a once-in-a-lifetime hike, guests can hike to the Murchison Falls. The magnificent falls can be viewed from the top before following a trail down the falls to the bottom, where guests can view the falls in all their glory and marvel at this wonder of the world.

For fishing enthusiasts, this area of the Nile River is a must for sport fishing. Operating on a catch-and-release system, guests can fish with a guide and may be able to catch a Nile Perch or one of the many species of catfish swimming through the waters.

For a once-in-a-lifetime experience guests can view the Murchison Falls National Park from a truly unique, birds-eye perspective. Glide serenely through the air and enjoy uninterrupted views over the top of dense forests at sunrise and witness the falls from your balloon. A delicious bush style breakfast is served when you have landed where you can enjoy eating surrounded by the wilds of the National Park.

If a break from the afternoons heat is what you’re looking for then you can enjoy unwinding poolside, or go for a refreshing dip in the cooling waters of the swimming pool.

Bakers Lodge believes in a low impact tourism model, especially in regards to the wildlife of Uganda and the heritage of the country. All activities and tours are set up to be as least invasive as possible, both to the local communities and to the wildlife. The lodge also operates eco-friendly initiatives, to ensure their impact on the environment is as small as possible.

The Future Generations Trust is “an extension” of Bakers Lodge, funded by both Wild Frontiers and Exclusive Camps and Lodges Uganda. “Each person and bed night” at Bakers Lodge contributes towards the trusts’ income and they have various goals which they wish to achieve through this trust. One such goal is to reduce human/wildlife conflict which arises when people have to share their land, and farm land with wild animals, they are helping to reduce this by creating “a new generation of conservationists.”

Community support is also another big part of the trust and they have an emphasis on supporting and promoting sustainable projects and programmes to the communities surrounding the lodge. Staff volunteer programmes are encouraged “to assist local communities and younger generation educational projects.” Finally, The Future Generations Trust helps to ensure that Bakers Lodge’s impact on the environment is as ethical as possible as well as being “environmentally friendly and sustainable.”

The running and operations of Bakers Lodge and Exclusive Camps and Lodges Uganda are managed by an almost exclusively Ugandan staff. All staff also belong to industry and trade associations, making sure their workers and employment rights are protected. Whenever new staff members are needed the local community is always the first port of call.

Ishasha Wilderness Camp – another camp which is part of Exclusive Camps and Lodges Uganda – provides assistance to their local community uplift group, and sells the hand crafted products at the camp, providing an income for the crafters. Also supported by Exclusive Camps and Lodges Uganda is the Bwindi Hospital in Buhoma, they support the hospital with annual donations since they believe the hospital “plays a big part in supporting this large and scattered community.” Similarly, ‘Ride for a Women in Buhoma’ is a charity which is supported by the Future Generations Trust due to its aim of empowering women in the local area who struggle with domestic violence, poverty and HIV.

The Trust buys, uses and sells the womens locally made and hand crafted products, and taking guests of Exclusive Camps and Lodges Uganda to see these projects. The heritage of the area is also supported by The Future Generations Trust, by encouraging guests of their camps to visit the Batwa Trail in Bwindi, this trial was “created by the displaced Batwa pygmies to educate their children and to share their amazing heritage and traditions with the world.” This project is also self-sufficient for the Batwa people, making it sustainable and shining light on their culture through their own autonomy.

The Future Generations Trust actively supports and encourages others to support the ‘Uganda Conservation Foundation’. This organisation is involved in many projects around Uganda which helps to conserve and protect the local wildlife, such as anti-poaching activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park and Murchison Falls National Park as well as supporting specific projects such as the ‘Elephant trench’ which is close by Ishasha Wilderness Camp. The Trust is also a stakeholder in the ‘Lion Alliance’ which works in Queen Elizabeth National Park to help “recover the lion population” and to address “lion-human wildlife conflict” and work to reduce this.

The Trust has also become involved in an organisation called ‘Wildlife Clubs of Uganda’ which was started in 1975, and aims to protect wildlife and conservation by educating youth and engaging them, to help them “realise the importance of Uganda’s wildlife.” The Future Generations Trust has wildlife clubs at Paraa Primary School in Murchison Falls National Park, Zendaiere Primary School which is adjacent to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Watoto Primary School which is adjacent to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

All the lodges which are a part of Exclusive Camps and Lodges Uganda strive to be as environmentally friendly as possible, and aim to leave as small an ecological footprint as possible where they operate. All the camps are constructed from local materials, with designs that are conscious of their surroundings not requiring “huge foundations and thick brick walls.” When designing and building the camp local products such as the “bed spreads, local furniture, matting, baskets and local art” are found, thus helping local industries and communities as well as keeping their footprint low. There is also an emphasis on Ugandan products for the dry goods the camps use, such as coffee, sugar, flour and honey – with the camps avoiding “using products of manufacturing companies known to not be using sustainable production methods.”

Exclusive Camps and Lodge Uganda are part of a so-called “War on Waste”, to reduce their waste from their camps they are constantly innovating and searching for the “best available practices to actively minimise the amount of waste” they produce. Currently, they utilise recycling, repairing and all their waste disposal systems are “designed and implemented in line with Ugandan environmental laws.”

The water heating is done with “energy efficient burners” which don’t use trees or any supplies from within the protected National Park areas, and guests are encouraged to reuse their towels and to not have fresh linen every day as a way to save on the camp’s water usage. The water supply is mainly “rainfall and gravity fed” to utilise the natural resources around them. Also utilising the natural resources are the solar panels which harness the sun light and convert it to energy, used for lighting and part of their power supply.