On the southern bank of the Victoria Nile, inside Murchison Falls National Park, eight thatched bandas stand raised on poles above the river, set into the papyrus forest that runs along the water’s edge. From the open decks the Nile spreads wide and brown below. The wildlife needs no prompting from the itinerary: elephants wade at the margins, and hippos surface through the long afternoon.
From the open decks the Nile spreads wide and brown below
The lodge reopened in 2019 after a complete rebuild, and it runs entirely on solar power. Felix Holland, of the Kampala design collaborative Localworks, led the work. He raised the bandas on stilts to follow the steep riverbank, and floated grass-thatched roofs over the main building to draw air through without machinery. Built of eucalyptus poles, thatch, timber and stone, the lodge reads as part of the bush rather than an imposition on it.
Sisters Nathalie and Vanessa Van Pee run the lodge day to day. Their family, of Belgian descent, took over the site in December 2017 and spent two years rebuilding it from the ground up. Nathalie trained in business management, Vanessa in hotel management, and the two run everything under the family company NOVAM Ltd, its name an acronym of the five siblings. The site itself is older, opening in 1993 and operating for years as Geo Lodges before the sisters reimagined it.
Hippos grunt through the night, close enough to wake guests
What holds the attention is the river. Hippos grunt through the night, close enough to wake guests, and frogs and waterbirds fill the dark between them. Mornings open over the Nile, downstream of Murchison Falls. Here the infinity pool, filled with saltwater rather than chlorine, sits level with the river until the two appear to run together as one.
Murchison Falls is the park’s defining feature, the point where the entire Victoria Nile forces itself through a gap barely seven metres wide before dropping to the gorge below. Boats run upriver from near the lodge to the base of the falls, a three-hour round trip past basking crocodiles, buffalo and elephant herds on the banks. The downstream run heads instead to the Nile-Albert Delta, the reliable place to look for the shoebill, a large, prehistoric-looking bird that stands motionless in the papyrus shallows, waiting for its moment.
Game drives cross to the northern savannah, where in the Buligi area lions, Rothschild’s giraffes, Uganda kob and buffalo move across open grassland. The park holds four of the larger predators and grazers most people come to find, with more than 450 recorded bird species besides. Chimpanzee trekking runs in the neighbouring Budongo Forest, and for those who want the falls at close quarters, a 45-minute hike climbs to the top for the view straight down into the cataract.
the entire Victoria Nile forces itself through a gap barely seven metres wide
Dining draws on what the lodge grows itself, a greenhouse on the site supplying the kitchen for a menu that moves between Ugandan dishes such as luwombo, a stew slow-cooked in banana leaves, and international plates. Meals travel around the lodge through the day, from river-view tables in the main building to a bush breakfast out in the park, or brunch laid at the top of the falls. Later, drinks settle in at the Tamarind Bar, shaded by a large tree on a veranda suspended above the bush.
The Van Pees built the lodge around a light footprint, running it entirely off solar power and reconstructing it in eucalyptus poles, thatch, timber and stone, while the saltwater pool keeps harsh chemicals from reaching the river. Along the bank stand six Deluxe Bandas, and a single Exclusive Banda adds a plunge pool and a star bed for couples. A two-bedroom Family Villa takes up to eight, which makes Nile Safari Lodge a rare option for families travelling inside Murchison Falls National Park.
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accommodation
Eight elevated bandas step along the bank, six Deluxe overlooking the Nile, one Exclusive with a private plunge pool and outdoor star bed, and a Family Villa that sleeps up to eight across two bedrooms and its own pool. Each brings warm timber interiors together with a netted bed, a freestanding tub, indoor and outdoor rain showers, and a private river-facing deck.
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activities
Boat cruises run from near the lodge to the base of Murchison Falls and downriver to the delta for shoebill, while game drives cover the northern Buligi savannah within the park. Chimpanzee trekking takes place in adjoining Budongo Forest, rounded out by falls hikes, catch-and-release fishing, birding, bush breakfasts and Mubaku community walks.
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conservation
The Van Pee family works with community leaders to maintain clean-water infrastructure in villages around the park, and supports an anti-poaching project that turns confiscated snares into wildlife sculptures, giving former poachers another living. The lodge itself was rebuilt in local timber, thatch and stone, runs entirely on solar power, and cools with natural ventilation instead of air-conditioning.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
By air, a light aircraft from Entebbe reaches the Pakuba or Bugungu airstrip in around an hour and a quarter, then a road transfer brings you to Nile Safari Lodge, on the southern bank of the Victoria Nile. We arrange the flight and the transfer as one. If you would prefer to fly privately, we can charter a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12 from Entebbe, timed to your international arrival.
By road it is roughly five to six hours from Entebbe or Kampala, one of the more manageable overland drives among Uganda's parks, so either option works well.
Yes. Murchison Falls is a year-round malaria area, as is the whole of Uganda, so it is not somewhere we would ever call malaria-free. The Victoria Nile and the warm, low savanna keep mosquitoes active through the year, so antimalarial cover is the sensible course, particularly with the bandas raised on the riverbank above the Nile.
Malaria guidance shifts from year to year, so we always suggest confirming the current advice with a travel clinic or your doctor before you travel, and taking the usual care against bites after dark: repellent, long sleeves in the evening and the mosquito net over the bed.
Yes. The lodge has a two-bedroom Family Villa with its own pool, sleeping up to eight, and the raised riverside decks put elephants at the water's edge and hippos surfacing in easy view, which children tend to find riveting.
Game drives and the boat cruise to the base of the falls carry no trekking age limit, so the whole family can join them. Tell us the ages of the children travelling and we will reserve the Family Villa and plan the days around them.
The country around Nile Safari Lodge is warm, open savanna, so light and breathable clothing in neutral colours is the foundation, with a sun hat, high-factor sunscreen and sunglasses for the middle of the day. Bring a warm layer for the early game drive, when the open vehicle is cool before sunrise, and insect repellent for dusk.
A swimsuit is worth packing for the pool between drives. Binoculars repay their space here, and a scarf or buff helps against the dust on the tracks. We are happy to send a full packing list tailored to your dates once your trip is set.
Uganda's mobile networks, MTN and Airtel, cover the towns and the main roads, but the signal thins out across Murchison Falls and can fade to nothing at the lodge and once you leave the main roads. Nile Safari Lodge offers wifi in the main areas, best treated as enough for messages and email rather than video calls or streaming.
If staying reachable matters on your trip, tell us and we will confirm the current setup before you travel, and plan around the quieter stretches. Many guests find the drop in signal one of the better parts of being out here.
The dry months bring the classic big game to the Victoria Nile, December to February and June to July, when shrinking water draws elephant, buffalo, giraffe and kob to the river and the low water suits both the launch cruise and tracking the shoebill in the delta. January and February hold the densest game but are the hottest, so June and July tend to be more comfortable.
The two wet seasons turn the park green and are the strongest for birding, though the game spreads out and some tracks soften. From the lodge's raised riverside decks the dry-season gatherings along the Nile are easy to enjoy without even leaving your banda.
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