Rarely has a city been transformed so quickly. Just a few years ago, the choice of where to stay in Uganda was rather limited. Maybe this was a hangover from Ugandas dark days of the 1970s and 1980s and the fact that it took awhile for the Ugandan economy to make a full recovery. But a full recovery is exactly what happened, as previously exiled business people returned to Kampala with money to invest.
A changing point came with the 2007 common wealth Heads of government meeting. This acted as the catalyst for an unprecedented boom in hotel construction, fuelled by generous subsidies, that has only just began to slow. That meeting also gave an emphatic signal that Uganda had fully returned to the common wealth fold and informed the world that Uganda was open for business.
Yet , despite the additional bed capacity brought by the construction boom , there are still times when finding a room in kampala and other regions can be difficult. The city city is now regarded as a major venue for regional, continental even global conferences and it can be a problem if you visit Uganda coincides with one of these events but more hotels are opening up and due to be opened , with each hotel company hoping to carve a niche and eager to differentiate itself in a crowded market. This applies especially to locally owned , mid market properties built by weathy investors entering the sector for the first time.
Since Uganda has witnessed a vast expansion of it’s hotel sector and this growth is in different regions of the country. Very many hotels are found around the country. Where to stay in Uganda while on a safari depends on where the itinerary takes that safari and basically am talking about the different regions. Each region has got hotels to accommodate the tourists and these are considered Africas best. The following are some of the accommodation facilities in the Central region (Kampala) Afrique suite hotel,Protea hotel, Kampala Serena hotel, Aponye hotel, Beston hotel, Astoria hotel, Arch hotel,Cassia lodge, City royal hotel, Crystal suite,Caravan hotel, Emerald hotel,Grand imperial hotel, Fang fang hotel, Forest cottages, Golf course hotel and so much more around the city.
Here are some more hotels in Northern Uganda, a region least developed and least visited part of the country. A region that has been very over looked since colonial times yet very gifted. Today there are very few hotels and good accommodation remains difficulty to find. There are one or two properties of high standard in in the regional capital city ( Gulu) and a couple more in Lira and that is more or less it , these include Acholi inn, Bomah hotel in Gulu,Dessert breeze hotel, Golden peace hotel, Hotel Rama, Kumi hotel, Lira hotel,Hotel Roma, Pacific grand hotel,Hotel Zawadi,Golden peace hotel among others.
Western Uganda is a gorilla territory and as such it’s the most visited tourist area of the country but there is more to this area than just the worlds largest living primates. It is a region of national parks that are returning to their former splendour thanks to the good sustainable work of the Ugandan wildlife Authority and host community with other agencies as well as the tourists themselves. Hotels include Bunyonyi overland resort, Bunyonyi safari resort, Budango eco lodge, Ankole riverline hotel, Agip motel, Birdnest at Bunyonyi, Capricorn executive hotel, Chobe safari lodge, Gorilla safari, Clouds mountain gorilla lodge, Hotel cornerstone, Hotel zebra, Kibale safari lodge,Lake view resort, Kontiki hotel, Mountains of the moon hotel, Mweya safari lodge, Paraa safari lodge, Primate lodge, Ruhija gorilla lodge, Silverback lodge, Rwenzori travellers inn, Sanctuary gorilla forest camp and Simba safari camp among many more others.
There are new properties in land of the mighty Eastern Uganda. Eastern Uganda has also been abit under developed in terms of tourism. It has some few good quality hotels and only three perhaps in Mbale that could be considered of international standard. The hotels include Mbale resort hotel, Mount Elgon hotel, Mwana highway hotel, Rock classic hotel, Hotel restville, Bekasa hotel, Geolodges Uganda, Masaba hill top hotel, Kayira complex hotel, Wild waters lodge, Soroti hotel, Sunset hotel, Wash and will hotel among very many more others.
Much has been done in promoting these accommodation facilities but much more needs to be done and to give visitors more reasons than ever to come experience our country’s hospitality. The pearl of Africa.