Updated
There are no classic tree house lodges inside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, because building inside the park is not allowed. What you can find are forest-edge lodges with rooms raised on wooden decks or stilts that look straight into the canopy, mainly in Buhoma, and a few small, private tree house stays on the hills around the park.
If sleeping in a real tree house matters to you, the best-known example in western Uganda is at Kibale, where you can add one night to a gorilla trip. This guide explains what is available and how to choose without ending up in the wrong part of Bwindi.
Raised forest-edge rooms in Buhoma
Buhoma, in the north of Bwindi, has several lodges built right on the park boundary on a steep, forested slope, so many rooms stand on raised platforms facing the trees. Buhoma Lodge’s cottages sit on wooden decks among the vegetation, close to the “almost a tree house” feel many people are looking for. Bwindi Lodge’s bandas have private terraces looking across the valley into the forest. At Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, large tents stand on raised wooden decks inside a patch of forest at the park edge.
From these rooms you hear the forest at dawn, see monkeys and birds in the canopy and, occasionally, gorillas passing near the lodges. Buhoma also has a choice of mid-range and budget lodges with forest views, though fewer of them are raised.
Ridge-top views in the south
In Nkuringo and Rushaga, lodges tend to sit on ridges rather than in the trees, with long views over the forest and, on clear days, the Virunga volcanoes. Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge in Nkuringo and Gorilla Safari Lodge in Rushaga are high-end options. The feeling is less “in the canopy” and more “above the forest”, which many visitors find just as memorable. Our guide to the best gorilla trekking lodges compares them by sector.
Private tree house stays
A few small, privately run tree houses are listed on booking and holiday-rental sites, for example in the hills of Rubanda facing the Ruhija side of the forest. These can be charming, but standards vary widely. Before booking, check recent reviews, how you will reach the trailhead on trek morning, whether meals are provided, and what the bathroom, water and power arrangements are.
A real tree house in Kibale
Primate Lodge, inside Kibale National Park, has a tree house built above a forest clearing where elephants and other animals sometimes come at night. It is a popular one-night extra on a trip that combines chimpanzee tracking in Kibale with gorillas in Bwindi, which are about a day’s drive apart via Queen Elizabeth National Park. Book well ahead, as there is only one.
Choose the sector first
Whatever style of room appeals, book your gorilla permit first and then a lodge in the same sector. Bwindi’s four sectors are hours apart by road, and you need to be at the briefing by about 7:30 am, so the most beautiful room in the wrong sector means a very early, long drive. A permit costs US$800 (US$600 in April, May and November). See our guide to booking a gorilla permit step by step.
If sustainability matters as much as the view, see our guides to eco-lodges in Bwindi and lodges that give back to local communities.
Frequently asked questions
Not inside the park. Several Buhoma lodges have raised rooms facing the forest, and a few private tree houses exist on nearby hills.
Primate Lodge in Kibale National Park has a tree house over a forest clearing, which pairs well with chimpanzee tracking.
Buhoma, in the north, where several lodges sit on the park boundary with rooms looking into the trees.
No. Book the permit first, then a lodge in the same sector, because sectors are hours apart by road.
