Updated 19 October 2026

Around Bwindi, most visitors eat at their lodge: almost all lodges near the park are full board, serving breakfast, a packed lunch for trek day and a cooked dinner. Outside the lodges, the villages near the park gates, especially Buhoma, have small local restaurants and stalls serving matooke, beans, groundnut sauce, chapati, rolex and grilled meat at very low prices. There are no stand-alone restaurants in the forest itself, so for lunch on non-trekking days, eat at your lodge or try a village spot recommended by your guide.

Eating at your lodge

Lodge menus usually combine familiar international dishes with Ugandan ones: soups, grilled fish or meat, vegetable dishes, rice, potatoes and matooke, with fresh fruit such as pineapple, passion fruit and small sweet bananas. Breakfasts include eggs, toast, fruit and local coffee or tea. The quality ranges from simple home cooking at budget guesthouses to refined set menus at high-end lodges. Check whether your rate is full board, as a few lodges charge separately for meals, and whether drinks are included.

On trek day, the lodge prepares a packed lunch, often sandwiches, boiled eggs, fruit, juice and biscuits. Tell them the evening before if you have dietary needs or want something different. Snacks you bring from home, such as energy bars and nuts, are useful on long treks.

Local places in the villages

Buhoma has the most choice, with small restaurants, cafés and craft-shop cafés along the road outside the park gate, some run by community groups. In Rushaga, Nkuringo and Ruhija, options are fewer: a few local eateries and roadside stalls in the trading centres. Kabale and Kisoro, the nearest towns, have more restaurants, cafés and supermarkets for snacks and supplies. Ask your guide or lodge which local places they recommend; they know which ones are clean and reliable.

What to try

In the highlands around Bwindi, Irish potatoes, beans, sorghum and millet are important foods alongside matooke. Try matooke with groundnut or beans sauce, posho (maize meal), chapati, and a rolex, a chapati rolled around an omelette, cooked to order at roadside stalls. Bushera, a fermented sorghum or millet drink, is popular among the Bakiga. On Lake Bunyonyi, freshwater crayfish appear on some lodge menus. And look for coffee grown by farmers around Bwindi, such as Gorilla Conservation Coffee, which supports community health and conservation. Our guide to Ugandan cuisine basics describes the main dishes.

Eating safely

Choose food that is freshly cooked and served hot, such as a rolex made in front of you or a stew from a busy stall. Peel fruit yourself, and avoid salads and cut fruit from street stalls unless you know they were washed in clean water. Drink bottled or filtered water, which lodges provide; see our guide to water safety in Uganda. Carry hand sanitiser for village meals.

Vegetarians and special diets

Vegetarians eat well in Uganda, since beans, groundnuts, matooke, posho, chapati and vegetables are staples; just make sure the sauce has no meat stock. Lodges can usually cater for vegan, gluten-free and other diets if told well in advance, but remote kitchens have limited supplies, so remind them on arrival and bring snacks you can rely on. Our guide on vegetarian food on a gorilla trip has more detail.

Tipping and paying

Local places take cash in Ugandan shillings, so carry small notes. Lodges usually add meals and drinks to your bill, payable by card or in dollars at many properties. A tip for lodge staff is appreciated, often given through a staff tip box at the end of your stay; see our tipping guide.

Frequently asked questions