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#2 of 2 lodges in Bugambira
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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Ichumbi derived from the local Rufumbira dialect means ' a cool, comfortable home '. The lodging facility that is just 10 minutes' walk to Rushaga gate of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, has a spectacular view of the park right from your room! It is designed to provide you with high end comfort and relaxation to be able to enjoy your Gorilla tracking experience, go birding watching and enjoy forest life surrounded by impressive landscape
I had a great time at Ichumbi, all the staff is very welcoming and takes great care of the guests The lodge develops over a main reception/restaurant building and separate cottages where the rooms are located. On arrival I was shown two rooms to make sure I was happy with accommodation, and I was very happy with my room indeed, it was very spacious and cosy, with a lovely balcony and an adjoining sitting area all to me as the other room in the family cottage was not occupied. Hot water was plentiful, and coming out of both the shower and the sink tap. At night a hot water bottle was waiting for me in bed, to ease entering bedsheets which would otherwise be pretty cold in the jungle environment. I love sleeping with a hot water bottle at home too, so this made me feel like home! Food is prepared with care, I had all my meals here of course, in particular I enjoyed the soups, reach and warm, a proper welcome both after a long drive day and a long hike day Cherry on the icing for me was them washing my shoes and clothes after the gorilla trek, not only they took a task away from me but also did it way better than I could ever imagine to do Only weak point of the lodge is the connection to the outside world: WiFi is pretty weak, so even when it is on it won't allow calls over WhatsApp or even Skype, which isn't great if you are spending here some time as there is really nowhere else to go and find a better connection. This is something I recommend management to look into improving
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Date of stay: August 2021
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Owner at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Responded 06 May 2022
We appreciate your detailed review of Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge! We have been able to secure better internet. We hope that when you return you will find it much better!
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Ichumbi gorilla lodge is located in the Rushaga gorilla trekking sector of Bwindi impenetrable national park just a few meters from the gorilla trekking briefing point. I must say that if you want to make it on time for the gorilla trekking adventure, then Ichumbi is the right lodge for you.
I and my team checked in at ICHUMBI on 27th/12/2022 for a period of 2 nights but the most interesting part is that the hospitality at this lodge begins from the reservation mail polite response. Joan is efficient and always willing to help regardless of the time you send the email or call her. Despite the fact that our booking came with a lot of changes, Joan never got tired and was always willing to help. Thank you so much Joan.
You feel the warm welcome from their entrance gate. We received a warm welcome from the security personnel of the lodge who directed us to the lodge main reception. At the reception, we met David, a very knowledgeable and appealing face of Ichumbi lodge. David briefly took us through what to expect while at Ichumbi together with his support staff (waiters, waitresses and concierges) too bad I didn’t get their names.
Welcome beverages were served as our dinner orders were being taken. It took them less than 20 minutes to serve our dinner and everything was on point and tasty. A special thank you to the chef who was always in the back stage to ensure that our meals were always yummy. Too bad I didn’t get a chance to meet him or get his name. Since we had to leave very early for the gorilla trekking exercise, our breakfast orders were taken right after dinner and were served the following day at the agreed time.
After dinner, it was time for checking into our rooms with the help of the concierges. Each of our rooms had a private balcony to enjoy the spectacular and eye-catching views of the misty Bwindi forest and beautiful landscapes. Being a very cold season, hot water was always available in the showers together with the hot water battles under our duvets. Ichumbi has got very clean and eco friendly rooms facing the misty home of the mountain gorillas.
Saying goodbye to Ichumbi friendly and hospitable staff was the most heartbreaking part out this safari. Nevertheless, the concierges and the rest of the support staff still helped us checkout and clean our hiking boots. I highly recommend Ichumbi gorilla lodge for all your stay regardless of the length of the stay. Ichumbi is a midrange facility with luxury service delivery systems
Yours truly, Satisfied customer Gloria.
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Date of stay: December 2022
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Room Tip:Â Ichumbi has got very clean and eco friendly rooms facing the misty home of the mountain gorillas.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from hakiza george, Owner at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Responded 22 Mar 2023
Thank you Gloria for this wonderful review of Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge. We are glad to have been a part of this memorable experience!
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This lodge was booked for us as part of our gorilla trekking tour with Achieve Safaris and we felt so lucky. The location is beautiful and secluded but best of all was the amazing staff. So attentive and lovely. They even took care of our filthy muddy clothes after or trek. The meals were outstanding (try the pan fried tilapia) and the room was comfy. Such a special treat to find a hot water bottle heating the bed each evening. We highly recommend.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Owner at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Responded 06 May 2022
Thank you for your review and recommendation of Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge! We are glad you enjoyed your stay with us.
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Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge is located a short drive from the Rushaga gate of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. We stayed in the Cisticola Cottage for 2 nights (each cottage is named after a bird). Our private cottage, nestled in the forest, had a wrap-around porch and spacious room. Well attended by friendly, helpful staff. We appreciated the complimentary laundry service for 2 items per person. Cozy ambiance in the lodge dining room; food was good, freshly prepared although choices limited. Women from the local village performed at the lodge one evening before dinner and brought their crafts to sell (sweet welcoming song and their energy was contagious!). Be prepared for a winding, bumpy ride to Bwindi. Our guide Ronnie jokingly described the journey as an ‘African massage’. We had quite a few ‘massages’ during our 2 weeks in Uganda and Rwanda. One more comment: as we drove through Uganda, we regularly noticed smoke, and resulting haze/odor, in the villages/fields. Not sure what was being burned, maybe trash, or land being cleared to farm.
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Date of stay: August 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from hakiza george, Owner at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Responded 22 Mar 2023
We truly appreciate that you took time off to write this review about us! At Ichumbi, our goal is to make sure that each client has a memorable stay and we are glad you did!
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We had a great stay here for two nights while visiting the gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest NP. Friendly, accommodating staff, great food at all the meals. Our bungalow was large with a deck overlooking trees, plenty of hot water, large bottles of drinking water provided. Highly recommended
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Date of stay: July 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from hakiza george, Owner at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Responded 19 Sept 2022
Thank you so much for this kind review of ichumbi Gorilla Lodge and for the recommendation! We are glad that you enjoyed your stay with us.
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We have stayed in over 10 lodges in Africa, some of them very well know ones from upscale brands and all of them are trained very well the way treat their guests. But, the manager, David and his entire team took it a level where the genuine warmth came across. We stayed for two nights, primarily to do the Gorilla Trek and did an afternoon of birding. Wish we had planned to stay a day longer.
The food was excellent and the presentation as well. They had an option for local cuisine and we made sure we ordered them (matoke for example) and they were very tasty.
The room was small and nice with a large wrap around verandah. The seating area outside the dining room was very nice to enjoy the views and the sunbirds.
They also provide a free shoe cleaning service when you return from the trek and give you sandals while they are getting cleaned. We didn't carry any spare pair of shoes, but the sandals worked just fine. I wish I got the same service at other lodges.
And this place is literally 5 minutes drive from the Bwindi gate where you register and they assign you to trekking groups.
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Date of stay: August 2024
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our family finally made it this year to gorilla trekking in Bwindi. We chose to stay at the Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge. The place is just perfect: friendly and welcoming staff, close to Rushaga gate of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, good food, clean and spacious rooms. We took the family cottage with two separate rooms and a shared sitting room, each with a private balcony to relax when you get back from a trekking. Many thanks to Joan who organized all our reservations (accommodations, park permits and all transfers) without a glitch. She was so professional and always answered all our questions. Many thanks also to our driver, Michael, who picked us up from/to the Kisoro airport and drove us to Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and always made us feel safe. Don’t hesitate, book this place, you will not regret it!
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â To avoid driving from Kampala to Bwindi, you can take a flight from EBB to Kisoro airport (1.5 h...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from hakiza george, Owner at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Responded 06 Jul 2022
Thank you so much for this wonderful review and for choosing to stay with us at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge. We are glad you enjoyed your stay!
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We only spent one night here, but both the lodge and the staff was extremely great. The accomodation is close to the forest entry. The lodge is super clean, has comfortable beds and a view to the rainforest. I especially liked that trees were not cut to have a view onto the hill. From the road you can take pictures from the mist above the forest, as we did. The staff was super friendly and helpful. Food was also great. When we did have lunch, they put hot water bottles under our blankets, which kept warm till the morning. They also have a souvenir shop eith good prices and nice offering. They guard standing at the gate (Medard) is very nice. Our stay was an incredibly positive experience!
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Date of stay: December 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from hakiza george, Owner at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Responded 22 Mar 2023
We are glad to have been a part of this great experience! At Ichumbi, making sure our clients get a memorable experience is our number one goal! Thank you for choosing us.
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We stayed here for 2 nights while seeing the gorillas in Bwindi. The lodge is fabulous - wonderful location overlooking the forest and very comfortable accommodation. The standard of food on the whole of our trip has been generally excellent but even by those high standards the food here was truly outstanding. The staff were all so cheerful and helpful- cleaning v muddy walking shoes and a hot water bottle at night - perfect. The wifi is not the quickest but is ok for emails and texts and considering how remote the location was I was impressed we had any internet at all. Overall I would wholeheartedly recommend Ichumbi as a great place to stay if you are coming to see the gorillas.
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Susan Hakiza, Other at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Responded 19 Jan 2024
Thank you so much for your review and recommendation of Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge! I am glad you enjoyed your stay with us.
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They definitely came through on their name! I was not feeling great after the "African Massage" which is how they refer to their bumpy roads. They made me an amazing tea to try and settle my stomach which helped and I appreciated so much. We landed a rainy day fir Gorilla hiking but we were welcomed back with hot showers and hot water bottles in our beds that were delightful. I did get a real African massage in my room which was fantastic and I highly recommend! Maurice, Specioza, David and Pricilla were great hosts as well as all the other staff. Thank You again for helping me feel better so I could thoroughly enjoy the gorillas!
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Date of stay: December 2022
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from hakiza george, Owner at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Responded 22 Mar 2023
We appreciate your kind review of our lodge! Our staff has been trained to make sure that clients get the highest level of comfort and enjoy their stay maximally. Thank you for choosing us.
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There are more places to choose from in the Bugambira area.
PRICE RANGE
RÂ 4,928 - RÂ 6,270 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
UgandaWestern RegionBwindi Impenetrable National ParkBugambira
NUMBER OF ROOMS
13
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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