Best Hotels in Uganda: 11 Wonderful Places to Stay When You Are Visiting Uganda

Did you just Google ‘best hotels Uganda‘ and are looking for a great place to stay when you are next in the country? If so, here are some of my best recommendations for hotels in Kampala, Entebbe, Jinja & Mbarara.

Let’s get right to it!

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7 Top Hotels in Uganda

best hotels uganda: Outdoor Deck at the Emin Pasha Hotel in Kampala — The outdoor deck at The Emin Pasha Hotel in Kampala

Best Hotels in Uganda Kampala #1: Emin Pasha Hotel

The Emin Pasha Hotel is a beautiful, luxury boutique hotel nestled in the upscale residential area of Nakasero (close to the city centre).

It has lush green grounds, a warm environment, and spacious bright rooms.

It also has a very good restaurant and noteworthily professional service too.

**Star sighting: I once bumped into Kristin Davis (“Charlotte” from Sex and the City) in one of the women’s bathrooms at Emin Pasha. l was completely starstuck but managed to keep my cool! 😎 )

Good Hotels in Uganda #2: The Kampala Serena Hotel (Kampala)

One of the best hotels in Kampala, located in the city centre, the luxurious Kampala Serena Hotel sits on 17 acres of manicured water gardens.

It has fantastic fitness facilities and a selection of bars, restaurants, and eateries to choose from.

Uganda Best Hotels #3: Villa Kololo (Kampala)

If you are looking for a boutique hotel with bespoke furniture and decor that is both chic and full of character then Villa Kololo, off Acacia Avenue, might be just the place for you.

Villa Kololo is also home to one of Kampala’s best Italian restaurants, so the food promises to be a treat if you stay there.

Acacia Avenue is one of Kampala’s hippest and trendiest locations, so if good restaurants, chic bars, nightclubs, and trendy shopping malls are your thing, then this is a great part of Kampala to be in.

Best Hoteles en Uganda #4: The Seventeen Apartment Hotel (Kampala)

The Pool at the Seventeen Apartment Hotel

On Summit View, at the very top of Kololo Hill, the premier residential location for Kampala residents, stands an apartment hotel called The Seventeen Apartment Hotel.

The complex, as its name suggests, features 17 two- and three-bedroom fully furnished serviced luxury apartments, with views that are some of the best in Kampala.

The complex also has a gym, sauna, massage rooms, and a swimming pool, as well as a fantastic crêperie on the premises.

Hotels in Uganda #5: Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa, Kigo (Kampala)

The swimming pool at Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa at night — The swimming pool at the Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa

On the outskirts of Kampala (about halfway between the city and Entebbe airport), lies the magnificent Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa, my favorite of the the two Serena hotels in Kampala.

At the Lake Victoria Serena, you’ll find amazing grounds, with well-manicured gardens, water fountains, and beautiful views of Lake Victoria.

The rooms, which are as you would expect at a hotel of this caliber, are spread out across the property, so you truly get to enjoy the grounds and views of the lake.

The service is welcoming and friendly, and the food is very good.

Places to Stay In Uganda #6: Cassia Lodge, Buziga (Acacia Lodge Buziga)

The swimming pool at Cassia Lodge, Buziga, Kampala

Like Rome, Kampala was originally nicknamed “The City of Seven Hills”.

Over the decades, though, the city expanded and grew to include many more.

Cassia Lodge sits high on Buziga Hill, about 10 kilometers outside Kampala’s city centre.

The spectacular view from Cassia Lodge—both at night and during the day—of Kampala and Lake Victoria is one of the best views I have ever seen anywhere in the city.

Because of the distance (and traffic) between Cassia Lodge and many parts of Kampala, this hotel is best for a leisure holiday that doesn’t require a lot of time-sensitive commutes to the city centre or other parts of town (unless, of course, your business in Kampala doesn’t take you far from the lodge).

Ugandan Hotels #7: Fairway Hotel Uganda

Although Fairway Hotel was one of Kampala’s first hotels, I only visited it for the first time very recently.

I loved what I saw and wrote a whole post about it here.

Hotels in Entebbe

Gately Inn Entebbe

I drove past the entrance of Gately Inn Entebbe for many months, going to and from Entebbe airport.

Each time, I would crane my neck trying to get a glimpse of what lay inside its attractive exterior.

Finally, one day, I just had to stop and walk in. I loved what I found there!

What I found was an enchanting establishment in luxuriant gardens where everything was tastefully decorated in local materials and natural elements such as wood, earth, and stone.

The rooms were no different and the Gately bathrooms, with their signature step-down garden-pebble shower, had me at hello.

The service at Gately Inn Entebbe was very warm and welcoming. The cozy, rustic terrace restaurant/lounge, which served amazing fresh juice by the way, was a delightful place to be.

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Hotels in Jinja

Best Hotels Uganda: Wildwaters Lodge

If you are headed towards Jinja and want an experience as intoxicating and powerful as the River Nile, then the place to stay is Wildwaters Lodge, in Kangulumira, 25 kilometers down the river from Jinja.

Wildwaters Lodge, with its timber-floored, canvas-walled, thatch-roofed luxury suites—complete with free-standing outdoor bathtubs overlooking the river—is located on a private island with dense rain forest vegetation.

The constant sound of the flowing river, heard all over the lodge, is just the thing to refresh your mind.

The lodge’s common areas, which are connected to the suites by wooden walkways, are located right on the edge of the river’s Kalagala Falls.

The swimming pool at Wildwaters Lodge is a natural pool, carved out over the centuries from the granite rock that the the lodge sits on.

Although Wildwaters Lodge is on an island, its only a short (but harrowing!) boat ride to the mainland, where you can take advantage of the adventure activities that Jinja is famous for, namely bungee jumping and white water rafting.

Hotels in Mbarara

Igongo Country Hotel

A 20-minute drive outside Mbarara town lies Igongo Cultural Centre.

The Igongo Cultural Centre complex now also includes a good hotel called the Igongo Country Hotel. I wrote about the hotel and centre here.

Blue Films in Uganda Hotels

You can find blue films filmed in Uganda hotels on many sites that serve content of that nature.

Photo Credits: Cementers, Classic Africa Safaris, CVent, Booking.com, Parties en Events, Hotels.com, Hotels in Kampala Uganda, HikersBay, Yellow Zebra Safaris

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