Five-star Chobe, eastern Murchison Falls National Park, Murchison Falls
Chobe Safari Lodge
A lodge on the Victoria Nile at the eastern end of Murchison Falls National Park, rebuilt by the Madhvani Group and reopened in 2010, with every room and tent looking over the river.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Rooms
- 36 rooms, 21 tents, four suites and a Presidential Cottage
- Reopened
- November 2010
- Operator
- Marasa, Madhvani Group
- From Kampala
- About three and a half to four hours by road
The hotel
A 1950s lodge, back on the river.
Chobe was built in the 1950s and was then one of the best-known places to stay in Uganda. At the end of the war that ended Idi Amin's rule in the late 1970s, retreating troops left it largely in ruins, and it stayed closed for some thirty years. The Madhvani Group began rebuilding in 2008 and spent some 13 million US dollars on the work.
President Yoweri Museveni opened the new lodge in November 2010. It is run by Marasa, the group's hotel company, which also has Paraa Safari Lodge downstream and Mweya in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The lodge stands above the falls, within sound of the rapids. Every room and tent has its own balcony or terrace over the water, and in the evening hippos and crocodiles come up onto the banks nearby.
- The pool A swimming pool that drops in three tiers down the riverbank, with the Nile below.
- On the water Fishing and boat trips on the river, and birdwatching along its banks, where the shoebill is sometimes seen.
- Game drives Guided drives on circuits opened by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, with kob, giraffe, buffalo and elephant, and now and then lions or a leopard.
Rooms & suites
A balcony over the Nile.
Every room and tent has a balcony or terrace facing the river.
- Rooms Guest rooms Thirty-six rooms in the main lodge.
- Under canvas Luxury tents Twenty-one tents, the deluxe ones with air conditioning.
- Larger stays Suites and cottages Four suites, a Honeymoon Suite with a kitchen, two family cottages for up to six, and the Presidential Cottage.
Good to know
Before you go.
- At night Crocodiles, hippos and buffalo come close after dark, so a ranger walks guests from the main building to the tents.
- Distances The busiest game country lies around Paraa, about an hour's drive west.
- Meetings A conference hall for 100 people faces the river.
Getting there
Flying to Murchison Falls.
International flights and business jets land at Entebbe, about four and a half to five hours from the lodge by road, our estimate. Aerolink flies light aircraft from Entebbe to the Chobe airstrip, on scheduled services or as a charter, and the lodge also has a strip for helicopters.
- Nairobi 1 h 00
- Zanzibar 1 h 40
- Johannesburg 4 h 15
- Dubai 5 h 15
- Paris 8 h 25 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- How do you get to Chobe Safari Lodge?
- By road from Kampala in about three and a half to four hours, by Aerolink light aircraft from Entebbe to the Chobe airstrip, or by helicopter to the lodge's own strip.
- Does Chobe Safari Lodge have a pool?
- Yes, a three-tier pool cascading down the bank above the Nile.
- Who owns Chobe Safari Lodge?
- The Madhvani Group, which rebuilt it and reopened it in 2010. Its hotel company Marasa runs the lodge.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Murchison Falls?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Murchison Falls, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Staying at Chobe Safari Lodge?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Murchison Falls, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.