This was built for CHOGM and christened by The Duke of Edinburgh in December 2007 on his visit to the country. It is said that when he looked out towards the Kazinga Channel from the verandah of the Queen’s Cottage, he had tears in his eyes. I can well believe that. I was speechless when I walked in the door. The Queen’s Cottage is upmarket and comes complete with its own kitchen and modern day appliances. The fridge is stocked with various beers, water and sodas while coffee and milk are supplied for the mornings.

The two bedrooms (1 King Size bed in the one and 2 Three Quarter Beds in the other) are spacious and each has its own en-suite bathroom with shower, bath, toilet and boudois, all done in marble. Each bed has its own mosquito net that completely surrounds the bed with space on the side, so there is no tangling in the net at night. The Queen’s Cottage is luxurious and the ultimate in high end safari. There is a 72 inch flat screen TV for those guests who don’t want to miss out on any sport or any of their favourite programs (why the hell are you in the bush – rather go another time if you are going to watch TV!) Get out of the place, go on a game drive, read a book and take in the ambiance, or simply chill out on the verandah and view the game that frequent the water’s edge.

All of the furniture in the Queen’s Cottage has been carefully thought out (except the soap in the bathroom – too small to lather up) - from the luxurious and comfortable Weatherly’s leather couches with their chunky cushions to the solid oak dining table with leather back chairs. There is a booze cabinet that is well stocked with various miniatures of well known brands of whiskeys, brandies and vodka’s and there are even a few Amarula’s to be had. The lounge and dining areas are spacious and when one walks from the lounge out onto the verandah you are literally in another world. The verandah looks out onto the Kazinga Channel where you can see both hippo and buffalo wallowing near the water’s edge with herds of Elephant close by. Relax; listen to the calls of the fish eagles, the grunt of hippopotomas, the growl of the lions and screeching of the elephants, along with a nice cold beer from the fridge or cool glass of juice.

Game park luxury at its best!
Adult Rates: Bed and Breakfast basis 750USD per night and Full Board basis is 840 USD per night. Children’s rates: 1-2 children sharing with adults pay a rate of 50 USD per child on a full board basis and 2-3 children sharing with adults pay 75 USD on a full board basis. (rates are inclusive of VAT, UWA Royalty fees and local government tax)

The Kingfisher (Luxury boat):-
This little beauty seats 14 people comfortably and in sheer luxury too. It’s one of the new additions to Mweya. The cruise takes you along the Kazinga Channel and it gets you as close to the hippo, buffalo and elephant than you are allowed to get (and as safe to get ). There is an abundance of birdlife to be seen from the Giant Heron to Egyptian geese to the magnificent Fish Eagle and Plovers. It is an ideal way to celebrate with friends or simply go on a cruise as a couple in celebration of a special occasion. The cruise is a worthwhile experience and a unique chance to get really close to game, from the safety of the water.The cruise takes around 1 1/2 hours and costs USD 28 per person (minimum of 4 people) – included are beverages (beers and wine) and canapés.

Health Club:-
You are surrounded by bush and sounds of the wild – You are relaxed and comfortable – now you can take
it to the next level with by treating yourself at the new Mweya health club. I enjoyed a good back, legs and
shoulders massage, which although very relaxing, was the “sports type” so the masseur is strong and works the muscles – However there are many other treatments available. To finish off, I ventured into the steam bath for a bit of sweat – I lasted about 5 minutes, as the eucalyptus in the steamer was too strong and closing my chest. The shower after was great, good pressure and a one comfy bath gown to wander around in.

There are a number of therapies one can have done at the health club and these range from Facial therapies (Age control treatments, Eye zone repair, clarifying treatments and skin hormone resource) to Body therapies ( Massage, Aromatherapy, Swedish massage, sports massage and reflexology) to Hair therapies (haircuts, oil treatments, colouring and highlights). Prices range according to the length of time and the treatment you want. Combined with a relaxing game drive it’s a really good way to unwind and distress.

Getting there:-
Mweya Safari Lodge is located in Western Uganda and is approximately 420km’s from Kampala. It will take you around 51/2 to 6 hours to get to. You can travel to Mweya via Mbarara or via Fort Portal. The road from Kampala to Mbarara is not great as they are currently working on the roads and there are a lot of potholes. The road from Kampala to Fort Portal is a pleasure though, with a few dodgy patches heading towards Mubende.