Apoka Safari Lodge

10 spacious and traditional safari rooms all offer expansive views across the bushveld and offer relaxing and comfortable places for guests to unwind after a long day spent exploring. The rooms all feature hand-made and hand-crafted furniture, and a large cosy bed sits in the centre of the room, covered in soft white bed linens and draped in mosquito netting. Each room comes with an ensuite bathroom and a private stone terrace which includes a luxurious outdoor bathtub, perfect for unwinding under the stars after a long day spent on your feet.

Guests can make their way to the dining facilities at mealtimes to enjoy freshly prepared food and refreshing drinks from the bar.

Activities included at Apoka Safari Lodge include game drives, bird watching, and guided walks. All these offer immersive and in-depth ways to discover the bush and all that call it home. On a guided walk truly immersive yourself on your own two feet, following animal tracks and marvelling at micro-ecosystems. On a game drive you can cover more ground, getting up close to many of the amazing animals in their natural habitat.

Also offered at Apoka Safari Lodge is a tour to the local Karamojong village, where you can learn about their traditions and way of life. An excellent experience for guests who wish to leave their stay at Apoka Safari Lodge more enlightened than when they arrived.

Wildplaces Africa has been hands-on in conservation and protection initiatives since the early 1990s. At Apoka Safari Lodge Wild Places have a long established relationship with the local village of Lokorul which is located on the outskirts of Kidepo Valley National Park. The majority of workers hired for the safari lodge are from this village and offered professional training. Visits to this local village are available, and are sensitively carried out. Guests can talk to the village elders, learn how to make local food and see how the Karamojong live. This prosperous partnership has enabled the building of a village clinic and regular doctor visits in this region.

Before their lodge at Semliki was built Wildplaces Africa had already reorganised the park ranger force. With help from Parks Canada, and their surplus equipment, uniforms were provided to the rangers. As well as helping with their salaries. With tents, sleeping bags and backpacks also supplied to the rangers they were able to patrol the area once again, and anti-poaching patrols began to yield results again.

Wildplaces works with local communities, to help them understand the importance of conservation, involving them in the running of the lodge and training them as guides. They established the Semliki Conservation Trust which works to create better public health awareness in the local communities and has a specific focus on the nutritional health of expectant mothers.

Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge is owned by the local community of Nkuringo but built and managed by Wildplaces Africa. A specifically habituated group of gorillas helped the community participate in the conservation of the habitats. The International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) and the Africa Wildlife Foundation (AWF) worked together to purchase a tract of land to work as a buffer zone between the gorillas and local homesteads. The community earns significant shares of the revenue of Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge.