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Getting there
From Kampala / Mbarara
Katara Lodge is located just off the main Mbarara – Kasese highway, about 100km north of Mbarara. After passing through Bushenyi and Ishaka, you will drive through beautiful landscape dominated by tea estates and then reach the escarpment at Rutoto. You will continue through a series of settlements until suddenly the view of the plains of QENP opens up to you in front and to your left. After roughly another 2 kms, you turn left (almost a U-turn) onto a dirt road. The turn off, about 43 km north of Ishaka, is marked by a “Katara Lodge” signpost. The first 1.5 km of the dirt road takes you through the community of Katara, after which you turn right to continue for another 500 meters through banana plantations before you reach Katara Lodge.
From Kabale
Coming from Kabale, you may either choose to drive via Mbarara (see above) or take a short cut from Ntungamo to Ishaka which involves about 35kms on a murram road. The condition of this road depends on the season, though is well passable in a 4WD. To take this road, you turn left onto the road to Rukungiri about 79 km after Kabale, just before reaching Ntungamo. After about 12 kms on this good tarmac road with a series of small and large speep bumps, you turn right onto a murram road to Ishaka. After 35 kms you will reach Ishaka town and join the main Mabara – Kasese highway, where you will turn left. You will then drive through a beautiful landscape dominated by tea estates and then reach the escarpment at Rutoto. You will continue through a series of settlements until suddenly the view of the plains of QENP opens up to you in front and to your left. After roughly another 2 kms, you turn left (almost a U-turn) onto a dirt road. The turn off, about 43 km north of Ishaka, is marked by a “Katara Lodge”; signpost. The first 1.5 km of the dirt road takes you through the community of Katara, after which you turn right to continue for another 500 meters through banana plantations before you reach Katara Lodge.
From Fort Portal
From Fort Portal you drive through Kasese and on through the Queen Elizabeth National Park. You continue straight on the main road, passing the various turn-offs into the park, including the turn-off to the Katunguru park entry gate, driving across the bridge over the Kazinga channel, passing the turn-off to Ishasha (the Southern sector of the QENP), passing the turn off to Kyambura Gorge, driving up the escarpment and through the village of Kyambura, and finally through the village of Kichwamba. The turn off to our lodge is on the right hand side just past the Kichwamba police post and the Kichwamba sub-county headquarters and is well sign-posted. The turn-off to our lodge is at about 55 km from Kasese, or 15km from the turn-off to the Katunguru gate. After the turn-off, the first 1.5 km of the dirt road takes you through the community of Katara, after which you turn right to continue for another 500 meters through banana plantations before you reach Katara Lodge.