Mandari Eco Pods / Bed and Breakfast in Fort Portal
Located in one of Fort Portal’s suburbs is Mandari Eco Pods, a new budget facility in Fort Portal town that is run and managed by talented Ugandan creatives who put their creativity into uniquely designing the facility. Mandari Eco Pods is a reasonably sized budget bed and breakfast that features comfortable accommodation with basic facilities. The property is located along Saaka road in Fort Portal.
Fort Portal welcomes a significant number of visitors each year that are interested in visiting the tourism city and exploring nearby attractions like Kibale Forest National Park that is known for the chimpanzee trekking adventure, Queen Elizabeth National Park with its abundant wildlife, Amabere Caves, Semuliki National Park and the famous Rwenzori Mountains National Park. Visitors to Fort Portal are always looking for comfortable accommodation facilities like Mandari Eco Pods.
Accommodation at Mandari Eco Pods
The facility has 3 beautifully designed Eco-pods. The Eco-pods have been built with wood and are quite spacious on the inside. The pods feature a bathroom and flush toilet inside, a wooden bed with clean white linen bed sheets, storage space, bathroom slippers, toilet paper, bathing soap clean towels and complimentary drinking water. The Eco-pods have a small private veranda with a desk and chair and the veranda is surrounded with lush green plants. The Eco-pods are uniquely designed and are situated next to each other.
Outside one of the Eco Pods
The interior of one of the Eco pods
On a separate section of the facility is a main house area with 3 rooms – one room is a deluxe room with an En-suite bathroom while the other 2 rooms are single rooms with a shared bathroom. The main house has a dining area, a small reception desk and a sitting area as well as kitchen. Outside the main house area you find seats where you can relax outside your room.
Deluxe room at Mandari Eco Pods
Facilities and Services
Breakfast – Mandari Eco-pods provides a tasty breakfast with great options. The breakfast is served either in the dining area or outside depending on your preference. Breakfast includes two eggs of your choice, milk tea, bread, fruits, juice and sausages. Lunch and dinner is served at the facility as an on-site chef is present so you can order meals here or from the nearby restaurants in the city and have the meals delivered to you. For budget hotels we usually recommend ordering meals in advance to reduce waiting times as there is usually one chef at the property and no pre-cooked food available like in big chain hotels. The facility also provides an option to cook for yourself in their kitchen.
Terrace and Bonfire space – Mandari Eco-pods features a bon fire space which the staff light when hosting groups, the bonfire created a cozy ambiance especially in the evenings. There is also a terrace next to the bon fire area where one can sit and relax, meals can also be served here.
Bonfire section
Terrace at the facility, meals are sometimes served here.
Other services provided by Mandari Eco-pods include a limited car parking space that can accommodate 3 cars and Wi-Fi.
A sitting/relaxing area at Mandari Eco Pods
Attractions and Activities
One might wonder what activities to engage in while on a visit to Fort Portal or staying at Mandari Eco-pods. Below are activities you can consider;
Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest – A chimpanzee trek is a great choice for the visitor who would like to come close to these amazing primates. The chimpanzee trekking adventure begins at Kanyanchu visitor centre in Kibale Forest National Park which is 40 minutes away from the facility. Your tour operator will arrange the tour for you and have the driver guide pick you up and drop you off at the end of the day.
A Chimpanzee seen while on a trek in Kibale Forest
Game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park – The Park is a two and a half hour drive away from Fort Portal and is great for an up close experience with wildlife in the wild. Game drives in the park will have you looking out for lions, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, Elephants, water bucks, spotted hyena, olive baboons and vervet monkeys. While here you can also go on the Kazinga Channel Boat ride. The Park is best explored on a 3 Days Safari.
An elephant seen while on a Kazinga Channel Boat ride
Kasenda Crater Lakes – The crater lakes are located approximately 20-30 km south of Fort Portal. The lakes have stunning views from the top and a hike up to see the crater lakes from the top is worth it. The crater lakes include Lake Nkuruba, Lake Nyabikere, Lake Kifuruka and Lake Nyinambuga. The crater lakes with their very steep walls and forested surroundings offer great photo moments and are best visited on a day tour.
Birding Semuliki National Park – Birding in Uganda is a rewarding activity for the keen birding enthusiast and Semuliki National Park is a top birding destination. Semuliki is mainly visited to look for the 35 Guinea-Congo forest biome bird species which are only found in this park and nowhere else in East Africa. Bird species to look out for in the park while on a birding safari include Yellow-throated cuckoo, Brown-eared woodpecker, White-crested Hornbill, Yellow-throated nicator, Red-Tailed Greenbull, African crake, Abyssinian Ground hornbill among others.
A Hadada Ibis foraging
Fort Portal City Tour – A 1 day Fort Portal City tour is a great way to explore the town and visit the main attractions within the city. Places that you visit on the day tour include the “Omukama Palace” which is the King’s place, the Empaako monument, two local markets for an experience of the local life, River Mpanga, Gerald Portal monument and have lunch at a local food restaurant.
Entrance to the Omukama Palace
Tooro Botanical Gardens – A visit to Tooro Botanical Gardens is one of the easiest activities to do while staying at the guest house. The Botanical gardens are located in Booma and a 20 minute drive away from the facility. On arrival you can take a forest walk through the gardens, and do some birding as you also see different types of trees. Tooro Botanical Gardens is a bio-diversity hub and is one of the largest tree nurseries in Uganda, over 117 indigenous trees are found at the botanical gardens and a variety of plant species.
Points to note about Mandari Eco Pods
- The road that leads to the facility is dusty and a bit bumpy so prepare for that. The tarmac road from the town ends somewhere along the way and after that the rest is a murram road.
- The google maps usually uses a longer route yet there is a shorter route so the best way to reach the facility is by using the sign posts that you will come across along the way. The sign posts are along Saaka road and are green in color.
- The facility is a budget property so expect to have basic clean accommodation with amenities that one would expect from a budget facility.
- The facility is run by two passionate guys who are extremely helpful and always available if their guests need anything or have any questions.
Location of Mandari Eco Pods
Mandari Eco pods is located in Kagote on Kabafumu road off Saaka road in Fort Portal. The facility is a 10 minute drive away from the Central Business District.
Recommended Tours
2 Day Chimpanzee Trekking Safari
