Mountains of the Moon Hotel | Surrounded by trees in the heart of Fort Portal
Situated in the heart of Fort Portal tourism city is Mountains of the Moon Hotel, a hotel that has maintained a standard of offering mid-luxury accommodation over the years. Mountains of the Moon Hotel is a large property with elegantly decorated rooms offering much needed privacy while on safari in Uganda. Surrounded by beautiful trees the hotel offers a feeling of staying at a modern hotel but surrounded by nature. The lush hotel gardens are perfect for a stroll on a lazy afternoon and for the keen bird enthusiast you might tick off some species that like to forage in the hotel gardens.
A section of the Hotel Gardens
Friendly attentive staff, great food and a calm environment is what one would expect from a stay at Mountains of the Moon Hotel while visiting Fort Portal, one of Uganda’s top tourism destinations. Fort Portal City welcomes a significant number of visitors each year. Visitors to Fort Portal are drawn by the numerous attractions within and near Fort Portal. The town is close to key attractions like Kibale Forest National Park that is famously known for the chimpanzee trekking adventure, Semuliki National Park which is an ideal destination for birding, “Amabere ga Nyinamwiru” caves, Mount Rwenzori National Park that draws a lot of hiking enthusiasts and Queen Elizabeth National Park that is known for its abundance of wildlife.
Mountains of the Moon Hotel is what one would consider as the perfect base as it’s easily accessible. The Hotel is a 5 minute drive away from Fort Portal City and for the guest who would like to take a walk into town during their stay, it is a 20 minute walk away from town. Although Fort Portal has achieved city status, it’s still a relatively small and quiet town so activity is present but not so busy. This makes Fort Portal one of the best places in Uganda to visit as its laid back, relaxing with lots of things to do.
Accommodation at Mountains of the Moon Hotel
The hotel features 33 elegantly decorated rooms with warm interior lighting, brown wooden furniture and glass windows that let in natural light on a sunny day. Overlooking the lush hotel gardens, the rooms offer calming views that one can enjoy from the comfort of their balcony. At Mountains of the Moon Hotel different room types are available so the guest can book based on their preference. Deluxe double rooms, twin rooms, superior doubles and a family room are the room types available. In our view the Superior double rooms are the best rooms and are ideal as the first option simply because they are much larger in size and have a King sized large bed.
Superior double room at Mountains of Moon Hotel
Each room at Mountains of the Moon Hotel has the following amenities;
A comfortable wooden bed with clean white linen bed sheets, pillows and bedside tables.
En-suite bathroom with a flush toilet, a shower, a bowl sink, mirror, hair shampoo, shower gel, body lotion, a dental kit, bathing soap, insect repellent and clean white towels. For the superior double rooms there is a bath tub in the en-suite bathroom instead of a shower.
En-suite bathroom at the hotel
Bathroom slippers and bathroom robe.
Tea and coffee making station.
Reading desk and chair.
A mini fridge.
Complimentary drinking water.
Table tissues.
Mirrors.
A wardrobe for storage.
Telephone with voice mail.
Storage space.
A private veranda with two seats overlooking the hotel gardens.
Private veranda with chairs at the hotel
Please note that if interested in the family room, it accommodates a maximum number of four people (2 adults and 2 children). The family room is only one and it has an interconnecting room, one of the rooms has a queen sized bed while the children’s room has two beds.
Facilities and Services at Mountains of the Moon Hotel
Restaurant – The hotel restaurant is located at the main area and features comfortable seats. There is both availability of indoor and outdoor dining so the choice of where you sit is totally up to you. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is served here as well as dessert. An a la carte menu is available with a range of tasty options that include sizzling chicken, French fries, pizzas, burgers, steak, mashed potatoes, roast potatoes, sandwiches, chicken/beef wraps, grilled fish fillet and whole fish etc. The kitchen caters to guest’s dietary requirements so you can always inform the staff or your tour operator of your specific requirements. The outdoor dining is great as you have your meal while enjoying views your surroundings.
Restaurant at Mountains of the Moon Hotel – Outdoor dining
Reception and Lounge – The hotel has a reception area that is well decorated with wooden art pieces and wooden floors. The reception is where you find usually two or three receptionists and the guest relationship officer. The guest relationship officer has a table and chair at the reception so you can always approach her for any inquiries.
Reception area
The cozy lounge is in the same area as the reception and the indoor section of the restaurant but is separated by wooden room dividers. The lounge features a fireplace that is lit on cold nights and cozy craft inspired sofas with kitenge fabric. The lounge is a good resting place especially on a lazy evening or afternoon.
Hotel lounge
Health club – The hotel has a health club that is located adjacent to the hotel’s main area. The health club features a well-equipped gym with equipment like stationary bikes, treadmills and weights. There is a gym instructor on site.
Gym at the hotel health club
The health club also features a large swimming pool with sun loungers and comfortable seats by the pool site. The swimming pool has a bar area that overlooks the swimming pool so you are able to order a drink or two. The pool can sometimes have a few leaves inside on a windy day caused by the trees surrounding the health club but you don’t have to worry about that, the water is clean and a pool attendant is always on standby to clean the pool.
Swimming Pool at the hotel with sun loungers
The health club offers privacy as it is separate from the hotel’s main area and surrounded by greatly designed stonewalls so you get a somewhat private experience of the facilities. Steam and sauna is also available at the health club.
Bar – Right behind the reception and restaurant area, you find the hotel bar area. The bar at Mountains of the Moon Hotel is one of the best in the area, a variety of drinks are available including beers, wines, gin, spirits and cocktails. All the alcoholic drinks are carefully selected by the team so you have a range of options to try. The bar has a satellite TV, high rise seats both inside and outside and a fireplace that is lit on cold nights.
Hotel Bar with premium drinks
Conference Area – Mountains of the Moon Hotel has a separate building that has a conference room. This works for companies and organizations that are interested in hosting meetings, workshops, gala dinners and training. Seats and other conference facilities are available.
Curio Shop – The hotel has a curio shop, next to the bar area. The shop is a great place to pass by if you are interested in purchasing some souvenirs or gifts. The shop has handmade kitenge bags, beaded jewelry, wooden art carvings, baskets, fridge guards, mats, and hats. The attendant is always available to show you the items in their shop.
Curio shop at the hotel
Other services at the lodge include a large car parking area, Wi-Fi, room service upon request and maximum security 24/7.
Attractions and Activities
One might wonder what activities to engage in while on a visit to Fort Portal or staying at Mountains of the Moon hotel, well there is so much to do as Fort Portal is a tourism city so there is so much to see. 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 who are our closest relatives. The chimpanzee trekking adventure begins at Kanyanchu visitor center in Kibale Forest National Park which is 30 minutes away from Mountains of the Moon Hotel. Your tour operator will arrange the tour for you and have the driver guide pick you up and drop you off at the hotel at the end of the day.
A Chimpanzee seen while on a trek in Kibale Forest
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, African Dwarf Kingfisher, Marsh tchagra, Leaflove, Congo serpent eagle, Papyrus gonolek, Long-tailed hawk, Black-wattled hornbill, Carruthers’s cisticola, owls, Standard-winged night jars among other species.
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 palace, 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 into the King’s Palace
Tooro Botanical Gardens – A visit to Tooro Botanical Gardens is one of the easiest activities to do while staying at Mountains of the Moon Hotel, The botanical gardens are a 3 minute walk away from the hotel, you can take a forest walk through the garden, 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.
Location
Mountains of the Moon Hotel is located on Plot 2, Nyaika Avenue, Booma. The hotel is next to Tooro Botanical gardens and Booma Play grounds – Fort Portal.
Recommended Tours
2 Days Chimpanzee Trekking Tour
3 Days Kibale Forest Chimpanzee Trek and Bigodi swamp walk tour
