YES Hostel Fort Portal | Budget Accommodation in Fort Portal City
Located in one of Fort Portal’s green suburbs is YES Hostel, a budget accommodation facility that opened its doors in 2006 and has over the years provided clean comfortable accommodation to its visitors. YES Hostel works perfectly for backpackers, budget travelers and groups traveling together and visiting Uganda. YES in full stands for Youth Encouragement Services which is an organization that empowers orphaned and vulnerable youth to become self-reliant and successful members of the community. The organization manages and runs the hostel. The proceeds from YES Hostel directly support Mama Rescue Home that takes care of vulnerable and orphaned children living with HIV. A stay at the hostel while visiting Fort Portal means that you get to contribute to the incredible community work that YES is doing in Fort Portal.
YES Hostel is one of the top budget facilities in Fort Portal city which welcomes a significant number of visitors each year. Being a tourism city Fort Portal has a lot to offer and a number of attractions to visit. Visitors are drawn by the attractions like Kibale Forest National Park that is known for the chimpanzee trekking adventure, Queen Elizabeth National Park known for its abundant wildlife, Semuliki National Park and Rwenzori Mountains National Park.
Accommodation at YES Hostel Fort Portal
The hostel features different room types that cater to single occupancy and group occupancy. Single and twin rooms are available (these are few in number so booking in advance helps). YES Hostel also has rooms that accommodate 4 people, 6 people and 7 people. The rooms have bunk beds, since it is a hostel shared accommodation is what you should expect.
The beds have mosquito nets, the hostel provides a towel and bathroom slippers for each guest. The bathrooms are located outside the rooms and they are shared. All the rooms at YES Hostel are located in the main building area. Below are photos of the hostel that will give you an idea of how the hostel looks on ground;
Single room at YES Hostel
Room at YES Hostel with bunk beds (4-7 people occupancy)
Shared bathrooms at YES Hostel
Facilities and Services
Outdoor dining area – The hostel features an outdoor dining section where meals are served. The dining area serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu is limited however tasty options are available. Lunch is sometimes buffet style especially if the hostel has groups and different foods are served like rice, matooke (a local meal made of mashed green bananas), chapatti, beef, chicken, and goat’s meat. Soups, starters, dessert and snacks are also on the menu so you can order if you like. For budget accommodation facilities we always advise that you place your orders in advance as they usually have an on-site chef who prepares meals based on order, it’s quite different from the big chain hotels that have a team of chefs. Placing the order early reduces on the waiting times.
Crafts – YES Hostel has a crafts section that is located in the hostel’s main area, you can pass by here if interested during your stay and purchase gifts/souvenirs. A lot of the crafts are made by community members that are part of YES. Handmade bags, beaded jewelry and handmade ceramics.
Common Area – YES Hostel has a common area where you can relax outside the room. The common area has seats, books that you can read and some games available. You can also choose to relax and take a stroll around the lush green compound.
Other services at YES Hostel include a car parking area, Wi-Fi and security available at the hostel premises.
Attractions and Activities
One might wonder what activities to engage in while on a visit to Fort Portal or staying at YES Hostel. 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 YES Hostel. Your tour operator will arrange the tour for you and have the driver guide pick you up and drop you off at the hostel at the end of the day.
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. A 3 Days Wildlife Safari is the best way to explore Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Spotted Hyena seen while on a morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park
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 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 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 YES Hostel. The Botanical gardens are located in Booma and an 8 minute walk away from the hostel. 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.
Location of YES Hostel, Fort Portal
The guest house is located along Lower Kaakiza Road Booma, Fort Portal. The guest house is a 15 minute walk away from Fort Portal town and a 5 minute drive away from the town. The hostel is close to Rwenzori View Guest House.
Recommended Tours
2 Days Queen Elizabeth National Park Wildlife Safari
3 Days Chimpanzee Trekking and Bigodi Swamp walk Tour
