Soothing delights of Simba Safari Camp

After a labourious journey to Uganda’s most popular and accordingly most-visited national park, the slow-down moment is at Simba Safari Camp, located right in the heart of the park.

Engulfed in the natural; the sound of croaking frogs, chirping monkeys, sounds of insects is so pronounced within this quiet budget lodge. Simba is Kiswahili for lion and any tourist’s anticipation would be seeing the lion.

As we take paths to our rooms in the night, we are thrown into a moment of panic by one of the cheeky staff who roars like a lion in one of the tended grass thickets.

“Guys, take it easy,” he says as he emerges from a not-so-clear part of the gardens.

Artistic interiors
He then offers to lead each of us to our room as he shares some messages about the lodging being safe but not devoid of animals that might be roaming the place in the night. “You are advised to move with a torch at all times,” he warns.

The rooms are a good architectural exhibition of what you would call natural, nicely cemented floor with raw walls of simply fixed walls made from bricks and cement. There is some good wood work too that beautiful fuses well with the concrete and nature.

You might find the beds a little too small for your comfort. The beds are fairly spacious, and so are the bathrooms.

As you take a shower after the long travel, if you are coming from Kampala, you will be anticipating a subsequent day of activity or visualising what lies ahead the following day.

Sleeping in the wild
The park’s profile is as much exciting as tickling for the adventurous mind. The list of to-see includes the agile kobs, lions, slow and lazy hippopotamus, large beautiful elephants, wobbly hyenas, name them.

The mind can only keep hungering for the moment to see the wild’s beauties. But first, that feeling of sleeping in the wild is satisfying in itself because not much was tampered with.

From the gate, the trees were left in place, creating a beautiful canopy, tourists or guests drive through. The road is aligned with well-arranged stones, marking your way to the restaurant section of the lodge.

Bigger stones are on the sides and even the driveway is of smaller stones, in that as you drive you can hear the frictional, almost vibrational effect underneath the car.

The lookout of the restaurant is of hanging potted plants, tables and seats covered in soft mahogany vanish.

But before you proceed to your restaurant sieat there is a welcome clerk who receives you with a smile, with which he establishes contact and repertoire. “How did you find your journey,” he welcomes guests with a smile, sounding fresh like he is asking this question for the first time.

He is clever enough because the tales are the same and his answers are a good rehearsal because when you relay the fatigue from a long journey, his words are comforting.

“Oh sorry, we are going to make sure you relax and enjoy your stay,” he says as he hands each guest a warm face towel and keys to their rooms. He will then lead you to the restaurant for a welcome drink.

At the restaurant, there is both sitting space for already laid-out tables and a lounging area with television sets for tourists to watch news or any entertainment programmes aired on Digital Satellite Television (Dstv).

There will not be much you will miss about Kampala or whatever part of the world you are from, but there is a satisfying reason to escape from the routine of the capitals.

A little bit of home
You will feel at home and at peace in this quiet corner of the world. With this serenity and rural slowness you will feel at ease, unbothered by pressures of work, or relationships especially if it is a treat you have taken with your loved one.

Naturally, your mind abodes pacific thoughts, wishing the moment would go on and on and on…and as it relaxes there is some wine or something soft or frothy to sip on.

The bar here is fairly stocked, with wines, spirits, beers, soft drinks likes sodas and juice, and tea or coffee, if that’s what you prefer considering the chilly evenings in this part of the world, in south western Uganda.

As you leave your dinner table or as you lay your head on your pillow remember to set your alarm for the early morning game drive.

It starts at 6am to the dot and lets you take in the chill of the dawn as you satisfy your yearning to discover the treasures of Africa’s pearl, the tourists’ favourite being the lion.

From the park, you will have a chance to visit Katwe Salt Lake, the Mweya peninsula, the Kazinga channel along which you will see a variety of birds, view and visit Kirongoro women’s community, hippos, fish eagles, elephants, monkeys, among other wild gems.

If You Go
Location: Queen Elizabeth National Park, in Kasese, South Western Uganda
Rates: Starting from $55 for singles
Time: Approximately seven hour drive from Kampala

[email protected]