Chasing chimps in Kibale? Then the Bee Hive is your next stop!
Feb 26, 18
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Bee Hive restaurant, Bigodi, Kamwenge Fort Portal Road

The Bee Hive Bar & Bistro Restaurant in Bigodi Town is a hit amongst travellers, tourists and locals.

The Bee Hive is conveniently located directly opposite the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary, along the excellent Fort Portal to Kamwenge Road. You can’t fail to miss the big brown and honey-coloured striped building!

Bee Hive Bar Bistro Bigodi
It’s always good to bump into tourism colleagues on the road. Tour operator Timothy Kintu stopped for lunch with safari clients on a recent visit to The Bee Hive. Pictured with us is New Vision journalist Arthur Mwenkanya Katabalwa

Looking for a tourist restaurant near Fort Portal? Or somewhere to hang out between chimp tracking in Kibale Forest and Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary Walk?

Just five minutes’ drive from Kanyanchu (the meeting point for tracking chimps in Kibale National Park), The Bee Hive is a great stopover for coffee, tea or cold drinks after tracking the chimpanzees. The reasonably priced restaurant menu includes local favourites like pumpkin soup, goat stew and rolex (omelette in a chapati in case you haven’t tried one yet) as well as international dishes, beers, wine and spirits. On a previous visit, I really enjoyed tucking into the spaghetti bolognese (goat of course!)

rolex breakfast Bigogi Kibale
The Bee Hive serve delicious rolex. The chapati are well-cooked. Click on the image to read my blog “The humble rolex – celebrating Uganda’s uniqueness”

If you’re a sports fan, The Bee Hive has a pool table with regular pool competitions. You can also watch sports and international news on their 50″ screen and satellite TV. (The Bee Hive is the only venue in the area with a back-up generator back-up – so you won’t miss any of the TV action).

Featured in Bradt Uganda Guide edition 9 published December 2019
Featured in Bradt Uganda Guide edition 9 published December 2019

The Bee Hive is recommended in the Bradt Uganda Guide edition 9, the current edition (2021). “Set in a conspicuous orange and brown two-storey building opposite the Bigodi Swamp Walk office, this pub-like venue has a pool table, a TV for watching Premier League and other major football matches and a first floor veranda offering views to the Rwenzori in clear weather. A tempting menu of stews, curries and grills is supplemented by cheaper burritos, breakfast (including Rolexes), fresh coffee and desserts. Mains in the US 4-5 dollar range.”

Bee Hive Bigodi bar restaurant Kamwenge Fort Portal
My family LOVED The Bee Hive! We stopped here for cold drinks after doing the Bigodi Wetlands Swamp Walk
View from the upper floor of The Bee Hive. Bigodi Swamp is pictured to the left of the Fort Portal Kamwenge road
Bee Hive Bigodi bar restaurant Kamwenge Fort Portal
Time for a cold beer at The Bee Hive. This is one of the few places to have a back-up generator to ensure drinks are cold and ice-cream is even colder!

As the name hints, The Bee Hive also sells honey that is harvested from beehives positioned on the boundary of Kibale National Park to deter elephants crossing to villagers’ land. You can even take part in the unique “Bees and Elephants Tour” which I describe here in my Travel Directory.

I love these kinds of projects, as regular blog readers will remember from my days as a volunteer in elephant and community conservation. (Honey is such a great present to buy for folks back home).

group lunch, Bee Hive Bigodi
The Bee Hive is suitable for groups and small private meetings (10 – 30 people). There is plenty of off-road parking too
Gorilla Conservation Coffee. The Bee Hive Bigodi
Morning coffee is served on the upper floor of The Bee Hive. Profits from the sale of Gorilla Conservation Coffee support farmers in Bwindi. This in turn helps protect the gorillas and their fragile habitat. You can even buy bags of freshly ground coffee to take home
Bee Hive Bigodi bar restaurant Kamwenge Fort Portal
A great place to hang out with friends after a spot of birdwatching. The Bee Hive is right opposite the KAFRED community walk at Bigodi

Whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks, I recommend The Bee Hive for good wholesome food, cold drinks (make mine a beer), coffees (Gorilla Conservation Coffee, of course!) ice-cream and a fab view of the countryside. Outside tourist lodges, The Bee Hive is the only restaurant and bar in the area that caters for both local and international tastes.

TIP: If you’re travelling in a group, or want to hold a private meeting call Erias the Manager on +256 (0)785 948488 to reserve your tables.

How to find The Bee Hive

The Bee Hive is midway between Fort Portal and Kamwenge, about 4 km south of Kanyanchu Tourist Centre. To be honest, you can’t miss it! It’s 38 km from Fort Portal and 3.5 km from Sunbird Hill.

For latest updates from the Bee Hive, like the Facebook page.

9 thoughts on “Chasing chimps in Kibale? Then the Bee Hive is your next stop!”

  1. Lizziema says:

    The pictures bring back happy memories of last Christmas at Sunbird Hill with Julia and the delicious Christmas lunch! After our trek and sadly not seeing the 7.5 metre python we were very happy to arrive at the Beehive before our onward long journey. And I bought seven pots of honey which didn’t leak in my suitcase coming home. However I did wrap them up well in polythene bags just in case. We were really quite off the beaten track (apart from the new piece of road) and still managed to have a cappucino!
    You have described everything very well and the waitress was as nice as she looks. Go try it out and see for yourself, it was such a welcome break on a hot day albeit I had excellent homegrown coffee!

    1. the muzungu says:

      Would I have enticed you to Bigodi Swamp if you had known there was a 7.5 metre snake hiding in there?! (Actually, I know the answer to that one, LOL). We saw so many different types of primates didn’t we?
      The honey we bought from the Bee Hive is delicious – I’m still enjoying mine 🙂
      Thanks for being part of my travels around Uganda! x

    2. the muzungu says:

      … and Rwanda!

    3. the muzungu says:

      … next time Kenya? 😉

  2. Andy says:

    Good info.
    I was born and raised in Uganda but have not been to any of these places.
    Thanks for fillingup my bucket list.

    1. the muzungu says:

      Hi Andy, wow – well you need to pack your bag and get out there then!
      Thanks for reading my diary 🙂

  3. Harsha says:

    I was there in May17 and had a wonderful time soon after my chimp trek in Kibale and the birding in Bigodi. My dear friend Howard Musinguzi Japan from Papyrus tours was with me and i quite enjoyed the Karo and peri peri goat curry with a cold Tusker beer.The manager Paul was a very cordial & wonderful individual, along with the young ladies who served delicious fare.I spent a whole day watching the sun set over Kibale NP with a sundowner….memorable moments…before retiring to Rweteera Safari park for the night..

    1. the muzungu says:

      Hi Harsha
      Great to read your feedback (I’m quite a regular at The Bee Hive). Like you say, it’s a great place to stop for a meal after seeing the chimps or doing KAFRED’s swamp walk in Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary.
      I like Rweteera Safari Park too. I spent two nights there with my nephew recently. Its wonderful cycling country too.

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