Hawk's Eye Lodge Bunyonyi

For anyone whose thoughts of Africa translate into thoughts of safaris, treks and encounters with wild animals, Hawk’s Eye Lodge is extremely well placed. Starting with guided hikes around Lake Bunyonyi is a must, keeping eyes out for the plentiful wildlife and watching the skies for the birds that roost hereabouts. Without question, the next stop should be the enticingly named Bwindi Impenetrable National Park an hour and 15 minutes’ drive away – half of the world’s gorilla population can be found here, so it’s unsurprisingly a top spot for gorilla treks (stumbling upon elephants, forest hogs, golden cats or colobus monkeys might be an added bonus). Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, two and a half hours from base, is a good alternative to Bwindi if another shot at gorilla spotting is needed, and lengthier jaunts to Queen Elizabeth National Park (three and a half hours) come highly recommended for buffalo, lions, leopards, hyena and elephants (yep, that’s the African safari dream…) While in Queen Elizabeth, monkey around on a detour to Kyambura Wildlife Reserve, where there’s chimp trekking in the Valley of the Apes. Lucky enough to be continuing hols after leaving the site? Ugandan capital Kampala is a seven-hour journey from base for museums, palaces and historical sites.