Masindi Hotel is a Hotel in Uganda with a lot of History since 1923
Masindi Hotel – Uganda’s Oldest Hotel – a Gateway Hotel to Murchison Falls Park – Budongo Forest – Lake Albert
Masindi Hotel opened in 1923, making it the oldest Hotel in Uganda:
The Masindi Hotel – just outside of what was once one of the busiest towns in Uganda – Masindi. The British explorer’s Sir Samuel and Lady Florence Baker passed through a town and area, a city that Sir Winston Churchill visited on his way to Murchison Falls, a once bustling town of commerce and trade with the Congo and beyond.
It was home to an International airport in nearby Butiaba, where planes traversed the continent landed, refueled, and passengers stayed overnight at the Masindi Hotel.
Today, Masindi and the Masindi Hotel are at the Gateway to Murchison Falls Park – Bundongo Forest and the scenic route along Lake Albert, the Western Rift Valley Escarpment, and Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
Masindi Hotel – a Hotel in Uganda with a lot of History
There was a time when you had to make reservations a year ahead of time – The Masindi Hotel, built in 1923 by the Ugandan Railways and Harbor Company. At that time, Masindi was the Ugandan central trading point to the heart of Africa and the rest of the world, connecting to Mombasa by the railroad in Kenya.
The port of Butiaba was and is nearby, and it was not only a place of commerce but of tourism. Those who wanted to see the abundant wildlife of Murchison Falls Park took a boat from Butiaba and traveled through Lake Albert with the Blue Mountains of the Congo in the distance, then up the Nile to the Paraa area and beyond. Maybe someone will revive that grand idea of old and again offer the opportunity to travel to the Paraa area of Murchison Falls by boat.
Masindi was the gateway to Central Africa and the Sudan, where goods and produce from the Northern Congo and Southern Sudan found their way to European markets and beyond.
The cargo was shipped across Lake Albert and trucked from Butiaba to Masindi Customs Area. From Masindi, goods were trucked onto Masindi Port on Lake Kyoga, where it was shipped down to Soroti and then by railway to Mombasa. Masindi Hotel became a transit stop and a haven for travelers passing through the area as it is today.
Masindi Hotel – a Place of History and Famous Guests
When portions of the movie “The African Queen” were made near here, the cast stayed nowhere else. Still, their Hotel – a Hotel in Uganda with a lot of History – Katherine Hepburn enjoyed the location, the setting (at times), wh. In contrast, Humphrey did not like this place far from home, sat with Director John Huston, and consumed vast amounts of liquor, killing time.
Masindi Hotel – a Hotel in Uganda with a lot of History – was also home to Ernest Hemingway and their wife when his airplane crashed after hitting an old telephone wire at Murchison Falls – he, like the explorer Samuel Baker and his wife Florence, had to spend some time along the shores of the Nile. When he was rescued and taken to Butiaba, as the second plane took off, it also crashed.
The world press declared Hemingway dead – but he was sipping his favorite liquor at the Masindi Hotel recovering from burns, bruises, and severe injuries. He read his obituary in the International Newspaper when he reached “the Old Stanley Hotel” in Nairobi.
Besides the above, luminaries such as Lauren Bacall and the Travel Writer Michael Palin stayed at the Masindi Hotel. Even I had stayed there before they remodeled back in the 1990’s1990sing, around 10 pm after traversing almost impossible roads. Thank goodness it is a lot easier now.
Today the Masindi Hotel provides a moderately priced hotel, a favorite of birders, those on the way to Murchison Falls Park or back to Kampala. Their Indian food is a delight; you can also order Continental and some traditional dishes.
Masindi Hotel – a Hotel in Uganda with a lot of History, a list of famous former guests, providing quiet comfort and good food to clients from far and wide. The Masindi Hotel has made it into the 21st Century and is still the best accommodation in Masindi, with clean rooms, renovated, and Indian, Ugandan, and Continental Meals.
If you like to stay at the Masindi Hotel – a Hotel in Uganda with a lot of History – please let us know.
