On the southern edge of Kampala, just far enough from the noise to feel intentional, the forest closes in. Not wild in the way of untouched wilderness, but deliberate, tall trees, filtered light, and a stillness that gives pockets of serenity for the city chaos.
This is Kampala Forest Resort, known to many simply as KFR Lodge. A place designed for people who want Kampala close, but not too close.
“You have the forest feeling,” says Degyat, the lodge’s director. “It’s where the city meets nature.”
The lodge sits about four kilometres from Sri Ganesh Plaza, tucked near the National Water Reservoir, and within reach of the city’s shopping centres, markets, and amusement parks. Yet once inside the grounds, the pace changes.
Hospitality Has Changed. Guests Have Too.
KFR Lodge was built to host many kinds of travelers: couples escaping the city for a weekend, families visiting Kampala, business guests passing through, and individuals looking for relaxation.
But hospitality today is shaped by something less visible than architecture.
“Nowadays, guests don’t want to move with cash,” Degyat explains. “Mostly, they move with digital money.”
It’s not a trend unique to KFR. Across Uganda’s hospitality sector, guests expect flexibility to book remotely, pay instantly, and trust that their reservation is secure before they even arrive.
Before digital payments, there was a lot of uncertainty in the booking process. A guest could say they were coming, but without payment, nothing was guaranteed.
“If you don’t have online payment,” Degyat says, “the guest couldn’t pay, and you couldn’t reserve them. You don’t know if they’re going to come or not.”
From Enquiry to Check-In
Today, KFR Lodge runs on Reserveport, Pesapal’s locally built channel manager, alongside a Pesapal POS terminal on site.
The change the solutions bring isn’t something guests notice in the way they notice a renovated room. It works quietly in the background, but for the people running the lodge, it changes everything.
Guests can book online, pay in advance, and even pay on behalf of someone else.
“The booking and payment process has become so simplified; to the extent that Reserveport allows people to gift other people,” Degyat says. “They book accommodation, pay for them, and then gift them to come and enjoy here.”
For a lodge that caters to celebrations, retreats, and getaways, that flexibility matters. They have made sure that payments are no longer a hurdle to overcome at arrival.
Payments That Don’t Interrupt the Experience
At the point of stay, the expectation is the same. Guests want to pay for added services how they want and when they want; either using card or mobile money without friction.
“It makes our financials easier,” Degyat says simply. “And for clients or guests as well, it’s easier to do the payment whichever way they want.”
Support That’s Within Reach
There are many channel managers and payment systems in the market. For KFR Lodge, our choice wasn’t only in functionality but on proximity too.
“Most channel managers are managed abroad,” Degyat explains. “It’s not easy to communicate if you have any problem with the service provider.”
Pesapal, by contrast, is present. Physically.
“They are here in Uganda. They have an office here. It’s easy to communicate and get support.”
In hospitality, where downtime means lost bookings and frustrated guests, that closeness matters.
A Lodge Rooted in Place, Running on Modern Systems
Kampala Forest Resort offers hammam spas, a sauna, a private art gallery, and rooms designed for comfort and privacy. But what keeps it running smoothly isn’t only what guests see. It’s the system that lets the lodge say yes more often, yes to advance bookings, yes to international guests, yes to cashless travel, yes to gifting, yes to certainty.
In a city that keeps expanding outward and upward, KFR Lodge offers something else: A pause from life’s chaos.
And behind that calm is a payment and booking experience that works simply, reliably, and locally, allowing Kampala Forest Resort to do what it does best.
