The hotel is located in the town of Masindi, approximately 214 kilometres (133 mi) northwest of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city, on an all-weather tarmac highway.

[1] Masindi Hotel was built in 1923 by the now defunct East Africa Railways and Harbours Company.

[citation needed] Masindi was a transit point for many goods and produce from the Northern Congo and Southern Sudan destined for export to European markets in the early 20th century.

Cargo was shipped across Lake Albert, trucked from Butiaba up to Masindi Customs Sheds.

Ernest Hemingway was involved in two plane crashes at Murchison Falls and Butiaba airstrip, within the space of one week.