Lodges & camps in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Buffalo Safari Lodge

Mid-range · Boundary unconfirmed · Owner-run

Buffalo sits at Katunguru by the Kazinga Channel bridge, on the main road between Kasese and Mbarara. Which side of the boundary it stands on is genuinely unsettled, so read the area note before you assume entry is part of the deal. The position suits the channel cruise and the Kasenyi plains, and this is one of the rare addresses here that states it is open all year. Ishasha remains a three hour drive south.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

Kikorongo Safari Lodge

Mid-range · Boundary unconfirmed · Locally owned

Kikorongo Safari Lodge stands on a hill in Kikorongo village at the equator crossing, in the corner where the Kasenyi road meets the routes to Kasese and Bwera. The site never says which side of the boundary it occupies, so treat entry as an extra and read the area note. The Kasenyi plains are the obvious morning drive from here and the Rwenzori foothills lie in the other direction.

Katara Lodge

Mid-range · Outside the gate · Safari company

Katara sits on the Great Rift Valley escarpment at Kichwamba, twenty minutes from the main gate by the lodge's own reckoning and outside the boundary, so a night here carries no entry fee. Chimpanzee trekking in the Kyambura Gorge is the activity on the doorstep and the Kasenyi plains take a morning down on the flat. Ishasha is about three hours away, which rules out a day trip from this side.

The River Station

High-end · Outside the gate · Safari company

The River Station stands on the Kazinga Channel inside the Kyambura Wildlife Reserve, which belongs to the wider conservation area and sits outside the national park in law. That distinction matters at the gate, because the reserve and the park carry different tickets. Mweya and the Kasenyi plains are within reach by road or by water, the gorge chimpanzees are the close activity, and Ishasha is three hours away by road.

Enjojo Lodge

Mid-range · Outside the gate · Owner-run

Enjojo sits three hundred metres outside the Katookye gate of the Ishasha sector, on its own forty hectares beyond the boundary. The ladder runs from a $15 camping pitch to an en-suite cottage on full board, which is unusual this far south. Ishasha's fig tree lions are through the gate, Bwindi is the onward run, and Mweya is three hours to the north.

Savannah Resort Hotel

Budget · Outside the gate · Owner-run

Savannah Resort Hotel is at Kihiihi in Kanungu district, eight kilometres from the Ishasha sector and well outside the park. It is a town hotel in scale, with 44 units, a pool and a golf course, which suits groups and drivers moving between Ishasha and Bwindi, 43 km away. It has nothing to do with the northern sectors, where several lists wrongly place it.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge

Budget · Inside the park · Safari company

The Bush Lodge sits at Katunguru on the Kazinga Channel, a fishing enclave inside the park's outer boundary on the Kasese to Mbarara road. That puts the Mweya launch jetty and the Kasenyi plains within an easy morning while keeping the rate at the bottom of the range for a bed inside the line. Ishasha is another matter at about three hours to the south on murram, so treat it as a separate leg of the trip.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

Engiri Game Lodge & Campsite

Budget · Inside the park · Owner-run

Engiri stands in the Katunguru fishing enclave, 300 m off the Kasese to Mbarara road and inside the park's outer boundary, though on village ground rather than a wilderness concession. It carries the widest price ladder in the park, running from a $15 pitch to a deluxe family room on full board. The channel bridge and the Mweya turning are minutes away, while Ishasha stays three hours to the south.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

Elephant Hab Lodge

Mid-range · Outside the gate · Owner-run

Elephant Hab stands on the Kichwamba escarpment at the edge of the park, about ten minutes from the gates and outside the boundary in its own wording. The postal address in the footer reads Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is a postbox rather than a position. Chimpanzee trekking at Kyambura is the near activity and the channel cruise is a comfortable morning away.

Baboon Safari Resort

Budget · Outside the gate · Owner-run

Baboon Safari Resort stands at Rubirizi-Bushenyi on the high ground outside the park, looking down over it. Full board is built into every rate, which makes the comparison with room-only lodges kinder than it first looks. Everything in the park is a drive down the escarpment from here, and Ishasha is a good deal further again.

Ishasha Jungle Lodge

Mid-range · Outside the gate · Safari company

Ishasha Jungle Lodge sits two kilometres from the Katokye gate of the Ishasha sector, in Kihihi sub-county outside the park boundary, so nights here carry no entry ticket. The fig tree lions are inside that gate a short drive away and Bwindi is the usual next stop south. From Mweya this is a three hour drive on murram, which is the trap in most itineraries.

Park View Safari Lodge

Mid-range · Outside the gate · Safari company

Park View sits on the escarpment edge at Kyambura, outside the boundary by the lodge's own account, looking out across the park. The gorge and the chimpanzee trek start close by. Mweya and the Kasenyi plains take a morning down on the flat, and Ishasha is a three hour drive south.

Honey Bear Bush Camp

High-end · Outside the gate · Safari company

Honey Bear sits on the south bank of the Kazinga Channel in the Kyambura Wildlife Reserve, outside the national park in legal terms though within the wider conservation area. Five tents and an adults-only rule make it the quietest address on this water. Activities, night drives and boat trips sit inside the rate, which is worth reading against the per person figure before you compare it with a room-only lodge.

At The River Ishasha

Budget · Outside the gate · Owner-run

At The River Ishasha sits on the Ntungwe a few minutes outside the park, looking across at the Kigezi Wildlife Reserve. It is the cheapest bed in the sector, with camping from $10 and platforms for anyone driving their own rooftop tent. The fig tree lions are through the gate, and Mweya is three hours to the north.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

Kyambura Gorge Lodge

High-end · Boundary unconfirmed · Safari company

Kyambura Gorge Lodge stands on the Kichwamba escarpment above the gorge on the eastern side of the park, where the chimpanzee trekking starts. Volcanoes Safaris describes the setting both as inside the park and as inside the buffer zone, so read the area note before assuming entry is covered. The Kasenyi plains and the channel cruise lie down the escarpment to the north, and Ishasha is a full three hours away. Do not confuse this with Kyambura Game Lodge, which is a different company altogether.

Topi Lodge

Budget · Outside the gate · Safari company

Topi Lodge stands five minutes from the southern gate of the Ishasha sector towards Kihihi, outside the park boundary. It is the plain and cheap option on this side, solar run and en suite. The fig tree lions are through the gate, while Mweya and the channel are a three hour drive north on murram.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

Ishasha Pride Lodge

Budget · Boundary unconfirmed · Safari company

Ishasha Pride is in Kihihi sub-county in Kanungu district on the Ishasha side, though its own marketing also claims a position deep inside the park. Treat the boundary as unsettled and park entry as an extra on any day you drive in. The published from-prices leave out whether they run per person or per unit, so get that in writing before you send money.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

Pumba Safari Cottages

Budget · Outside the gate · Safari company

Pumba sits at Kyambura on the Kichwamba escarpment outside the boundary, looking over the park from above. This is the budget end of the escarpment, with April, May and November priced lower again. The gorge and the chimpanzee trek are close by, the Kasenyi plains take a morning, and Ishasha is a three hour drive that works better as a move than an outing.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

Ishasha Wilderness Camp

High-end · Inside the park · Safari company

Ishasha Wilderness Camp lies inside the park in the Ishasha sector on the Ntungwe River, and it is the only address in this sector that can demonstrate it. Ishasha is where the lions lie in the fig trees, and it sits about 107 km of murram from Mweya inside a park with a 40 km/h limit, so the drive takes three hours rather than the two that most itineraries quote. Anyone booking here for the lions should plan Ishasha as its own leg, usually on the way to or from Bwindi.

Twin Lakes Safari Lodge

Mid-range · Outside the gate · Owner-run

Twin Lakes sits in the Bunyaruguru crater field at Kichwamba in Rubirizi, and it is the one address in this set that states plainly that it lies just outside Queen Elizabeth National Park, 270 metres above the plain. That puts every game drive at the far end of a run down the escarpment, which is the trade for the price and the crater views. Many lists file it at Kasenyi or Katwe, which is wrong by a long way.

Mweya Safari Lodge

High-end · Inside the park · Safari company

Mweya stands on the peninsula in the core of the park, inside the boundary, so every night here carries park entry on top of the room rate. It is the hub the whole northern circuit works around, with the Kazinga Channel cruise leaving from the marina below and the Kasenyi plains within an early morning's reach. Ishasha and its tree-climbing lions are a different proposition, roughly 107 km of murram to the south inside a park with a 40 km/h limit, so allow three hours each way rather than the two that most itineraries print.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

Marafiki Safari Lodge

Mid-range · Outside the gate · Owner-run

Marafiki sits on the park boundary above Lake George on the Kasenyi side, outside the line by its own description, which keeps the plains close without a nightly entry ticket. The morning lion drives on Kasenyi leave from nearby and the channel cruise at Mweya is a manageable early start. No rate is published anywhere on the lodge's site, so everything goes through email.

Tabingi Safari Lodge

Mid-range · Boundary unconfirmed · Owner-run

Tabingi is the one entry here whose sector could not be established, because its own site names the park and nothing more precise. Since Mweya, Kasenyi, Katwe, Katunguru, Kyambura and Ishasha can be hours apart, that gap matters more here than anywhere else on this page. Ask for a map pin before you book, and ask which gate you would be using.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

The Observatory

Mid-range · Outside the gate · Safari company

The Observatory is a self-catering house on the Kichwamba escarpment outside the park, and Geo Lodges sells it on exactly that point, that you look over the park without paying to enter every day. Six beds across three rooms make it a family or group answer. The gorge is close, the flats take a morning, and Ishasha is three hours off.

Lake Munyanyange Caves Lodge

Mid-range · Boundary unconfirmed · Safari company

The lodge stands in the Katwe enclave beside Lake Munyanyange, minutes from the Kabatoro gate and the Mweya road. Its own site claims a position inside the park, which the enclave makes impossible to confirm, so budget for entry fees on any day you drive in. Confirm by email that it is still open before you travel.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

Enganzi Game Lodge

Mid-range · Boundary unconfirmed · Owner-run

Enganzi sits at Katara village in Rubirizi on the escarpment above the eastern side of the park. Its own pages disagree about the boundary, so expect to pay entry on any day you drive down to a gate. Nothing is published about rates, so email is the only way to get a number.

Embogo Lodges Ishasha

Mid-range · Boundary unconfirmed · Locally owned

Embogo stands at Katobi village in the Ishasha sector, just past the wildlife fence on the road from Kameme to Kihihi. Whether that is park land or community land has not been settled, so budget entry for any day you drive through a gate. It is community owned, the fig tree lions are the reason people come, and Mweya is three hours to the north.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

Kasenyi Safari Camp

Mid-range · Boundary unconfirmed · Owner-run

Kasenyi Safari Camp stands on the Bunyampaka crater rim on the Kasenyi plains, the best lion ground in the park and the departure point for the early morning drives. Whether it falls inside the boundary is unsettled, because Katwe and the salt pans form an enclave along this stretch. Mweya and the channel cruise are an easy morning away, while Ishasha is a three hour drive to the south.

Simba Safari Camp

Budget · Outside the gate · Safari company

Simba sits at Kikorongo right on the park boundary, outside the line by its own description and two kilometres from the equator. That makes it the nearest cheap base to the Kasenyi plains, where the morning lion drives start, with no entry ticket on the nights you stay put. Ishasha is roughly three hours south on murram, so it works as a separate leg of a trip and never as a day trip.

Elephant Plains Lodge

High-end · Boundary unconfirmed · Safari company

Elephant Plains looks down on Lake Kikorongo from the rift escarpment at the northern corner of the park, close to the Kasenyi plains and the equator crossing. Its own wording puts it both inside the park and a short drive from the gate, so the boundary is unsettled and entry should be budgeted separately in any case. Full board with house drinks and laundry included softens the headline figure, and Ishasha is still three hours to the south.

The Elephant Home

Budget · Outside the gate · Locally owned

The Elephant Home sits at Kikorongo outside the boundary, ten minutes from the park gate, signposted at kilometre 20.2 on the road from Kasese towards Mbarara just before the junction. It is the cheapest honest bed near the Kasenyi plains and the money stays in the village. Book by email, because the domain the guest house used to own now serves spam and has nothing to do with them.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

Kingfisher Lodge Kichwamba

Mid-range · Outside the gate · Owner-run

Kingfisher stands two hundred metres above the park on the Kichwamba escarpment, outside the boundary by its own description, so a night here costs no entry. It is the large and plain option on this stretch, with a wide view over the flats towards the channel. Chimpanzee trekking at Kyambura is the close activity, while Ishasha stays three hours to the south.

Mweya Hostel

Budget · Inside the park · Park-run

The old institute buildings stand on the Mweya peninsula inside the park boundary, a short walk from the launch jetty and the park offices. Ownership is the catch. The UWA tariff booklet prices a dormitory and campsites for this park while UWA's own FAQ says the authority runs no accommodation, which points to concession holders now holding the keys. Ring the reservations line before counting on a bed here, and expect park entry on top of whatever you are quoted.

Tembo Safari Lodge

Budget · Boundary unconfirmed · Safari company

Tembo trades at Katunguru by the Kazinga Channel bridge, close to the cruise jetty and about three hours short of Ishasha. Where it stands relative to the boundary is unresolved, and the larger problem is that the lodge has lost its own web presence, so booking means email or telephone. Anything you read on tembosafarilodge.com comes from a reseller that took over the expired domain and has no connection to the lodge.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

Irungu Forest Safari Lodge & Campsite

Mid-range · Boundary unconfirmed · Owner-run

Irungu sits along the Katunguru corridor on the main road near the Kazinga Channel, on the Rubirizi side. The boundary question is open, so plan for park entry on any day you drive in through a gate. Booking is by email for now, because the lodge's own website is serving injected spam and is best left alone until it has been cleaned up.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

Ihamba Lakeside Safari Lodge

Mid-range · Boundary unconfirmed · Owner-run

Ihamba is on the Lake George shore at Kahendero on the Kasenyi side of the park. It is the one address in this set where no owner detail could be confirmed at all, because the site and its archive copies are closed to automated access, which leaves the boundary question open too. Ring before you book, and ask about park entry as well as the rate.

Dates and availability on Booking.com ↗

Hippo Hill Camp-Katwe

Mid-range · Outside the gate · Safari company

Hippo Hill stands at Katwe in the park's buffer zone, outside the boundary in the owner's own wording, above the crater pan where salt is still cut by hand. Mweya and the channel cruise are close, which is the practical reason to sleep on this side. The camp has had no working website since about 2018, so contact runs through Lake Kitandara in Kampala.

Kabatoro Guest House

Budget · Boundary unconfirmed · Park-run

Kabatoro Guest House sits in the Katwe enclave right beside the main gate, a few minutes from the Mweya turning. The owner never says which side of the boundary the plot falls on, which matters here because the enclave is ringed by park. There is no website and no email address, so booking is by telephone.

Katwe Tourism Destination Centre (KATDC)

Budget · Boundary unconfirmed · Locally owned

KATDC works out of the Katwe enclave beside the salt lake, where salt is still cut from the crater pan by hand, and it makes no claim about which side of the boundary it occupies. It is a guides' co-operative first and a place to sleep second, with the salt lake tour and the village walks as the reason to come. The website has carried placeholder text since 2016, so the working channel is the telephone. Note the name too: the organisation calls itself a Destination Centre, not an Information Centre.

Njovu Park Lodge

Budget · Boundary unconfirmed · Owner-run

Njovu sits about two kilometres past the main gate on the Katwe side, close to the Mweya turning. Nothing about it can be confirmed from the owner, including which side of the boundary it occupies, so arrive with park entry budgeted. Guest reviews suggest it is trading, which is as far as the evidence goes.

Queen Elizabeth Safari Lodge

Budget · Outside the gate · Locally owned

This one sits at Mohokya on the Mbarara road four kilometres outside Kasese, on the western edge well beyond the park. Many lists place it at Katunguru on the Kazinga Channel, which is wrong and adds the better part of an hour to any drive you plan around it. The Kikorongo junction and the Kasenyi plains are the nearest park ground, and the lodge's own site has gone, so contact runs by telephone through Kasese.

Ishasha Ntungwe River Camp

Budget · Boundary unconfirmed · Owner-run

This camp is placed on the Ntungwe in the Ishasha sector, though nothing about it can be confirmed from an owner source. Avoid booking it through a page found in a search engine, because the domain that ranks for the name belongs to a reseller. If you want to stay here, ask an operator in Kihihi to confirm by telephone that it is trading.