Topi Lodge
Cottages · Ishasha, five minutes from the southern gate · Woodland Lodges Uganda
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.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Five minutes from the southern Ishasha gate towards Kihihi
- Solar powered cottages with verandas, all en suite
- 10 percent off for a circuit booking or four nights or more
- Lower rates in April, May and November
Cons
- Park entry is not listed as included in any rate
- No minimum age found; the site blocked our check
- 2027 rates already run $20 higher than 2026
- Mweya and the channel are a three-hour drive north
What's here
- En-suite bathrooms
Read from Topi Lodge's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Queen Elizabeth National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryCharged per 24 hours rather than per night.
- $40per person, per day
- VehicleA Ugandan-registered 4x4, the usual hire car, at UGX 30,000; a foreign-registered 4x4 pays $150.
- $8per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $264 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
Entry is sold in 24-hour blocks that begin when you pass the gate, so a trip that starts at midday and ends at 16:00 two days later is charged as three days, not two.
The full fee schedule for Queen Elizabeth National ParkRates at Topi Lodge
From $90 per room, low season. US dollars per room per night in the columns bed and breakfast, half board, full board. Standard 2026: single $110, $120 and $130; double $160, $180 and $200; triple $190, $220 and $250. Low season 2026, which runs in April, May and November: single $90, $100 and $110; double $140, $160 and $180; triple $170, $200 and $230. The 2027 rates sit twenty dollars higher. Park entry is not listed as included. Booking direct earns ten per cent off a circuit booking or a stay of four nights or more.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Indicative 2026 rates, read in September 2026 from each property's own website, rate card or factsheet. Twenty-three of the forty-two publish a rack rate of their own. The other nineteen say on request, and no agent or tour operator figure has been used to fill a gap. Watch the basis, because it decides whether two numbers can be compared at all: some quote per person per night sharing, others per room, per tent or per cottage, and meals sit inside some rates and outside others. Park entry is extra almost everywhere at $40 per foreign non-resident adult per 24 hours, plus the vehicle, and the Kazinga Channel cruise is $30 on top.
Questions about Topi Lodge
How much does Topi Lodge cost?
For 2026, a standard single room costs $110 on bed and breakfast, rising to $130 on full board, with lower rates of $90 to $110 in the quiet months of April, May and November. 2027 standard rates run about $20 higher. Park entry is not listed as included, and booking direct earns 10 percent off a circuit booking or a stay of four nights or more.
Can you self-drive to Topi Lodge?
Yes. The lodge sits five minutes from the southern gate of the Ishasha sector towards Kihihi, outside the park boundary, which makes it an easy final stretch by road. No further self-drive directions are published beyond that, so confirm with the lodge if you need the exact turning.
Is Topi Lodge good for families?
The lodge's site blocked our check, so we found no child policy or minimum age for Topi Lodge. Rooms run as single, double or triple, solar powered and en suite, but no dedicated family unit is described separately, so ask about configuration and any child rate when you book.