Apoka Safari Lodge
Luxury canvas-walled chalets · Rocky outcrop above the Narus Valley, beside Apoka · WildPlaces Africa
Top-end
Inside the park
Safari company
The famous one, and the only full-service lodge inside Kidepo. Ten enormous canvas-walled chalets sit on a rock outcrop with the Narus Valley game viewing below, and the rock-hewn pool and outdoor stone tubs are the photographs everyone has seen. It is one of the most remote luxury lodges in East Africa, priced accordingly, and it is the only Kidepo property with a proper published rate card.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Only full-service lodge inside Kidepo National Park
- Swimming pool carved straight out of the rock
- Outdoor rock tubs for soaks or night bubble baths
- Rate includes full board, most drinks, two activities daily
- $25 a night funds the WildPlaces Conservation Foundation
Cons
- Fly-in only; no self-drive access published
- Top-end price: $880 to $1,440 per person nightly
- Top-premium drinks, gratuities and extra activities cost more
- Double chalets take one toddler only; twin chalets up to three children
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Kidepo Valley 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; bring a foreign-registered one and it is $150.
- $8per vehicle, once for the trip
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $248 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
UWA's tariff charges vehicles per 24 hours, except for concessionaire visitor vehicles, who pay once per trip. Staying at a lodge inside the park puts you in that second group, so the vehicle is counted once above rather than three times.
Entry is sold in 24-hour blocks that begin when you pass the gate, not calendar days. Time your exit before your arrival hour and two nights means two days of fees, not three.
The full fee schedule for Kidepo Valley National ParkRates at Apoka Safari Lodge
From $880 pppn. $880 per person sharing in green season (April to September), $1,250 in high season, all-inclusive. Single $1,010 to $1,440, child 5 to 12 $180. Official rate card valid to 30 June 2026.
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.
Rates gathered July 2026 from operators' own published rate cards where they exist. Kidepo is unusual: nine of the eleven properties we found publish no prices at all, and several widely-listed lodges could not be verified as operating. Where we show no price, none is published; always confirm directly. Buffalo Base Guesthouse and Campsite in Karenga village was on this list until July 2026. A contact on the ground reports it closed at the start of the year. We could not reach the property to confirm, so it is off the list rather than sending anyone eight kilometres to a locked gate. NAMONI Lodge, Zebra Safari Lodge and Katurum Kidepo Lodge were added on 28 July 2026 after a reader pointed out we had missed them. All three are Ugandan owned. NAMONI's entry comes from the lodge's own 2026-27 brochure. The other two publish nothing themselves, so their entries come from booking platforms, which we say plainly because it is a weaker source than we normally use.
Questions about Apoka Safari Lodge
Is Apoka Safari Lodge good for families?
Apoka's rate card puts two adults and one toddler in a double chalet and two adults and up to three children in a twin chalet, and children under 5 stay free. Its generic child policy also mentions a Family Tent or Safari Suite, which Apoka does not have, so confirm with WildPlaces which chalet suits your family before booking.
What does the rate at Apoka Safari Lodge include?
Apoka's package includes full board meals, all drinks except top-premium brands, bed night fees, shared airstrip transfers, two shared game activities a day and laundry. It excludes top-premium drinks, gratuities and extra activities. 2025-26 rates run $880 to $1,250 per person sharing, rising for singles and high season.
Can you self-drive to Apoka Safari Lodge?
No. Apoka is reached by charter flight from Entebbe, around two hours, landing at the Apoka airstrip next to the lodge. Neither the lodge's own site nor its rate card mentions a road option, so treat it as fly-in only and book your charter through WildPlaces Africa.
Can you book a private vehicle at Apoka Safari Lodge?
Yes. Apoka's rate card lists private vehicle hire on request at $350 per vehicle per day, separate from the two shared game activities included in the standard rate. Night game drives also cost extra, at $150 per vehicle for up to two guests, plus $50 a person beyond that.
How much does Apoka Safari Lodge cost?
Apoka's 2025-26 rate card runs $880 per person sharing in green season, April to September, rising to $1,250 in high season. Singles pay $1,010 to $1,440, and children aged 5 to 12 pay $180 in either season, with older children charged more in high season. The lodge is open year-round.