Mara Safari Lodge Kidepo
Eco-lodge on a 24-acre estate · 1 km from Kalokudo main gate · Independent, Ugandan
Mid-range
Outside the gate
Locally owned
A Ugandan-owned eco-lodge a kilometre from the Kalokudo gate, built with timber from its own plantations on a 24-acre estate. The style is homegrown rather than international: a coffee ceremony, a sundowner rock, and outreach work with the Ik community in the Morungole mountains. No rates are published, so enquire directly.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Timber and furniture grown in its own plantations
- Coffee ceremony and a sundowner rock
- Runs outreach with the Ik community on Mount Morungole
- Family cottage available, plus single and double rooms
- Only 1 km from Kalokudo gate
Cons
- Swimming pool listed as coming soon, not yet open
- No minimum age found; the Family Cottage page is empty
- Family cottage costs $320 a night
- No mention of wifi or in-room power
What's here
- Swimming pool
- Restaurant
- Family rooms
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Guided walks
- Birding
Read from Mara Safari Lodge Kidepo'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. 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, 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, 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 Mara Safari Lodge Kidepo
Enquire. No published rates.
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 Mara Safari Lodge Kidepo
How much does Mara Safari Lodge Kidepo cost?
Mara Safari Lodge's own site lists $120 for a single room, $200 for a double and $320 for the family cottage, out of 12 standard rooms in total. The record for this lodge had no published rates, so these are the current figures from the lodge's accommodation page; confirm before booking.
Is Mara Safari Lodge Kidepo good for families?
Yes, in terms of space. The lodge has a dedicated Family Cottage, priced at $320, alongside single and double rooms, but its own page for that cottage carries no content. We found no minimum age or specific child policy, so ask what applies and what the cottage sleeps before you book for children.
Does Mara Safari Lodge Kidepo have a swimming pool?
Sources disagree here. The property record lists a pool as confirmed, but the lodge's own site currently describes its swimming pool as coming soon, meaning not yet open. Treat it as unconfirmed either way and ask the lodge directly for its current status before you book expecting one.
Can you self-drive to Mara Safari Lodge Kidepo?
The lodge sits one kilometre from the Kalokudo gate, which makes it reachable by road, though neither the record nor the lodge's own site confirms a specific getting-there route or distance from major towns. The record also lists Apoka airstrip inside the park as an option; confirm transfers when you book.