Murchison River Lodge
Cottages, safari tents, river cabins and fitted camping tents · Ngwedo, Buliisa district, on the boundary west of Paraa · Chris and Georgie Higginson
Mid-range
Outside the gate
Owner/family-run
Opened at the end of 2011 by Chris and Georgie Higginson and still run by them, which shows in the small decisions. Four kinds of room share one plot on the Victoria Nile, from thatched cottages with a bed on a mezzanine floor down to fitted camping tents at seventy-five dollars with all meals included. The lodge is off grid, the pool has an honesty bar, and the pricing is about the most transparent you will find on this side of the river.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Exact child rates published: free under 4, half price 5-12
- Four room kinds on one plot, from cottage to camping tent
- Full board rates published openly for 2026 and 2027
- Pool with play area, sand pit and childcare on site
- Off-grid plot with hippos visible from the terrace
Cons
- No on-site vehicles; game drives arranged through a local operator
- River cabins ban children under twelve for safety
- A 5 to 6 hour drive from Kampala, Entebbe or Jinja
- Wifi only in the pool lounge, and limited there
Straight from the lodge
The four kinds of room, and who each suits
Elise Baldwin, who manages the lodge, set these out for us. All beds have mosquito nets and every room has a fan. There is a family package on the cottages and the thatched safari tents.
- Thatched cottages: a double bed on a mezzanine floor and two singles downstairs, en suite. Two more beds can go in, but only for children.
- Thatched safari tents: single, twin or triple, with their own bathroom attached under the same thatched roof.
- River cabins: straight on the Nile, in one and two bedroom versions, every bedroom en suite. No children under twelve, because of where they stand.
- Four fitted camping tents, single or twin, sharing a shower and toilet block on the campsite.
Told to us by Elise Baldwin, general manager, August 2026.
What is around the camp
The lodge sells accommodation and meals only. Game drives, the boat to the falls and transport are arranged through a local operator rather than run in house, which is worth knowing when you are comparing this with the all-in camps across the river.
What's here
- Swimming pool
- Wi-Fi
- Bar
- En-suite bathrooms
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
Read from Murchison River 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. Murchison Falls 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, and this is the only park in Uganda's top A+ band.
- $45per person, per day
- VehicleA Ugandan-registered 4x4, the usual hire car, at UGX 40,000 including Murchison's own surcharge; bring a foreign-registered one and it is $160.
- $11per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $303 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
A ticket runs 24 hours from the hour you drive in, not until midnight. Leave before that same hour on your last day and three nights costs exactly three days of entry; linger past it and UWA counts another full day.
The full fee schedule for Murchison Falls National ParkRates at Murchison River Lodge
From $130 pppn. Full board and published in full for both 2026 and 2027. Thatched cottages and river cabins $165 per person sharing, thatched safari tents $130, camping tents $75. Singles $200, $155 and $90. A family package covering two adults and up to four children under sixteen is $360. The 2027 card lifts most of these by five to ten dollars.
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 were read in July 2026 from each property's own website, rate-card PDF or published government tariff. A lodge that publishes nothing says On request, and any figure that came from somewhere other than the property is labelled. Park fees are extra almost everywhere: $45 per person per 24 hours for foreign non-residents, plus a vehicle fee that carries a surcharge unique to Murchison. Deliberately left out, so you know why you cannot find them here. Baker's Lodge is closed, with a flood notice still standing on its operator's site, and Murchison Bush Camp has taken its place in that portfolio. Budongo Eco Lodge is closed too, confirmed by Great Lakes Safaris, which now runs Pabidi Lodge in the same forest. Geo Lodges no longer has any Murchison property despite older guides saying otherwise. Yebo Safari Camp near Mubako gate, Kabalega Wilderness Lodge and Shoebill Camp Site appear across the directories but have no website of their own that we could reach, so we cannot confirm their rates, their capacity or that they are still trading. Amuka Safari Lodge is filed under Murchison by many sites and is not here, because it sits at Nakasongola on the Kampala road roughly two hours short of the park. Aerolink's 2026 route network also names Anyadwe House and Papa's Camp at the Bugungu airstrip. Anyadwe House turns out to publish its own site, a small high-end guesthouse on the south bank of the Nile beside the park, spotted thanks to a reader correction; Papa's Camp still publishes nothing we were able to check.
Questions about Murchison River Lodge
Is Murchison River Lodge good for families?
Yes. Its own FAQ sets out exact child rates: under 4 stay free sharing with paying adults, up to two children, ages 5 to 12 pay half the adult rate, and over 12 pay in full. There is a pool with a play area, a sand pit and childcare, plus a fixed family package for two adults and up to four children under sixteen at $360.
Can you self-drive to Murchison River Lodge?
Yes. The lodge's own FAQ says the most convenient route is by road, about five hours from Kampala, six from Entebbe airport and six from Jinja. Aerolink also flies into the park if you would rather not drive. Once there, the lodge runs no vehicles of its own, so game drives are arranged through a local operator.
What does the rate at Murchison River Lodge include?
Full board is published openly for 2026 and 2027: thatched cottages and river cabins at $165 per person sharing, safari tents at $130 and fitted camping tents at $75, with singles costing more. The rate covers accommodation and meals only; game drives, the boat to the falls and transport are arranged separately through a local operator.
Is there a minimum age at Murchison River Lodge?
It depends on the room. River cabins are reserved for guests 12 and over because of their position on the riverbank, while thatched cottages allow two extra beds for children, and the published rate card gives discounts down to age four. Ask which room type fits your children's ages when you book.