Kidepo Valley National Park is an exclusive destination where you can enjoy Uganda Safari Adventures of the true African Wilderness. The park is located in the Karamoja region in the North Eastern Part of Uganda. Kidepo Valley National Park covers a land area of 1,442 square kilometers of mainly open savanna vegetation.
The park’s highest point is Mount Morungole at 2,750 meters above sea level. Kidepo was first established as a game reserve in 1958 when the native tribes were evicted to protect the reserve’s ecosystem from poaching and human encroachment. It was eventually elevated to a national park status in 1926
The Karamoja region is semi-desert and equally, Kidepo Valley National Park is a dry area. The only place in the park with a permanent water supply is the Narus Valley. Several animals gather there, especially in the severe dry season to take water. There are two main Rivers here the Kidepo River and the Narus River. These also dry out in the dry season leaving very few oases.
Wildlife in Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo has over 77 mammals including four of the big five mammals that are Elephants, lions, buffaloes and leopards. The park has the highest buffalo population in Uganda and it is estimated at around 1000 individuals. Other notable wildlife species here include Zebras that in the whole country are only here and in Lake Mburo National park. There are also giraffes, cheetahs, lesser Kuddus, caracal among others.
The park is also home to over 470 bird species with 60 of the birds endemic to the area and can therefore not be found in any other place in Uganda except here. Some of the notable birds here include ostriches, pygmy falcons, fox Kestrel, Golden Pipit, and Karamoja Apalis among others.
Safari Activities in Kidepo Valley National Park
Uganda Safari adventures to Kidepo Valley National Park are among the most rewarding and exclusive safaris. The park’s location makes it the most isolated safari destination in Uganda. It is located about 560 kilometers from Kampala Uganda’s capital city and it takes about a 9 to 10 hours drive to get there. With this, Kidepo Valley National Park is not frequented a lot. All the Uganda safari adventures here are therefore very intimate and exclusive.
Just like many other wildlife safari destinations, game drives are the most common activities done in Kidepo Valley National Park. Game drives here are however rewarding as you explore seeing the different bird species the park has. Uganda has 10 national parks each offering a unique experience but Uganda Safari Adventures to Kidepo are more intimate. With few people visiting the park, the ecosystem here is intact and you enjoy your safaris. Game drives are done in the Kidepo and Narus areas. The Narus Valley is best to explore in the dry season as the park’s major wildlife gathers here for water.
The best time to enjoy game drives here is early mornings and late evenings. In about 3 hours you would have seen the major wildlife species in the park. To ensure more chances of wildlife viewing, it is better to hire a national park ranger as they know best the different trails in the park. On evening game drives you can enjoy the sunset and sundowners that are organized by the lodges.
Community Visits
Kidepo Valley National Park is neighbored by the Karamojong people who are Nilotic of origin. They are pastoralists and are among the few tribes in Uganda that are still authentically attached to their African roots. They live in extended families in homesteads of small just called Manyattas. On a community visit to the Karamojong, you get to know more about the local peoples’ ways of life. They also perform traditional dances that you can also take part in.
Nature walks
You can also enjoy guided nature walks in Kidepo Valley National Park. This is ideal for up-close wildlife experiences and enables you to get close to nature. On these nature walks you get to see several small wildlife species like reptiles that you are unable to see while on game drives. There is a viewpoint near Apoka where you can enjoy sightseeing overlooking the endless plains of Kidepo.
Early morning and late evenings are the best times to enjoy guided nature walks. The park rangers are well knowledgeable about the wildlife and will share the necessary information you need to know. You can make arrangements with your lodge to have bush breakfast or sundowner at the end of the nature walk.
Birding Safaris
Kidepo Valley National Park is a great birding destination. The bird species the park has, especially the endemics, make it among the top birding safari parks in Uganda. You can have birding game drives or guided birding walks. To fully explore the birds the park has, birding game drives are the best for a bigger area coverage.
Parks' Accessibility
The park can be accessed by road and air transport. By road, it takes a full day (9 to 10 hours drive) to get there. This involves en-route stopovers for photography and sightseeing at major places of interest. It also involves a lunch break in Gulu city in northern Uganda. When going by road it is better to spend at least 3 nights in the park on Discovery Uganda Safari adventures. This gives one enough time to rest and explore before returning to Kampala or other destinations of interest depending on schedule.
When coming from other destinations like Murchison Falls National Park, it would one about a 6-hour drive to get to Kidepo. You can also visit the park from the Pian Upe Game reserve area and it would take about a 6 to 7 hours drive to get to Kidepo. This route takes you through Moroto in the Uganda countryside where you see Karamojong homesteads and can have a stopover at a local market in case it is market day.
Kidepo Valley National Park has an airstrip at Apoka with scheduled flights from Entebbe International Airport. The flight option is better as it saves time. Apoka Airstrip is located in the middle of the park, you start your adventures and game drives the moment you land and you drive to the lodge.
Accommodation
The two accommodation options in the middle of the park are Apoka Safari Lodge and the Uganda Wildlife Authority Bandas. Apoka Safari Lodge is an all-inclusive safari lodge and offers all-around uninterrupted views of the park. It has a water point where sometimes animals including elephants gather to take water and freshen up.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority Bandas are budget and the only budget options in the park. Other lodges include Adere Safari Lodge, and Kidepo Savanna Lodge right outside at the edge of the park. They also overlook the open savanna grasslands and while here you enjoy the endless views.
Safaris in Kidepo can be enjoyed any time of the year however the dry season is better as in the wet season some roads become impassable. Book our Discovery Journeys adventures to Kidepo for exclusive and true African safaris.
