Kidepo Valley National Park
Introducing
Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo is a true definition of the less traveled paths and offers exclusive wildlife safari experiences. The park is neighbored by the Karamojong and IK community, some of the few tribes in Uganda that have retained their cultural values. These offer by far some of the best cultural experiences as you get to know about their ways of life. This is Uganda‘s most isolated national park located in the North Eastern Part of Kaboong District. Kidepo Valley National Park is among the most iconic, diverse, and magnificent national parks in Uganda. It covers a land area of 1442 square kilometers that’s home to a variety of wildlife species. The park is home to over 77 mammal species including 4 of the big five often spotted on game drives.
The park contains two rivers – Kidepo and Narus – which disappear in the dry season, leaving just pools for the wildlife. The local communities around the park include pastoral Karamojong people, similar to the Maasai of Kenya, and the IK, a hunter-gatherer tribe whose survival is threatened. During the dry season, the only permanent water in the park is found in wetlands and remnant pools in the broad Narus Valley near Apoka. These seasonal oases, combined with the open, savannah terrain, make the Narus Valley the park’s prime game viewing location especially with its dense populations of Lion,Buffalos,Elephant and many similar angulates.
Highlights
This is Uganda‘s most isolated national park located in the North Eastern Part of Kaboong District.
Kidepo Valley National Park is home to over 77 mammal species including 4 of the big five often spotted on game drives.
Local communities around the park include pastoral Karamojong people - a hunter-gatherer tribe whose survival is threatened.
The long journey north through the wild frontier region of Karamoja would agree that it is also the most magnificent, for Kidepo ranks among Africa’s finest wildernesses.
Wildlife Viewing:
Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo is home to 77 mammal species and the park offers great opportunities for game viewing. 20 species of predator are present, including lion, leopard, and spotted hyena. In Uganda, black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, aardwolf, cheetah, and caracal are endemic to Kidepo. The elephant population is over 650 (up from 200 in the mid ‘90s), buffalo are estimated to exceed 10,000, and there are over 50 Rothschild’s giraffes, an internationally important population. Zebra graze on the plains and both greater and lesser kudu roam around the thick bush. Fortunate adventurers may even see a white-eared kob, more commonly seen in South Sudan and Ethiopia.
Best time to visit:
Kidepo Valley National Park
The dry season from June to September and mid-December to Early March is the best time to Visit the park. Being in a semi-arid area, the Narus Valley is the only place that has water even in the dry season as major seasonal rivers dry out. The dry river beds can easily be crossed during the dry season. Safari experiences are possible during the wet season as well but can be interrupted by the rains and occasional flooding. The rains sometimes temporarily cut off some areas especially when the dry river beds that are crossed by vehicles fill up.
How to get to:
Kidepo Valley National Park
The park can be accessed by road and air transport. Since it is the most isolated national park in Uganda, It takes a 9 to 10-hour drive to get there if coming from Kampala Uganda’s capital city. The drive is however through the beautiful Ugandan countryside which is quite a sight to see. In case you don’t have a long drive then you directly fly to the Park’s Pakuba airstrip located in the centre of the park. There are scheduled flights from Entebbe organized by domestic flight operators like Aerolink.
