Kidepo Valley National Park

KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK- True African Wilderness

Voted third best African park in 2013 by CNN Travel, Kidepo Valley National park is one of Uganda’s least visited parks. The park is in the remote and semi-arid northeast but it is unarguably Uganda’s secret gem and the true wilderness. Spreading over 1442sqkm, Kidepo is Uganda’s third-biggest park and is home to a variety of savanna big game and birds. The plains here are ringed by mountains which give the park a scenic landscape. Wildlife here regularly inhabits the Narus Valley which has a permanent water source, unlike other areas that are always dry and hot during the dry season. 

Kidepo protects 77 mammal species second to Queen Elizabeth National park and 20 of these species which include the bat-eared fox, black-backed jackal, aardwolf, cheetah, caracal, etc. can only be seen here in Uganda. The park also hosts 5 species of primates.

The area was formerly occupied by the two groups of the IK and the Karamojong who moved when the park was taken up by the government. The IK moved to the 2750m mount Morungole and the Karamojong occupied the other areas. 

The park has seen a rise in the number of wildlife among which Elephant numbers rose from 200 in the 1990s to over 600 now and the buffaloes have the largest individual population of about 10000. Other species include the warthogs, zebras, giraffes, reedbucks, dik-dik, Kudus, eland, oribi among others. The park hosts the second-highest number of bird species with 470 species on its checklist and 60 of these are only in Kidepo and not any other Ugandan park. These include the Clapperton’s francolin, Rose Ringed parakeet, and a good number of raptors. 

Activities

Game drives

Early mornings and late afternoons are the active times for wildlife and these make them specific times to be the best for game viewing in Kidepo Valley National park. Driver guides lead the visitors south to the Narus Valley that overlooks Apoka which has a permanent water source where wildlife converge for most of the time during the year. The tracks to Kidepo Valley and Kanangorok hot springs have less concentration of wildlife because of the seasonal Kidepo River. Encounter grazers and predators that include cape buffaloes, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, lions, jackals among the 77 mammals and birds hosted here. It is only here and Pian Upe that one will see ostriches in the wild.

Cultural encounters

Get immersed into the Karamajong and IK communities and learn about their way of life. Enter the fenced homes- “Manyattas” owned by the Karamajong and enjoy the performances of music and dances by the local groups, the chat will the elders and the company of the children. You can also hike Mt. Morungole and explore the way of life of the IK who is Uganda’s smallest tribe but organized. They have some practices similar to the Karamojong like jump dancing however they are not pastoralists.   

Hiking and Nature walks

This is an alternative way of exploring Kidepo’s wilderness other than driving on the tracks. Walk on the Lonyiri trail from Apoka Rest Camp and learn about the unique and smaller species that are exposed to you than in the vehicle like insects, reptiles, rodents, and plants. In other words, you face nature so close.

Birding

Kidepo is a paradise for any bird watcher with over 470 species of birds second to Queen Elizabeth National park. The 470 species include 56 raptors 14 of which can only be sighted here and a mixture of Sudan and Kenya biome species and this makes the park attract several avian lovers from all over the world. 

Have a display of rare and most sought-after birds like Rose-ringed parakeet, Karamoja Apalis, Egyptian vulture, Pygmy falcon, and some other rarities that once you have left here you might not see them again.    

How to get there

Road

While on a trip to Kidepo, expect an exciting adventure with various road conditions. The quickest and most popular route is Via Gulu and Kitgum (571km). Or the eastern route via Jinja Mbale, Sipi falls, Pian Upe wildlife reserve then to Kidepo (661kms)

Air

Charter flights and scheduled flights to Kidepo airstrip from Kajansi or Entebbe International airport can be arranged with a tour operator