Campsites in Kidepo Valley National Park: Camping in Kidepo National Park
Kidepo valley national park is one of the ultimate safari destinations to do camping in Uganda, boosting with beautiful grounds safe and comfortable for your wildlife adventure. Note, camping in African National Park allows visitors to explore a range of wildlife animals in few distances right from your tented site and so optimistic during night hour where visitors get amazed by the brightening star while listing to different sounds of animals in their covers and during early morning you can get excited of sweet melodies of birds.
Generally, Kidepo Valley National park is famously known as world’s untouched African wilderness for life adventure, located in semi-arid desert in Kaabong district in northeastern Uganda regions, approximately 520 kilometers by road from northeast of Kampala –Uganda’s capital. The park can easily be accessed by use of a domestic flight from ‘’EBB’’ Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip –fly with Aerolink Uganda or Bar Aviation to Lomej Airstrip that lands within 1:30 hours. . More so, Kidepo Valley National Park is renowned as a home to variety of wildlife species with over 86 mammals such as ‘’big fours ‘’ lions, leopards, buffaloes, herd of elephants and other animals.
Wild game like spotted hyenas, Rothschild’s giraffe, zebra, cheetah, giraffes many more 500 bird species such as Ostriches, Yellow-billed shrike, Karamoja apalis, yellow-rumped Seedeater, Spotting Egyptian vulture as well as unique vulture among others are are found in the wildlife haven. It is located in northeastern Uganda corners, on a total land area of about 1,442 square kilometers and was established in 1958 as a gazette area. Thus making it a stopping safari destination for a remarkable and unforgettable wildlife adventure.
Below is the best camping site in Kidepo National Park Uganda as highlighted below;
Apoka Rest Camp: Campsites in Kidepo Valley National Park
The Apoka rest camp is one of the excellent public camping site a traveler can access in need for camping within the Kidepo Valley National Park. The camp offers variety of good amenities; cleanliness, spacious on site restaurants that serves perfect meals with excitement overlooking of pavilion viewing an open savannah grassland as well as impressive view of Mr. lion at Kidepo lion’s rock alongside scenic landscape. Right from your tent you can enjoy fabulous view of wildlife roaming around camping grounds such as Warthogs, kobs, impala, Eland, Buffaloes, lions among others. Best time to view the big cat can be explored through the morning game drive adventure such as lions, leopards and the fastest bird –Ostriches.
More so, the camp is comfortable budget safari accommodation located in the heart of Kidepo National Park right at the park headquarter and is under responsible of ‘’UWA’’ Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Apoka rest camp offers 16 vibrant chalets which are all self-contained with amazing looking beds well designed with mosquito nets ,14 Bandas but they are not self-contained and self –camping ground and share bathroom. However, tourists are advised to carry their own camping equipment including tents and other required amenities during their stay. You’re also advised to carry your own food basing on number of days to stay. On site, there are well skilled staff to assist you ‘’the camper’’ in buying needful stuff to use such as chicken, meat and other local food from their local community markets. Along the site, chefs are around to help those who can’t prepare food on their own.
Note; They have no electricity power but they use local Kerosene lamp at night.
Apoka Rest Camp- Facility Offers;
Well canteen; Sells snacks, biscuits, drinks and much more.
Small bar selling soft drinks.
Activities offered by Apoka Rest Camp;
Game driving viewing
Birdwatching
Nature walks
Community tours
Hiking.
Kara-Tunga Safari Camp: Campsites in Kidepo Valley National Park
The Karatunga safari camp is a perfect safari camp created to serve tourists on their safari adventure to Kidepo Valley National Parks and some reserves in the regions, located in the heart of the Karamoja region at the slopes of stunning Mount Moroto which raise around 3,085 meter. This camp is well furnished and blends of beautiful traditional custom and local materials with a modern touch thus providing a memorable life experience of heritage, comfort and friendly during a visit to Uganda’s unmatched safari destination. More so, its purpose of existence was based on serving the perfect safari adventure through northeast Uganda Safari Adventure.
Karatunga safari camp offers six comfortable en-suite safari rooms positioned underneath the large indigenous trees, seven beautifully safari tents and four guest rooms. Well, each safari tents were designed with an overlooking private verandah, solar heated showers, electricity to charge the equipment, flushing toilets as well as washing basin.
Karatunga safari camp is comprised of; Costs ranges between USD50 to USD80
Double tents with one long king size bed
Twin tents designed with two long single beds.
Karatunga Safari Camp – Amenities Offered;
24 desks –reception
Free breakfast
Accommodative staffs
Check in and check out
Concierge
Organizes shuttle bus services
Hiking
Free internet and free parking
Perfect restaurant
Pets allowed
Room Features at Karatunga Safari Camp
They have housekeeping and extra-long beds
Extra-long mattresses.
Activities offered by Karatunga Safari Camp Kidepo Valley National Park Uganda
Cultural tour
Outdoor adventure tours in Moroto
Bicycle safaris – Wildlife Adventure.
Nga Moru Wilderness Camp – Campsites in Kidepo Valley National Park
Nga Moru Wilderness Camp is a unique Mid-range lodge established to serve travelers on wildlife safari in Kidepo Valley National Park. The camp got its name ‘’Nga Moru’’ from local word which means a place of rock, which is located close outside the park’s boundary thus giving spectacular view of Narus River where variety of wildlife species can be explored while on game drive. More then, its location allows visitors to sight see animal species on the high rocky ground of Nga Noru right from your camp such as Cape buffaloes, zebra, buffaloes, Ostriches, cheetahs, waterbucks among others, also a perfect place to relax and be able to enjoy the cool climate during morning and evening hours.
The camp offers a perfect camp fireplace where you can sit in the evening after day activity with a drink and jazz with other follow guests as well as enjoying great time of amazing story telling by the guide. While at the campfire seated, you will enjoy beautiful night sky the view is rewarding as you listen to the yelping jackals, grunting lions and laughing hyenas just close to your camping site. Nga Moru wilderness camp offers 5 well maintained rooms –caravans, that suits with en-suite bathrooms and veranda overlooking beautiful Narus Valley. There room offers both warm and cold shower, power that is provided through solar panel.
They have excellent restaurant that serves tasty meals. The camp lies at the border of Kidepo Valley national park which takes only 15-minute drive from the park’s gate and about 20 minutes away from Narus valley.
Nga Moru Wilderness Camp stuns with 2 safari stone Banda and 3 thatch shelter safari tents. The Banda –stone cabanas are gorgeous rooms serving to a maximum of 4 individuals. More so, the Bandas are spacious and consists of good en-suite bathroom with hot and cold running water and were designed with an open air screen widow offering wonderful view of the park. There safari tents are simple and comfortable for visitors, accommodating 2 individuals per night.
Facility & Amenities at Nga Moru Wilderness Camp
Rooms are comfortable and clean
Mosquito net with extra pillow
On site hot water
Serve delicious food
They have welcoming and friendly staffs.
Things to do at Nga Moru Wilderness Camp
Visit Narus valley a great location to encounter diversity of animals.
Visit the IK People who stays at Mount Morungule
Game drive
Birding and nature walk.
Kakine Self –Catering Camping: Campsites in Kidepo Valley National Park
The Kakine Self – Catering camping is a budget safari accommodation in Kidepo Valley National Park, built to cater –serve for low income earners who visit the park for a safari adventure and it is one of the perfect site booked by the tourists on their safari to the park. Along your safari stay here, you will be able to adventure wide range of animals as you also listen to their amazing sounds ; lion roaring, hyenas laugh as well as morning soothing songs of the birds.
However, Kakine is awesome self –catering accommodation facility that requires visitors to carry their own food and camping gears such as tents and covers as well as packing your own food. On site you can be assisted by cooks to help you prepare meals and when you run out food while at the campsite – you can buy some from the close local market. There is no lack of water, water is provided and clean shared bathrooms are available at the campsites. Generally, its best place for travelers on self-drive.
Activities offered by Kakine self – catering camping
Game drive
Walking safaris
Self-drive safari
Culture encounter.
Climate and Weather – Campsites in Kidepo Valley National Park
While camping at Kidepo Valley National Park, you need to know about climate changes in the area; First of all, Kidepo Valley National Park is lies in semi-arid region ,where the area experiences an average annual temperature of about 29 degrees Celsius. During day the temperature get to 40 degrees Celsius. In actual sense, the park experiences one seasonal rain per year from the month of April to September. The rain season may take long but is erratic and the volume lower on average of about 700mm per annum.
Dry Season –September to March
September, October & November; This can be drier months though sometime rain can fall. It can get warmer, with average temperature of around 29degrees Celsius -84F during afternoon hours and 17 degrees Celsius in the morning.
December, January & February; During this period, almost receives no rain and it gets drier and hotter. January and February are the warmest months, that experiences day time temperature of about 32 degrees Celsius and morning temperature of 18 degrees Celsius. During peak season – temperatures easily rises to 40 degrees Celsius /104F.
Month of March; Still ca be dry month, but rain will first break the heat and wash away the dust.
During dry season – Kidepo Valley National Park can be an ideal for spotting wide population game on Game Safari because of the remarkable open vegetation cover of the park.
Wet Season;
The months of April, May, June, July and August; Expect rain to fall any time of the day. Although to the southern part of the park, rainfall can be less. Therefore, the lowest annual temperature can be experienced yet the daytime will still average around 27degrees Celsius, with morning temperature around 17degrees Celsius /63F.
During the rainy season, the park’s vegetation can be all green, grassland and shrub sprout and the wilderness can be a visible rewarding of spotting wildlife species.
Note; The large parts of Karamoja region are sandy with low plant nutrients and cannot withstand rainwater for long periods. The combination of climates and type of soil features the vegetation patterns in the whole region.
Best Time to visit or Camp –Campsites in Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo Valley National Park can be visited all year around but the best time for camping safaris within the park is best in dry season when the camping ground are drier that starts from September to March and vegetation is sparser thus making gainful adventure of animals while quenching for thirsty around the Narus area –a watering holes in the park. Then July and August are the next best month to experience unforgettable Wildlife Viewing Experience as well as Camping on dry ground is quite comfortable and exciting.
Get started planning now, a visit to truly world’s untouched wilderness of Kidepo Valley National Park and be able to adventure a wide range of animals and discovering of the remarkable sceneries of the park.
