DISCOVER UGANDA
Kidepo Valley National Park Safari
Only distant, gentle, blue mountains break up the vast grass plains. Not the ant-crawl of safari cars, but far vistas punctured by the smear of dispersed buffalo. Kidepo Valley National Park welcomes frontier travelers in Uganda’s far northeast. During your drive to Kidepo Valley national park, you will discover that the national park is located in northeastern Uganda in the Karamoja region, Kaabong district, along Uganda’s border with southern Sudan and Kenya. Kidepo Valley National Park in northeastern Uganda is one of the most spectacular and magnificent protected areas in the world, with a total area of 1,442 square kilometers and a habitat of abundant wildlife species such as cheetahs, leopards, ostriches, Rothschild giraffes, elephants, lions, buffaloes, zebras, hyenas, wild dogs, caracal, aardwolf, greater and lesser kudu.
The Morungule Mountains encircle this secluded and lonely national park, which comprises primarily of rough Savannah, hills, and huge valleys. The colonial authorities declared Kidepo a wildlife reserve in 1958 as a result of excessive poaching and vegetation degradation by the Ik and Dodoth as they attempted to manage the amount of Tsetse flies in the park at the time. The wildlife reserve was renamed Kidepo Valley National Park four years later, in 1962. Uganda gained its independence in 1962.
The national park is also blessed with over 47 bird species such as the Kori Bustard, Little Bee-eater, ostrich, Red and Yellow Barbet, Dark chanting goshawk, Karamoja Apalis, Greater Kestrel, Chestnut Weaver, Black-breasted barbet, Abyssinian roller, Pygmy Falcon, and the Red Throated Bee-eater among others.
Kidepo Valley National Park in Uganda was named one of the top three African national parks to visit by CNN Travel with good cause. The park’s semi-arid climate, mountains, and hills are ideal for photography. Fewer than ten people visit Kidepo on any given day, leaving many areas of the park virtually unspoiled, virgin, and undisturbed.
What Attractions will I see during my Safari to Kidepo Valley National Park?
If you are a first-time traveler to Kidepo Valley National Park, then be ready to be swept off your feet! The dazzling natural beauty, vast savannah landscapes and wildlife in Kidepo will simply leave you awe struck! During your Kidepo Valley national park safari, you will get to explore the following attractions;
The Narus Valley in Kidepo Valley National Park.
The Narus Valley is one of Africa’s most recognized animal gathering places. The valley is made up of undulating savannah grassland bordered by steep terrain. The Narus River flows through the valley. During the warmest months of the year, this river dries up, leaving small muddy ponds and the manmade Narus dam as the sole source of drinking water for the animals. Buffaloes, cheetahs, giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest, leopards, lions, oribis, and reedbucks are among the wild creatures that may be seen in the Narus Valley.
The Kidepo Valley in Kidepo Valley National Park.
The Kidepo Valley is one of the greatest areas in the park to see animals. Unlike in the Narus valley, water resources are low during the dry season. The majority of the Kidepo River dries out, leaving a vast trail of white stands in the valley. This location is home to various bird species, including ostriches, and is well worth a visit for birders.
Kanangorok Hotsprings in Kidepo Valley National Park
These hot springs are located on the border of South Sudan, past the Kidepo Valley and river. The Hot Springs is an excellent location for viewing the mountain ranges.
Apoka Tourism Centre.
This Center is centrally located overlooking the magnificent Narus Valley. It serves as the focal point for all park events. This is where the majority of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) employees are stationed. A few lodges have been erected nearby, some of which are owned by UWA. All armed park guards and guides are stationed here, ready to accompany tourists to the park’s most remote areas for game drives and nature excursions.
Craft stores sell drinking water, beer, sodas, books, and other goods. Those planning a camping trip and want to rent cooking equipment may do so right here. For those without adequate safari vehicles, tour vans are available for hire. During the dry season, travelers may readily view animals as they go to drink at the Narus Valley and dam from the Apoka Tourism Center.
Morungule Mountains in Kidepo Valley National Park.
The Morungule mountains, which reach heights of up to 2,750 meters, form one of the park’s limits. These mountains are home to the Ik people. The region surrounding the mountains may be explored on foot with the assistance of a park ranger.
Lonyili Mountains
This mountain is home to a diverse range of tiny primates, including the Colobus Monkey, which flourish in its montane forests. The mountain is located between Uganda (Kitgum District) and South Sudan. Unfortunately, the roads going to the peak are in poor condition but you can easily navigate them if you have a 4×4 wheel drive vehicle. Before trekking in the highlands, you must get special authorization and follow certain instructions.
What is entailed in a Kidepo Valley National Park Safari?
Game Drive Safaris in Kidepo Valley National Park.
During Kidepo Valley National Park Safaris, you will notice that game drives in the national park are conducted in two portions, for example, around Narus Valley, which is covered with savannah grassland, and Kidepo Valley. Game drives in the park are conducted at different intervals of the day; in the morning, afternoon, evening and night hours. During the morning game drives, you will get leave the comfort of your lodge very early in the morning by 5 am or 6 am.
This will give you a head start to catch sight of wildlife animals as they leave their dens in search their day’s meal. The morning game drive can take between 1-3 hours or more depending on which area of the park you are exploring, and you can always choose to wind up your morning game drive with a bush breakfast combo that your lodge has organized. Enjoy sipping your coffee/tea as you watch the sunrise above the horizon!
However, Narus Valley is the best area for game drives because it has a high concentration of wild animals that gather to drink water and feed on grassland, especially during the dry season, as opposed to Kidepo Valley, which has a seasonal River that dries up in the dry season and floods during the rainy season, attracting few wild animals. If you are planning on visiting Kidepo Valley national park for a wildlife safari, we recommend you book a four-day safari to see the animals and participate in the park’s other popular activities.
The game drives during a Kidepo Valley national park safari are the best in Uganda. This is mostly due to the enormous quantity of animals and birds that congregate to feed in the park’s vast valleys. During your game drives in the park you can look out for animals like buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, waterbucks, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, giraffes, lions, leopards, cheetah, kudus, oribis, Jackson’s hartebeests, bohor reedbuck and bird species like the ostriches, Abyssinian ground hornbill, secretary bird, yellow-billed bustard among others.
Though the main park roads are built of firm murram and are open all year, most of the minor roads heading to distant locations are impassable during the wet season. Most routes require visitors to use a robust four-wheel drive safari vehicle. Visitors are always escorted by an armed ranger from UWA during wildlife drives to guarantee everyone’s safety.
Birdwatching on a Kidepo Valley National Park Safari
Uganda’s Kidepo Valley National Park is home to around 465 bird species, with approximately 20 of them being indigenous to the park, making it a birder’s dream in Uganda. There are several birdwatching locations in the park, including the Apoka Rest Camp, Narus, and Namamukweny Valley. During your birding safari in Kidepo Valley national park, you can look out for bird species like black headed plover, pygmy falcon, white-bellied bustard, superb starling, African swallow-tailed kite, Kori bustard, ostrich, standard night jar, African grey flycatcher winged lark, white-bellied tit, Rufous sparrow, speckle fronted weaver, little green bee-eater, yellow-billed shrike, singing bush lark, brown-backed woodpecker among others.
The Egyptian Vulture, Pygmy Falcon, and Verreaux’s Eagle are among the permanent birds of prey of Kidepo Valley National Park. These birds can only be found in Kidepo and the Karamoja area. The ostrich is the most visible and biggest bird in the national park. This massive bird may only be seen in Uganda’s Kidepo Valley National Park. Others may be found in the Entebbe Wildlife Center and other animal reserves across the nation. The Uganda Wildlife Authority gathers eggs from the bushes and artificially hatches them to enhance their numbers in the park.
Visiting the Karamojong Community
The Karamojong are nomadic pastoralists who dwell in northern Uganda, especially in territories around Kidepo National Park. The Karamojong are linked to Kenya’s Maasai, and their lifestyles revolve around their livestock. The Karamojong think that they own all livestock on the planet. Any livestock that they do not keep is said to have been taken from them at some point in the past.
A cultural tour to the Karamojong is a unique experience since they are one of the few tribes in Uganda that continue to live as they did thousands of years ago. Visiting the Karamojong is an excellent opportunity to see how most African tribes lived a century ago.
Nature Walks/Hiking
This is an exciting and engaging activity that allows you to get out of the automobile and explore the park on foot while feeling the fresh wind and walking close to the wild creatures. During your nature walk safari in Kidepo Valley National Park, you will follow several paths, such as the 25km Lonyili nature walk track, which will take you to Napusmur mountain in around 8 hours, depending on your speed and the time you start. Nature may also be explored surrounding Apoka camp, Lomej Mountain, and Mount Morungole, where you will encounter the IK people, among other things.
Nature may also be explored surrounding Apoka camp, Lomej Mountain, and Mount Morungole, where you will encounter the IK people, among other things. A park ranger will accompany you on your nature walk in order to safeguard and guide you, and you will be able to see species like elephants, reedbucks, giraffes, waterbucks, cheetahs, zebras, and warthogs, among others.
How does a 4 Day Kidepo National Park Safari look like?
For those looking for a Kidepo National Park Safari, here’s what you can expect your safari itinerary to look like;
Day 1: Pickup from Entebbe/Kampala and Transfer to Gulu.
Depending on your location in Kampala or Entebbe, our driver guide will pick you up early in the morning on the first day of the 4-day Kidepo Valley National Park Safari, inform you on the safari, and then begin the journey to Kidepo valley national park, which is located in north eastern Uganda. On the way, you will stop at the Ziwa rhino sanctuary for rhino tracking before continuing on to an en-route lunch with fantastic views of the gorgeous environment, farmland, and plantations. You will check into a hotel in Gulu for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2: Transfer to Kidepo valley national park and afternoon game drive with Cultural Encounter
After breakfast on the second day of your four-day Kidepo Valley National Park Safari, check out of the hotel and meet your driver guide to begin your journey to the Kidepo Valley National Park. When you arrive in the park, check into the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will go on an afternoon game drive where you will be able to see animals such as buffaloes, elephants, zebras, giraffes, waterbucks, bushbucks, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, oribi, elands, warthogs, and other bird species that congregate around the valley to drink water during the dry season. After the wildlife drive, you will simply proceed for a cultural encounter with the Karamojong’s. Visiting the Karamojong community gives you an opportunity to explore one of Uganda’s unique cultures and people. While interacting with the Karamojong’s you will discover how hospitable they are, visit their tradition homes which are locally called ‘manyattas,’ and also watch their traditional dances and singing performance.
After a long day of exploring Kidepo’s beauty, you will drive back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 3: Morning game drive and transfer to Gulu
After an early breakfast on the third day of your 4 days Kidepo Valley National Park Safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive in the park where you will be able to view animals such as buffaloes, elands, bohor reedbuck, oribi, Jacksons hartebeest, waterbucks, giraffes, zebras, elephants, kudus, bushbucks which will be grazing in the After the wildlife drive you will come back to the lodge for lunch where after you will check out and meet up with your driver guide to transport to Gulu for dinner and overnight stay at a hotel.
Day 4: Transfer Back to Kampala/Entebbe
After a leisurely breakfast on the final day of your 4 Days Kidepo Valley National Park Safari, check out of the hotel and meet your driver guide for the drive to Kampala or Entebbe. You will stop for lunch en route and then continue to Kampala and, where you will arrive in the evening and drop off at either a hotel of your choice or Entebbe International Airport for your onward flight.
4 Days Kidepo Flying Safari.
For those looking to cut down on the extremely long drive to Kidepo Valley National Park, you might just find a flying safari quite useful. Here’s what our 4 days Kidepo flying safari looks like.
Day 1: Fly to Kidepo Valley National Park
Our guide/driver will pick you up from your accommodation in Entebbe and transport you to Entebbe International Airports in time for your planned flight to Kidepo Valley National Park, landing at Apoka airstrip. The aircraft leaves Entebbe International Airport at 12:00 pm and arrives in Kidepo at 13:30pm.
As you travel into Kidepo Valley National Park, you enter a whole new world with wide plains in spring visible from every vantage point, with a lot of animals. Kidepo Valley National Park provides beautiful open Savannah surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery not seen anywhere else in Africa! Kidepo Valley National Park is Uganda’s second largest National Park and one of Africa’s most beautiful wilderness places. In the evening, you will go on a sunset game drive in the Narus valley in search of lions, Jackson hartebeests, buffaloes, giraffes, leopards, and cheetahs. Dinner and an overnight stay at your preferred lodge.
Day 2: Morning Game Drive to Karankorog Hotsprings and Afternoon Cultural Tour.
Early morning for breakfast, catch the sun rise behind the mountain before flooding the valley, then off for the game drive. During your game drive in Kidepo Valley national park, you will get a chance to encounter quite a number of wildlife in the park including the cheetah, caracal, aardwolf, mountain reedbuck, Guenther’s dik-dik and even unique bird species that are predominated to the region such as ostriches and the Kori Bustard.
You will have another exciting game drive across the parched river bed, savannah, tiny woods, hills, and mountain foothills to marvel at the area’s remarkable flora and animals. You will proceed to the Karankorog Hot Springs while passing by several animals. In the afternoon, participate in a cultural encounter in Karenga and Kapedo that will bring you into contact with Karamojong people. Meet the local elders and engage in conversation with them. They will show you the kraals, grinding stones, and a variety of other intriguing stuff. Dinner and an overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 3: Guide Nature Walk
Early morning for breakfast, catch the sun rise behind the mountain before flooding the valley, then off for the game drive. During your game drive in Kidepo Valley national park, you will get a chance to encounter quite a number of wildlife in the park including the cheetah, caracal, aardwolf, mountain reedbuck, Guenther’s dik-dik and even unique bird species that are predominated to the region such as ostriches and the Kori Bustard.
You will have another exciting game drive across the parched river bed, savannah, tiny woods, hills, and mountain foothills to marvel at the area’s remarkable flora and animals. You will proceed to the Karankorog Hot Springs while passing by several animals. In the afternoon, participate in a cultural encounter in Karenga and Kapedo that will bring you into contact with Karamojong people. Meet the local elders and engage in conversation with them. They will show you the kraals, grinding stones, and a variety of other intriguing stuff. Dinner and an overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 4: Fly back to Entebbe and Departure.
On this day, you will have an early breakfast and travel through the park, seeing elephants, buffaloes, and many types of antelopes on your way to Katarum gate, stopping at Katarum kopje, a site of the abandoned lodge carved in the rock but presently under rehabilitation, to get a bird’s eye perspective of the park. After that, prepare to board the return aircraft to Entebbe.
The aircraft departs from Kidepo airstrip at 14:00 pm and arrives at Entebbe international airport at 15:30pm. However, its important to note that timings may vary depending on your aircraft routing.
When is the best time to visit Kidepo Valley National Park?
Uganda has two distinct seasons: dry and rainy. The greatest time to see wildlife is during the dry months of December to March and July to August. During this period, the rivers Kidepo and Narus dry up, creating little oases where animals congregate in huge numbers to drink. This animal gathering offers ideal conditions for wildlife observation and photography.
