Kidepo Valley National Park is among Uganda’s popular savannah parks, in the extreme northeast of the country. Kidepo National Park covers about 1,442 km2, thus the third largest in Uganda. It shares a boundary with Kidepo Game Reserve in South Sudan. Kidepo Valley National Park sits at an altitude ranging between 914 m to 2,750 m above sea level. The highest point around Kidepo National Park is the Morungole Mountain at around 2,749 m.
Kidepo Valley National Park is a unique protected area that experiences a semi-arid climate. It receives a light rainy season that runs from April to September. Rainfall patterns range between 635 mm in the north and 890 mm in the south. Kidepo Valley National Park is primarily covered by dry savannah. But it is traversed by 2 seasonal rivers, the Narus and Kidepo. The latter generally disappear in the dry season, leaving pools of water.
History of Kidepo Valley National Park
In 1958, the British Colonial Administrators gazetted the area as a Game Reserve to protect the wild animals against hunting and bush clearance. Prior to this action, this area was the original home of the Katebo people, since the nineteenth century. These people were evicted and then settled in the present-day South Sudan. The reserve was upgraded into a national park in 1962. The name Kidepo is derived from the Katebo word Kidebo, implying ‘Help us.’
Attractions in Kidepo Valley National Park
There are over 86 species of mammals and over 476 species of birds living in Kidepo National Park. Animals include 4 of the Big Five of Africa (lion, buffalo, leopard and elephant). Other animals you can see include African wild dog, black-backed and side-striped jackal, Jackson’s hartebeests, striped hyenas, caracals, aardwolves, zebras, Bohor’s reedbucks, Chandler’s Mountain reedbucks, dik-diks, klipspringers, greater and lesser kudus and cheetahs etc.
Kidepo Valley National Park has the second biggest number of bird species after Queen Elizabeth National Park. Birds you will see includes common ostriches, red-throated bee-eaters, Clapperton’s francolin, Karamoja apalis, Denham’s bustard, lappet-faced vulture, lesser kestrel, secretary birds, Abyssinian ground hornbill, rose ringed parakeet, kori bustard and Abyssinian roller etc.
Flora in Kidepo National Park includes sausage trees, fan palms, drumstick trees, acacia species and buffalo thorns etc in the Narus Valley. You can also see the whistling thorn acacia in the Kidepo Valley.
Other attractions include physical features like the Narus Valley, Kidepo Valley, Morungole ranges, and Kanangorok hot springs. The Narus river moves north-westwards towards the Kidepo River. The Narus River offers views of the Nile crocodiles. It waters the park and attracts a lot of wildlife species. The Kidepo River is however seasonal.
Karamojong people live around Kidepo National Park. These people are pastoralists who were renowned for cattle raiding and a nomadic way of life. They offer insight into their cultures and customs. Along the Morungole Mountain are also the Ik tribe who can also offer insight into their way of life. You can visit them outside the Kidepo National Park. They are experienced in apiary and will offer demonstrations into how they engage in the activity.
Activities to do in Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo Valley National Park is a destination that will keep you busy with its many unique tourist activities. These are,
Game viewing safaris
A guided game drive in our 4-wheel drive is the perfect way to enjoy your trip in Kidepo National Park. Plenty of wild animals congregate in the Narus Valley area and a drive there is one of a kind. With game circuits like Katurum, Nagusokopire and Kakine you will spot lions, buffalos, hyenas, caracals and giraffes etc. A game drive in the Kidepo Valley offers sightings of ostriches and secretary birds. Another highlight includes the Kanangorok hot springs.
Birdwatching tours
This is a guided excursion with an opportunity to see numerous birds including migratory species. Kidepo Valley National Park is classified as an Important Bird Area, with numerous spots to see the birds especially at Apoka. You will be provided an experienced birder from among the ranger guides. Starting at Apoka, you will a number of plenty of trails to traverse as you look for the birds in the savannah.
Cultural tours
Adjacent to Kidepo Valley National Park are the Karamojong people. A guided tour among these pastoralist communities offers unique insight regarding their way of life and history. In Karenga, Kawalakol and Lorukul, they will welcome you at their beautiful homesteads known as ‘Manyatta.’ Here you will witness their cultures and customs through exciting dances, stories, dressing, family structures etc.
They will inform you how they have experienced some socioeconomic changes. This involves the traditional nomadic way of life to the current more settled lifestyle. They make crafts such as spears, knives, jewellery and stools that will fascinate you. Besides the Karamojong, you will enjoy an encounter with Ik people. This is a unique tribe of hunter-gatherers primarily found on Mount Morungole. They are among the most isolated tribe in Uganda.
Hiking mountain Morungole
You will have a guided hike on the imposing Morungole ranges. These ranges start from the plains of Kidepo Valley to the northeast of Apoka. You will have to be physically fit, and wearing comfortable hiking shoes to walk on foot. A ranger guide will accompany you on this exciting adventure. You will also see wildlife like ostriches, scenery birds and the Ik people while on this adventure to the summit.
Nature walk
This is a guided tour where a ranger guide will lead you along trails within the park. You can choose to go for either a short nature walk or a long one. Views you could see include Jackson’s hartebeests, reedbucks, zebras, giraffes, elephants, buffaloes and lions from a distance. While on this walk, you can also sight the Napore-Nyungea range, Morungole range and the vast savannah landscape.
How to get there?
You can get to Kidepo Valley National Park in the northwest of Uganda either by road or air. Kidepo National Park is about 720 km by road from Kampala. However, you will drive northwards via Gulu and Kitgum. This will take between 11 to 12 hours covering a distance of 571 km. You can enjoy this scenic drive on our 4X4 safari vehicle. We offer great car hire services and the best driver guides to make your travel a memorable one.
Traveling much faster is done on air transportation. There are chartered flights offered by AeroLink from Entebbe International Airport to Kidepo Airfield. This will take 1 and a half hours and are currently available only on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. We recommend that you arrive at Entebbe Airport an hour before your departure flight. We can make all these arrangements for you, including pick up at Kidepo Airfield to the park headquarters.