Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo valley national park : Ranked as one of the 8 best African Safari destinations by CNN Travel in recent past, Kidepo Valley National Park is a great safari destination to travel to on a Uganda Safari.

Kidepo Valley National Park is located in the far northeastern Uganda in the Karamoja region creating borders with South Sudan and Kenya, it is situated near Karenga in Kaabong district and approximately 250 kilometers from Moroto Town which is the main town in Karamoja region. From Kampala, the capital of Uganda it takes 560 kilometers.

Kidepo Valley National Park is the third largest national park in Uganda spanning an area of 1,442 square kilometers, it is divided into two sections that is Narus Valley and the Kidepo Valley.  This isolated park consists of mainly rugged savannah, hills and great valley that are surrounded by the Morungole Mountains.

 The park was gazetted as a game reserve in 1958 by the British Colonial Government as away to put a stop in the excess poaching and destruction of vegetation by the Ik and Dodoth as they tried to control the number of Tse Tse flies in the area at the time.

Four years later in 1962, the game reserve was turned into Kidepo Valley National Park. This is the same year Uganda got her independence.

Attractions in Kidepo Valley National Park

Landscape and Scenery

CNN calls Kidepo “possibly the most beautiful park in all of Africa” and in 2018, CNN wrote “With the sweeping plains of Kidepo and Narus Valleys overshadowed by the brooding mountainscape of Mount Morungole – the sacred peak of the mysterios Ik people. This park has huge appeal just for scenery alone”.

Kidepo Valley National Park is dominated by high – catching savannah grassland that spread into horizons beyong the eye can see, the vast savannah grassland and its mountain backdrop indeed paint stunning scenery and if there wasn’t single animal living in Kidepo it would still be a wonderful place to visit.

Animals in Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo Valley National Park is home to about 77 species of mammals with species that are found in no any other national park in Uganda like Maneless Zebras, the Ostrich, Black backed Jackals, the Orxy, Greater Kudu, Mountain Reedbuck, Several Caracal, Cheetahs and wild dogs.

  Kidepo has four of the Big 5 animals (lions, leopards, cape buffaloes and elephants) which makes it a great destination for wildlife safaris in Uganda, the park is home to around 1000 elephants and it is one of the best parks in Africa to see the great herds of African buffaloes.

Primates found in Kidepo Valley National Park include Patas monkey, Olive Baboon, Vervet monkey, Red-tailed monkey and Black and white colobus.

Other animals found in Kidepo Valley National Park include Side-striped jackal, Rothschild’s giraffe, Plains zebra, Common warthog, Jackson’s hartebeest, Bohor reedbuck, Oribi, Common eland, Klipspringer, Guenther’s dik-dik, Defassa waterbuck, Bush duiker, Bushbuck and Uganda kob among others.

Birds in Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo Valley National Park has a remarkable birdlife with over 475 species of birds and it comes second to Queen Elizabeth National Park, the park is associated with arid bird species such as the Common Ostrich – the world’s largest non-flying bird and Kori Bustard – the world’s largest flying bird which are unique to the region.

Kidepo Valley National Park also has 56 species of birds of prey including Verreaux’s Eagle, White-headed Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Pygmy Falcon, Dark chanting goshawk, Tawny eagle, and Bateleur eagle.

Other bird species found in Kidepo Valley National Park include White-crested Turaco, Secretary bird, Fox kestrel, Greater kestrel, Abyssinian roller, Abyssinian Scimitarbill, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, White-billed go-away bird, Northern carmine bee-eater, Red and yellow barbet, Black-breasted barbet, D’Arnaud’s barbet, Karamoja Apalis, Northern red-billed hornbill, Jackson’s hornbill, Rufous chatterer, Purple grenadier, Golden pipit, Chestnut weaver and Purple Heron among others.

People & Culture

The Northeastern region of Kidepo Valley National Park is home to two tribes that have maintained their ancient living styles and continue to practice their traditions, it makes the region a great place for cultural tours in Uganda.

The Karamajongo Tribe

The Karamajongo people are closely related to the Masai people of Kenya and Tanzania, they are Uganda’s most distinctive tribe known for their love for cattle rearing.

These nomadic pastoralists take a lot of pride in their culture and customs, harbor foreign interference and with their traditional lifestyle and view new trends in life, travel, education, technology, dress, fashion, housing, medicines, religion and several others as unnecessary inconvenience.

The Ik Tribe

Mount Morungole near Kidepo Valley National Park is home to one of the smallest ethnic groups in Africa of about 10,000 people. This tribe is called IK according to the folklore, the Ik have wandered through much of East Africa and came from Ethiopia hundreds of years ago.

Today the Ik people ranks among the most marginal communities on earth having been forced to turn to subsistence farming in response to outside factors such as their eviction from Kidepo Valley National Park.

Kidepo Valley National Park Entrance Fee

• Foreign non-residents (Adult) – US Dollars 40
• Foreign residents (Adult) – US Dollars 30
• Children foreign non-residents – US Dollars 20
• Children foreign residents – US Dollars 10
• East African Citizens (Adults) – Uganda Shillings 20,000
• East African Citizens (Child) – Uganda Shillings 5,000

Uganda Safari Activities to Do in Kidepo Valley National Park

Game Viewing

Game viewing is a popular Uganda Safari activity to do in Kidepo Valley National Park, this experience offer visitors opportunity to see various animals and enjoy the scenic views of the endless savannah dominated landscape.

Game drives in Kidepo Valley National Park are mainly done in the Narus Valley, the area has well designed track circuits on which you get to see various animals including lions, leopards, Burchelle’s Zebras, cheetahs, Defassa waterbucks, bushbucks, cape buffaloes, giraffes, topis, warthogs among others.

 Game viewing can also be done in the Kidepo Valley where visitors get to see the sand be river especially the dry season, this sand bed is like an oasis in a desert. It is lined with palm trees and has plenty of birds.  

Bird watching

Kidepo Valley National Park is a great destination for Uganda bird watching safaris, the park is best known for its resident birds of prey such as the Egyptian Vulture, Pygmy Falcon and Verreaux’s Eagle which can only be found in Kidepo and the region of Karamoja.

Other prominent bird in the Kidepo Valley National Park is the ostrich.

Other bird species to lookout for while on a Uganda bird watching safari in Kidepo Valley National Park include White-crested Turaco, Secretary bird, Fox kestrel, Greater kestrel, Abyssinian roller, Abyssinian Scimitarbill, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, White-billed go-away bird, Northern carmine bee-eater, Red and yellow barbet, Black-breasted barbet, D’Arnaud’s barbet, Karamoja Apalis, Northern red-billed hornbill, Jackson’s hornbill, Rufous chatterer, Purple grenadier, Golden pipit, Chestnut weaver and Purple Heron among others.

Cultural Encounters

Cultural encounters in Kidepo Valley National Park takes you on a visit to the amazing Karamojong people, these are nomadic pastoralists who live in North Eastern Uganda including some areas around Kidepo Valley National Park.

The Karamojong people are closely related to the Masai of Kenya and their lives are centered around cattle, the Karamojong believe that all the cattle on earth belong to the them. Because of this belief, they rain neighboring tribes of cattle without any remorse because they are taking back what divinely belong to them.

During your visit you will take part in several activities such as herding cattle, milking cattle by hand and be entertained by local dances and drama. Visiting the Karamojong is a great opportunity for visitors to experience the kind of life most African tribes lived about a century ago.

Visiting the Ik people: the Ik people are second tribe in this region living an isolated life on top of the Morungole Mountains, originally the Ik are believed to have originally come from Ethopia before settling around the Kidepo area. The Ik lived for many years in the Kidepo area before the arrival of the Karamojong, due to constant fights with the Karamojong and other tribes like the Dodoth forced them to retreat to the mountain tops to save themselves.

The Ik people have a distinct language and culture that is being threatened by modern civilization and their dwindling population, visiting the Ik people is considered one of the best cultural encounter on a Uganda Cultural Safari as it exposes to traditional dances and songs, their way of dressing and hunting methods among others.

Where to stay in Kidepo Valley National Park

There is a range of accommodation options in Kidepo Valley National Park from luxury, midrange to budget lodges, camps, tented camps and hostels. These include

• Apoka safari lodge
• Kidepo Savannah Lodge
• Nga’Moru Wilderness camp
• Apoka Rest Camp

How To Get To Kidepo Valley National Park?

By Road

Two routes are used to get to Kidepo Valley National Park that is

Western Route via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

This is the most direct route and takes about 10 hours’ drive, from Kampala or Entebbe you travel through Karuma, Gulu and Kitgum to Kidepo National Park. the trip can be broken up with an overnight stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary – the only home to Uganda’s wild rhinos, Gulu or Kitgum.

Eastern Route via Jinja and Karamoja Region

This is a road trip through the tribal Karamoja region to get here is a whole adventure itself, from Kampala or Entebbe you can drive through Jinja, Mbale, Soroti, Moroto, Kotido and Kaabong to Kidepo which is about 740 kilmeters (12 hours’ drive).

Also, you can drive through Mbale, Soroti, Moroto, Kotido, and Kaabong to Kidepo which is about 792km (13 hour drive). Along the way you will see several attractions, you traverse the Mabira rainforest and cross the mighty River Nile at Jinja. Here you have an opportunity to tour Lake Victoria and explore the source of the Nile, visit Mount Elgon or hike the Sipi falls in Mbale. You can opt to spend a night in Mbale or Moroto towns.

By Air

The fastest way to get to Kidepo Valley National Park is by a scheduled or chartered flight, a flight to Kidepo takes about 2 hours from either Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi airstrip in Kampala.

When Is The Best Time To Visit Kidepo?

Kidepo Valley National Park can be visited at any time of the year, however the best time to visit is during the dry season that lasts from September and all through March, vegetation is sparser and sightings of animals around watering holes is easier.

July and August are the next best months to visit as the rainy period transits to the dry period.