Kidepo Valley National Park is Uganda’s best-kept secret. It is located in the remote northeastern part of the country, covering an area of 1,442 square kilometers. The park borders Kenya to the east and South Sudan to the north. Kidepo was ranked as one of the top tourist destinations in the world by Lonely Planet and CNN.
Kidepo Valley National Park was first gazetted as a game reserve during the colonial era in 1958 and was later established as a national park in 1962, during Obote’s regime. This top Uganda safari destination is home to over 70 species of mammals and 475 species of birds.
If you want to uniquely enjoy wildlife without crowds and paparazzi, then the untouched Kidepo Valley National Park safari is ideal place for you. It portrays Africa the way it was 50 years ago and offers some of the most amazing views in Africa.
The name Kidepo is derived from the local word “akidep,” meaning “to pick up.” The locals used to pick fruits for making local beer from the park, hence the name. Kidepo Valley National Park boasts the highest buffalo population in the world, with over 1,700 recorded.
The road to the park offers some of the most beautiful scenic views in Africa, especially if you pass through Pian Upe Game Reserve. Kidepo Valley National Park was ranked the third top tourist destination to visit in Africa by CNN a few years ago.
Kidepo is a real gem for wildlife viewing. Some of the animals found here cannot be seen in other national parks in Uganda. Some of the game animals you can spot while on a game drive in Kidepo include lions, cheetahs, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, warthogs, bushbucks, hartebeests, zebras, greater and lesser kudu, spotted hyena, Chandler’s mountain reedbuck, klipspringer, giraffes, oryx, gazelles, black-striped jackals, aardwolves, caracals, bat-eared foxes, oribis, elands, Uganda kob, and primates such as patas monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, and olive baboons, to name a few.
Birding in Kidepo
Kidepo Valley National Park is a birding paradise, sheltering some of the world’s rarest birds. The park is home to over 400 species of birds. Some of these include ostriches, red and yellow barbets, dark chanting goshawks, kori bustards, little bee-eaters, Karamoja apalis, red-throated bee-eaters, Abyssinian rollers, black-breasted barbets, fox kestrels, golden pipits, northern carmine bee-eaters, chestnut weavers, Jackson’s hornbills, white-bellied go-away birds, purple grenadiers, pygmy falcons, Abyssinian scimitarbills, rufous chatters, Taita fiscals, black-winged pratincoles, pallid harriers, Hartlaub’s turacos, emin’s shrikes, ring-necked spurfowls, dusky turtle doves, and little rock thrushes, to mention a few.
Hiking & Nature Walks in Kidepo
The Morungole Mountains, at the backdrop of Kidepo Valley, are home to the smallest ethnic group in Uganda, the IK tribe. They number around 10,000 people, most of whom are illiterate. The IK tribe used to live in the valleys of Kidepo before the Karamojong people came and forced them to relocate to the mountains.
There is much more to learn about these mountain people as you explore the Morungole Mountains. Mount Morungole stands at an elevation of 2,750 meters above sea level.
Tourists can also visit the Namamukeny Valley for a thrilling birding experience, where they can spot birds like the greenhood hoopoe, eastern paradise whydah, and white-crested turaco, to name a few.
Nature walks in Kidepo Valley can take you to the Kanangorok hot springs. You can also tour Idi Amin’s dream lodge, which was never completed during his reign as president of Uganda.
The hot springs are located beyond the Kidepo River, along the South Sudan border. Lomej Hills is also a great place for spotting wildlife like mountain reedbucks.
When taking a walk in Kidepo Valley, tourists should always be accompanied by a ranger guide and should never wander alone in the true African wilderness.
The Karamojong Tribe
The Karamojong, a tribe well-known for their nomadic pastoralist culture, live around Kidepo Valley National Park. They are cattle herders who highly value cattle, similar to the Maasai tribes of Kenya and Tanzania. They have unique cultural values, traditional clothing, and traditional dances.
The Karamojong used to be very hostile, often making Kidepo inaccessible. They were disarmed after a series of reports from tourism authorities about their actions, such as holding tourists at gunpoint.
However, they now understand the dynamics of tourism and are calm and friendly, welcoming tourists from all nationalities.
Kidepo Valley National Park boasts a semi-arid climate. The park can be visited year-round, but visiting from June to September and December to February is highly recommended for the best wildlife encounters.
This is when the grass is short, and animals can be easily seen. Wildlife becomes concentrated around water catchment areas within the park to hydrate, making them highly mobile.
The best time to go birding is from November to April when migratory birds from North Africa and Europe are present.
Kidepo Valley National Park has limited accommodation options due to its remoteness. However, there are a few lodges where you can spend the night after a long drive to the park.
Some of the accommodation facilities include Apoka Safari Lodge, Kidepo Savannah Lodge, Nga’moru Wilderness Camp, and Apoka Bandas, among others.
Kidepo Valley National Park can be accessed from Kampala by a full-day drive via Gulu or Soroti-Moroto roads. Tourists can also fly into Lomej Airstrip in the park itself from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield.
