Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo Valley National Park is a fascinating tour destination in Uganda ranked among Africa’s finest wildernesses for its magnificent vegetation, geology and thrilling wildlife with the highest concertation of Buffaloes in Africa ranging between 9000 to 14,000 individuals.

Kidepo Valley National park was named as The Best Park in Africa by CNN in 2012 for its spectacular landscapes and great buffalo herds.

Kidepo Valley National Park is the only national park in Uganda hosting Cheetahs.

The park lies in the rugged, semi-arid valleys between Uganda’s borders with Sudan and Kenya, approximately 700 kilometers from Kampala – the capital city of Uganda. Kidepo Valley National Park is the most isolated national park in Uganda which makes it a long journey from Kampala. The long journey north through the wild frontier region of Karamoja is the most magnificent, from Apoka, in the heart of the park, a savannah landscape extends far beyond the gazetted area towards horizons outlined by distant mountain ranges.

The park is located near Karenga in Kaabong District in the northeastern corner of Uganda and is approximately 22o kilometers by road northwest of Moroto, the largest town in the sub-region.

Kidepo Valley National Park was gazetted as a national park in 1962, the park hosts over 77 mammal species over 475 bird species. The park is rugged savannah and is dominated by the 2,750 meters (9,020 ft) Mount Morungole and transected by the Kidepo and Narus rivers.

History of Kidepo Valley National Park

The area known today as Kidepo Valley National Park was inhabitant for The Ketebo or Mening who are farmers and hunters lived in the area before it was gazetted as a game reserve by the British Colonial government in 1985.

The area was gazetted as a national park to protect the animals from hunting and prevent further clearing of bush for tsetse fly control, the eviction of the resident people and the resultant famine especially the Ketebo people who were forcefully relocated to other ares within Bira such as Napotpot, Kalo Kudo, Namosingo Loriwo and Naurkori in South Sudan is cited in contemporary protected area management as an example of the unacceptable consequences of not taking community needs into account when designating reserves.

The independent government of Uganda under Milton Obote converted the reserve into the Kidepo Valley National Park in 1962, the first chief warden of the park was Ian Ross, a Briton, in 1972, Paul Ssali – a Ugandan, replaced him.

Geography of Kidepo Valley National park

Kidepo Valley National Park consists two major valley systems of the Kidepo and Narus Rivers, the valley floors lie between 3,000 feet (910 meters) and 4,000 feet (1,200 m).

Kanangorok Hotsprings are found in the extreme north of the park in Lotukei, South Sudanese boundary, the hotspring is the most permanent source of water in the park.

 Wildlife in Kidepo Valley National Park 

Kidepo Valley National park is a home to over 80 species of wildlife including 28 species that are found in no other National Park in Uganda. Among these animals are Bat – eared fox, Carcal, Cheetah and Klipspringer.

Because of severe poaching, game herds depleted and since then striped Hyenas, lesser kudu, grant’s gazelles and Beisa Oryx that have not been seen at all in recent times and they are presumed to be locally extinct.

Other animals found in Kidepo Valley National Park include elephants, common zebras, buffaloes, Bohor Reedbuck, waterbuck, Kongoni, predators such as spotted hyenas, leopards and lions. There are also abundant oribis in the Narus Valley and Guenther’s Dik Dik in the dry thickets of the park.

There are also Senegal Galago and side striped jackal and white-tailed Monngoose that are commonly seen on a night game drive.

Birdlife in Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo Valley National Park hosts over 480 species of birds with 28 species from the Somali – Masai and Sudan – Guinea Savanna biomes, the park has the second-highest bird population in Uganda coming second to Queen Elizabeth National Park and is the only park located entirely within the Somali – Masai Biome.

Kidepo Valley National Park also supports some of the rarest species of birds in Uganda such as the Black-breasted Barbet and Karamoja Apalis. Other birds in the park include Common Ostrich, Secretary Bird, African Swallow-tailed Kite, Eastern Pale Chanting Goshawk, Pygmy Falcon, Fox Kestrel, Stone Partridge, Clapperton’s and Heuglin’s Francolins, Yellow-necked Spurfowl, Kori, White-bellied and Hartlaub’s Bustards, Violet-tipped Courser, Black-headed Plover, Four-banded Sand Grouse, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Rose-ringed Parakeet, White-crested Turaco, White-bellied Go-away bird, White-faced Scoops Owl, Long-tailed and Standard-winged Nightjars, Little Green Bee-eater, Abyssinian and Rufous-crowned Rollers, the Abyssinian Ground, Eastern Yellow and Jackson’s Hornbills, Red-fronted and Black-breasted Barbets, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Singing Bush lark, Red-winged Lark, Ethiopian Swallow, the Pied, Isabelline and Heuglin’s Wheaters, African Grey Flycatcher, Foxy and Red pate Cisticolas, Karamoja Apalis, White-bellied Tit, Mouse-coloured Penduline Tit, Northern White-crowned and Yellow-billed Shrikes, Slate-coloured Boubou, Fan-tailed Raven, Superb Starling, Red billed Oxpecker, Eastern Violet backed, Pygmy and Beautiful Sunbirds, Rufous and Chestnut Sparrow, Yellow-spotted Petronia, White-headed and White-billed Buffalo Weavers, White-browed and Chestnut- crowned Sparrow Weavers, Grey-capped Social and Speckle-fronted Weavers, the Green-winged, Orange-winged and Red-winged Pytilias, Black-bellied and Black-faded Waxbills, Steel-blue and Strawtailed Whydahs, and the Brown-rumped Bunting among others.

Things to do in Kidepo Valley National Park

Game drives

Kidepo Valley National Park is one of the finest destination for game viewing on a Uganda safari, there are several trails running through the park used for game viewing. The game drives are mostly done in the Narus Valley where you will spot lions sitting on the various rocks, elephants, leopards, bush duiker, jackal, bushbuck, bush pig, ostrich, buffaloes and many more.

Birding

Kidepo Valley National Park is a great site for birders offering exceptional birding experience, birding in the park is specially done on the fringes of the Narus and Namamukweny Valleys. Some of the birds you will spot during the game viewing experience include Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Rose-ringed Parakeet, White-crested Turaco, White-bellied Go-away bird, White-faced Scoops Owl, Long-tailed and Standard-winged Nightjars, Little Green Bee-eater, Abyssinian and Rufous-crowned Rollers, the Abyssinian Ground, Eastern Yellow and Jackson’s Hornbills, Red-fronted and Black-breasted Barbets, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Singing Bush lark, Red-winged Lark, Ethiopian Swallow, the Pied, Isabelline and Heuglin’s Wheaters, African Grey Flycatcher, Foxy and Red pate Cisticolas, Karamoja Apalis, White-bellied Tit, Mouse-coloured Penduline Tit, Northern White-crowned and Yellow-billed Shrikes, Slate-coloured Boubou, Fan-tailed Raven, Superb Starling, Red billed Oxpecker, Eastern Violet backed, Pygmy and Beautiful Sunbirds, Rufous and Chestnut Sparrow, Yellow-spotted Petronia, White-headed and White-billed Buffalo Weavers among others.

Hiking/ Nature walks

Nature walks in Kidepo Valley National Park are done using several nature trails running through the park’s valley that is Narus and Kidepo Valley between banks of Borassus palm forest, the nature walks are done in the presence of a ranger and during the walk you will spot several animals including lions, leopards, elephants, antelopes among others.

Hiking in Kidepo Valley National Park takes you on a hike to the Lomej Mountains to meet the IK Tribe an endangered tribe.

 

Cultural Tours

Cultural tours in Kidepo Valley National Park takes you on a visit to the Karamojong people in Lokori Sub – Country living in the traditional huts known as the Bomas, during the visit you will learn how they live traditionally, learn their culture and be entertained by local dances and drama.

How to get to Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo Valley National Park can be visited all year-round, however the best time to visit the park is during the dry season that is from June to September to December to March. In this season, the savannah vegetation is thin and animals are easy to spot as they congregate in large numbers to drink water.

Where to stay in Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo Valley National park has a limited range of accommodation situated within the park and outside the park, these accommodations range from luxury, midrange and budget.

Accommodation facilities within the park

• Apoka safari lodge
• Apoka Rest Camp
• Kakine Self – catering campsite

Accommodation facilities outside the park

• Nga Moru Wilderness
• Kidepo Savannah Lodge
• Adere Safari Lodge