Kidepo valley national park is a stunning savanna park in Uganda with beautiful attractions. The park is located in the remote wilderness of Kabong district far Northeastern part of the county. Kidepo Valley National Park was founded in 1962. It covers an area of 1, 442km2 in the valleys that border Kenya and South Sudan. The park derived its name from a local word “akidep, ” which means “to pick up, ” because the palms when ripen and fall, people pick them, especially in the dry months. The interesting vegetation of Kidepo valley sustains a diverse range of fauna and flora plus the hills and valleys that all harbor wildlife species and human beings such as the Karamojong people in Narus Valley and the Ik people who are local communities living on top of Mount Morungole.
Attractions in Kidepo valley national park.
Kidepo Valley National Park has a lot of impressive attractions to see for tourists such as animals, birds, mountains, hills, hot springs, butterflies, and all the beautiful vegetation that make it special and gorgeous all year round.
Animal species.
Kidepo valley national park shelters more than 77 species of mammals that you can meet during any park safari activities like during the game drives, bird watching safaris, hiking, and guided nature walks in the park. Some of these mammals are Elephants, buffaloes, zebras, lions, cheetahs, hyenas, foxes, hartebeests, oribis, giraffes, leopards, and crocodiles.
Bird species.
There are more than 475 species of birds that inhabit Kidepo Valley National Park including forest birds, resident bird species, water birds, and many others. The park is home to Abyssinian roller, Chestnut weaver, Greater kestrel, Fox kestrel, Pygmy falcon, Eagles, Hornbills, Karamoja apalis, Purple grenadier, ostriches, Vultures, and many more bird species.
Narus valley.
Narus Valley is a “muddy” valley in English. It is where plenty of animals come to look for water and green grass in Kidepo Valley National Park. Going to Narus Valley is a must on a Uganda safari journey to Kidepo. Besides, Karamojong people also fetch water for their cow herds from this valley. Narus valley offers the most efficient game tracks where tourists are guaranteed to view plenty of grazing wildlife and hunters during their game drives.
River Narus.
This perennial river lies at the very bottom of Narus Valley. It is the source of water that keeps Narus Valley green throughout the season, hence it is a great spot for animals to live all year round.
Hot springs.
Besides being a home to animals, the river and the valley additionally hold Kanangorok hot springs which are located towards Sudan border in the northern part of the park. Kidepo valley national park is a marvelous safari destination to view animals because the hot springs attract a lot of animals.
What to do in Kidepo valley national park.
Birdwatching.
With over 475 bird species, what more could a bird lover desire? Kidepo is a real birding paradise in the Pearl of Africa. Kidepo Alley National Park is endowed with diverse vegetation, hence an ideal nesting and feeding site for birds. Since birds fly over the park moving from one place to another, almost the entire park is a good spot for bird watching. The park is characterized by short savanna grassland which makes it easy to spot birds. The most visited birding spots are along the rivers such as river Narus and River Kidepo where water birds can be found, within the Narus Valley where Ostriches and other bird species can be seen like the Secretary birds, Hornbills, sunbirds, barbets and many more.
During a visit to Kidepo valley national park, not only can you witness such birds as the eagles, vultures, plover, pigeons, egrets, warblers, Chestnut weaver, pygmy falcons, karamoja Apalis, and woodpeckers but also many other diverse species. A birder should always have a pair of Binoculars to be able to have the full pleasure of the birding experience.
Game drives.
Among the most popular activity type that visitors to Kidepo valley national park opt for is game drives as the park is teeming with a variety of wildlife. The natural habitats of different animal species are so well preserved in the park making game driving very exciting. Driving around the park’s savanna lands towards Narus Valley during a game drive helps you get closer to the animals that come there for food and water. During your game drive, you may be lucky to spot buffaloes, hartebeests, elephants, elands, zebras, duikers, Oryx, Uganda Kobs, dik dik, lions, leopards, kudus, monkeys, and a host of other animals. The park provides visitors with different options of game drives such as morning, afternoon, and night.
Guided Nature walks
Willingness to Kidepo valley national park tourists a guided nature walk tour within the park is an astonishing activity where they can walk on foot, they buy feature parts of the park, by observing mammals, birds, butterflies and pretty much the whole amazing vegetation cover of the park at a glance. An interesting outing is a hike up Lamoj hills, where most tourists take nice pictures. A hike to Namamukweny, a secluded spot halfway the park, is surrounded by beautiful plant life, including flowering plants, and it’s so quiet that you can’t hear even the birds or the animals’ sounds. It is one of the places that you can walk through to get a natural feeling of how forest life is in the wild. The hot springs are also located quite near.
Cultural experiences.
After spending their time in Kidepo valley national park, tourists may meet, interact and engage with the local communities of the Karamojong and Ik people who still live in the park. That is to say, after you have spent the day doing other things in the park, you can go to their grass-roofed Manyattas and meet some cultural groups that put on thrilling traditional performances.
Where to stay in Kidepo valley national park.
Here are a few accommodations to stay in and around kidepo valley national park that range from Luxury, midrange to budget that can be ideal for any traveler’s preferences and their pockets. They range from lodges to villages as well as campsites, such as Apoka safari lodge, Kidepo savanna lodge, Katurum lodge, Adere Safari Lodges, Zebra safari lodge, Apoka rest camp, Nga Moru Wilderness camp, Kakine campsite among others.
When is the best time to visit Kidepo valley.
Savanna parks of Uganda are suitable for a safari all year round. However, dry months offer better opportunities for game viewing, nature walks and hiking safaris when the trails are dry and the vegetation cover is quite short thus making it easier to view the different species of wildlife and also walk through the park. Besides, all lodges in the park are operational and offer good services during the dry season. Meanwhile, birdwatchers prefer the rainy months because the park is full of food for the birds and most birds breed during that time.
