Kidepo Valley National Park
Located in the furthest northern corner of Uganda bordering Sudan and Kenya, Kidepo Valley National Park offers a remote and rewarding safari experience, with special wildlife features including cheetah and African wild dog. Known as the long forgotten Eden of Africa.
Kidepo Valley National Park Highlights
Kidepo Valley National Park is the most undiscovered and unchartered of Uganda’s parks and reserves, yet it is said to have the most spectacular wildlife viewing of them all. It only receives less 10 visitors per day as an annual average, so the experience is bound to be an exclusive one. There are two valleys carved out with by Kidepo and Narus Rivers, and each area offers a uniquesafari scene, characterised by different landscapes and hosting different animals. There are only a couple of accommodation options in the park, so safari activities are luxuriously exclusive and one would be forgiven for thinking they are alone in the 1500 sq. km wilderness.
- This small national park is far away from the equator and unlike other safari areas of Uganda, it is semi-arid and experiences a true dry season between September and March.
- The landscape of Kidepo is made up of broad horizons and endless savannah ending in distant mountains, making game viewing exceptional.
- The Narus River Valley or Apoko region is where the best game viewing is due to the diversity of vegetation and remaining pools during the dry season.
- The tribal history of Kidepo Valley is an important part of its identity and guests are able to enjoy enriching cultural experiences with the local Karamojong and Ik people.
Apoka Safari Lodge: This is Kidepo Valley’s luxury accommodation option, giving guests a refined safari travel experience in this remote corner of Uganda. Located amid rugged boulders, raised above the savannah, the views from Apoka are sublime. Each of the 10 ensuite bedrooms are made of natural wood, soft textures, and simple features that elaborate the character of the region. A restaurant and swimming pool make the most of the view too, so pack those binoculars.
Kidepo Savannah Lodge: This classic tented safari camp accommodates comfortably in eco-friendly canvas tents, each with a view of the Kidepo Valley savannah from their elevated positions along a rocky outcrop. Located a stone’s throw from the Kalokudo gate, it is ideally positioned for daily safari activities in the park, which include game drives in the popular Narus valley, nature walks and hikes, as well as full-day visits to the village of the Ik tribe, which is a fundamental part of Kidepo’s history.
How to Get There
Sun Safaris can arrange all scheduled flights for visitors to one of the many airports in Uganda, but primarily international guests enter the country at Entebbe Airport, about 50km outside of the capital city, Kampala. Once guests arrive at Entebbe, they will connect with their pre-arranged road or light air transfers that will take them directly to their safari destinations. Most of the major game parks are remote and have private airstrips for scheduled fly-in safaris, or have regular road transfers running to and from major tourism centres in and near the national parks close to Kampala, the capital.
Kidepo Valley National Park is over 300km from Kampala, which is a 5-drive. The roads in Uganda are not in great condition and the journey up to Kidepo would necessitate a 4WD. There is an airstrip servicing the park, which is highly priced, but convenient with a flight time of about two hours from Kampala or Entebbe.
Kidepo Valley National Park Game Viewing and Activities
Kidepo Valley National Park is known as Africa’s long forgotten Eden for a reason: it is teeming with wildlife and offers perhaps the best game viewing in the country. It is small in comparison to Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth National Parks, but it has a higher density and diversity of wildlife. Its semi-arid environment means it has distinctive wet and dry seasons, which each support differing wildlife. The dry months between September and March are the best for game viewing because the water dries up in the rivers and wildlife gathers at the remaining pools in the Apoko region. Game drives, bird-watching excursions, walks and hikes, as well as cultural activities are what make Kidepo famous, but the lack of tourists keeps the experiences blissfully private. Cheetah, wild dog, Rothschild’s giraffe, bat-eared fox, striped hyena, pangolin, and ostrich demonstrate the species diversity of this magical place.
