Ranked as Africa’s finest wildness and 3rd Best Wilderness Park in CNN’s travel awards, Kidepo Valley National Park (KVNP) is the most alluring park in Uganda. This remote and wildness scenic landscape is characterized by semi-arid expansive savanna plains, rugged and rocky outcrops and lush mountain ranges. The varied vegetation ranges from golden open and lightly wooded savanna plains, mosaic forests interspersed with Borassus palms and dry-scrub, scattered patches of riparian woodland, montane forests and thick miombo woodland.
This less-visited, remote park protects the most exciting fauna anywhere in the country with 470 bird species and 77 species of mammals including most species found nowhere else in Uganda.
Quick Facts
- Size: 1442 sq.km
- Altitude 914-2797m
- Bird Species: 470species
- Mammal Species: 77 species
- Drive time from Kampala: 565km /9hrs
Highlights and Activities to do In Kidepo Valley NP
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Wildlife Encounters
Untamed Game Drives are carried out between the seasonal river systems of Kidepo river in the North and Narus river system in the south, which creates a migration corridor of animals following the rain patterns. Game is concentrated between and along the seasonal river, an Oasis in the Desert! Excellent views of rarest species including Greater and Lesser Kudu, Jackson’s Hartebeest, Guenther’s Dikdik, Eland, Bohor Reedbuck, Oribi, Common Duiker, Klipspringer, Deffasa Water Buck, Burchell’s Zebra (a unique mane-less race found nowhere else), the terrestrial Patas Monkey, endangered Rothchild’s Giraffe, herds of Cape Buffalo among others. Predators include Lions, Leopard, side Striped Jackal, Spotted Hyena, Cheetah, Bat-eared Fox, Black-backed Jackal, Aardwolf, Caracal among others.
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Birding the Kidepo Valley NP
Kidepo Valley NP ranks the best ranking hotspot in the country owing to its location within the Somalia-Masai Biome habitat, where 23 of the total 32 Restricted Biome species occur nowhere else in the country. Here at Kidepo, the horn-of-Africa bird specialists unique to this semi-arid, dry-scrub and thorny bush vegetational extend here on their range limit.
Highlights include Karamoja Apalis, Clapperton’s Francolin, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Secretary Bird, Fox Kestrel, Brown Parisoma, Pygmy Falcon, Yellow-necked Spurfowl and Jackson’s Hornbill, Golden-Pipit, Rufous Chatterer, Red and Yellow Barbets and more.
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Guided Nature Walks and Wilderness Camping
Kidepo Valley national park offers excellent nature walks to explore this wilderness on foot. Daily options cater for dedicated naturalist seeking out variety of dry-country bird specialists local and restricted to these habitats, or an adventurer seeking to stretch personal limits on a hike to several of the towering mountain ranges. Notably is a guided walk along the seasonal river of Kidepo located on the northern sector of the park, offering scenic views of the meandering Borassus lined riverbed and hot springs.
While here, enjoy a night under the stars that illuminate the dark skies over the wilderness savanna plains of Kidepo National Park. Hear the distant roars of lion prides advertising their territories, hear the cracking evil “hyena laughter” and howls and calls of nocturnal characters. Excellent campsite equipped with basic utilities like firewood, pit latrines and water occur in this park and manned by rangers at night.
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Explore the Karimojong and Ik Cultural Experience
Away from the great scenery this region offers, a recommended adventure activity is a guided-community visit to the Karimojong, a formerly nomadic community of pastoralists with a unique way of life and the Ik people of mountains who are agriculturalists, to explore and the experience of these rich and pure ancient traditions. This guided cultural experience includes a visit to their communities known as manyattas where interactions, folklore and one is encouraged to in for warrior traditional dances.
One popular experience is a visit to Nakipelemoru Manyatta Village just 12m from Kotido the largest East Africa traditional settlement with up 10000 people and the oldest. Nakipelemoru in Karamajong means the “Rock is seen” refers to the ancient sacred rock the Jie people first settled after migrating from Cush the modern Ethiopia.