Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo Valley National Park – Visit the Kidepo valley Park in North Eastern Uganda, Expolore the untouched kidepo.

This is a solitarily located jungle to give you a true wilderness feeling. It is in the extreme northeast of Uganda 705km from Kampala city via Karuma, Lira, Kotido and Kaabong for 12 hours, 571km from Kampala via Karuma, Gulu, and Kitgum for 10 hours and 740km from Kampala through Mbale, Sirinko, Moroto, Kotido and Kaabong for 12 hours on the road.

Air transport to this destination is operated by different air travel companies from Kajjansi airfield or Entebbe international airport to Lomej airstrip in Apoka tourism zone. Flights are more comfortable, tireless and fast(about two and a half hours).

Entrance to kidepo valley national park is approved after payment of US$40 by foreign non residents, US$30, by foreign residents and UGX20,000 by East African citezens.

Kidepo valley national park sits on the rugged, semi arid valleys between the borders of Uganda, Sudan and Kenya. This is a home to about 77 mammal species and 475 bird species and it has two seasonal rivers- Kidepo and Narus, which disappear and leave pools during the dry season.it is mainly covered with open Savannah and this makes it easy to view game at distant areas. 

Activities in kidepo valley national park

Game drives in Kidepo

The impressive widely spread open savannah vegetation of the park is a very ideal destination for game drives. Some of the animals that may be sighted on a game drive are lions, buffalos, zebras, jackals, warthogs, giraffes, klipspringers and on a very lucky day one may spot a cheetah. Besides the entrance fee, one is required to pay US$20 if they are foreign residents and nonresidents and UGX20,000 if they are East African citizens for a game drive. A ranger guide leads you through the tracks of the jungle and these game drives are done during the day. To conduct a night game drive, foreign non residents and foreign residents pay US$40 while East African citizens pay UGX40,000. These night game drives give higher expectations of meeting nocturnal game trying to hunt and .feed.

Bird watching in Kidepo

About 475 species of birds are residents in this valley 6 of which have not been recorded in any other park in Uganda and migratory birds are commonly spotted between November and April. Starting your bird watching activity at Apoka rest camp will give a wonderful experience. Other places to do birding are on the boundaries of Narus and Namamukweny valleys. Common species of birds seen in the park are ostritch, eastern pale chanting, karamoja apalis, yellow-necked spurfowl, goshawk, purple heron, Abyssinian roller, clapperton’s francolin among others.

Hiking /nature walk in Kidepo

One of the most cheering activities in the wild is hiking. Kidepo Lonyili summit hike is a newly introduced activity/nature walk in the park where visitors move with the ranger guide a distance of 25km through the shrubs of the park to Napusmur hilltop in eight hours. It costs US$50 for foreign residents and nonresidents and UGX50,000 for East African citizens.

Hiking has also takes place at 7:00 to Lomej mountains and guided walks about 2 hours through Narus valley around the park.

Karimojong Cultural tour

The tribes neighboring the park are the karimojongs and the IK people they have a culture that is unique from the rest of the tribes in Uganda. The karimajongs however have identical practices like the masai in Kenya. They are cattle keepers and are attract attention because of their social way of living in homesteads called manyattas. You will be amused at the soothing voices coupled with great dance moves when they do their cultural dances. Common items that you’ll see on them are beads and many are always displayed for sell.

Kidepo Valley National Park in Uganda | Visit Kidepo Valley National Park