Kidepo Valley National Park is found in the north-eastern corner of Uganda bordering South Sudan and Kenya.  The park covers an area of 1,442 square kilometers and has an altitude ranging between 914 m and 2,750 m. 

It is about 700 km from Kampala and it happens to be a long road trip to a remote but true wildlife safari destination. Kidepo has the largest buffalo herds and over 475 bird species.

Kidepo valley national park was gazetted in 1962 natured with a semi-arid climate with one rainy season of April – September. Kidepo Valley has savannah grass, shrubs and wildlife. The famous  Manyattas crafted with local material such as dung and thatched grass Kidepo valley national park is an open valley, generally flat landscape; comprising open grass savannah of uniform height, which spans through a greater stretch of the park sparse trees therein.

Kidepo Valley National Park is also home to the Narus Valley with streams of water, it makes it a congregation area for many wild animals such as lions, leopards and oribis among others. The park has two rivers i.e. Narus River and Kidepo River which are seasonal and these dry out in the dry season with a number borassus palm trees. 

Kidepo Valley national Park is home to 75 mammal’s namely African cape buffalos, elephants, Rothschild’s giraffes, Burchella’s zebras, elands, hartebeests, cheetahs and jackals. Game drives give you ground to sight a number of wild life including a diversity of bird species.

The park is a good birding haven with over 475 species, some being endemic to Kidepo Valley National Park and these include Jacksons hornbill, Purple Heron, Secretary bird, yellow billed hornbill, Ruppels, Kori Bustard, Pygmy Falcon and Karamoja Apalis, Abyssinian Roler, Clapperton’s Francolin little Green Bee-eater, Verreaux’s eagle and the Ostrich.

The cultures of the Karamajong and Ik Tribe living on top of Morungole Mountain. The Ik is one of the smallest ethnic groups in Uganda with a very unique and indigenous culture. They are believed to have migrated from Ethiopia. Their population is estimated to be 10,000. They are subsistence farmers unlike the Karamajong who are pastoralist with unique homesteads and lifestyles. While in the region enjoy a number of cultural aspects as well as stories, local dances, crafts like arrows, jewellery and stools.

Best time to visit Kidepo Valley National Park

The park can be visited throughout the year but the best time to visit is during the dry season of between September to March and during this time the park is less crowded.

How to Reach the Park

You can reach the park from Kampala using two major routes if you choose road transport that is via Mbale – Soroti – Moroto – Kotido – Kaabong and then Kidepo which is about 780km for about 11 to 12 hours.

Kampala via Gulu – Kitgum  – Kidepo which is about 571 km

You can board a scheduled or chartered flight from Entebbe or Kajjansi Airstrip to Kidepo.

Activities in Kidepo Valley National Park

Game Drives

Kidepo Valley National Park is popular for game drives with a wide range of wildlife such as Zebras, elands, antelopes, duikers, oribi, reed bucks, water bucks, elands, buffalos, oryx, cats like lions and leopards, hunting dogs, striped hyena, jackals, eared fox, wild pigs  as well as the cheetahs which are the fastest land mammals on land.   You get to see a number of wild life while in the savannah of Kidepo Valley

Bird Watching

Kidepo Valley National Park is home to over 450 bird species, 56 bird of prey and 14 species being endemic to Kidepo and the karamoja region.

Ostriches, karamoja appals, pygmy falcon, yellow billed hornbill and the tallow rumped seed eater.

Below is a list of bird to look out during your game drives and bird watching safari.

Ostrich, Eastern Pale Chanting Goshawk, White-crested Turaco, Clapperton’s and Heuglin’s Francolins, Violet-tipped Courser, Black-headed Plover, Singing Bush Lark, White-faced Scoops Owl, Little Green Bee-eater, Pied, Isabelline and Heuglin’s Wheaters, African Grey Flycatcher, Red-fronted and Black-breasted Barbets, White-bellied Tit, Northern White-crowned and Yellow-billed Shrikes, Stone Partridge, Kori, Yellow-necked Spurfowl, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, African Swallow-tailed Kite, White-bellied and Hartlaub’s Bustards, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Ethiopian Swallow, Karamoja Apalis, Brown-rumped Bunting, Steel-blue and Strawtailed Whydahs, Red billed Oxpecker, Black-bellied and Black-faded Waxbill, Eastern Violet backed and Yellow-spotted Petronia.

White-bellied Go-away bird Four-banded Sand Grouse, Long-tailed and Standard-winged Nightjars, Eastern Yellow and Jackson’s Hornbills, Pygmy Fox Kestrel, Falcon, Abyssinian and Rufous-crowned Rollers, Abyssinian Ground, Mouse-coloured Penduline Tit, Slate-coloured Boubou, Fan-tailed Raven, Superb Starling, Pygmy and Beautiful Sunbirds, Rufous and Chestnut Sparrow, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Red-winged Lark, Foxy and Red pate Cisticolas, Green-winged Orange-winged and Red-winged Pytilias, White-browed and Chestnut- crowned Sparrow Weavers, Grey-capped Social and Speckle-fronted Weavers, White-headed and White-billed Buffalo Weavers,

Mountain Hiking

This involves hiking the Morungole Mountain ranges which is also home to the Ik people. The hike is scenic giving you a serene view of the land scape of Kidepo Valley National Park.

Cultural Tours / Experience

While here you will visit communities around and within Kidepo valley National Park. The karamajong homesteads /village with its people being pastoral normads as well as warriors in the current century they also engage in subsistence farming. The kejongs just like the Maasi rare large herd of cattle. We shall be taken through the life style of the kejong culture that is exhibit interesting traditional dance, knives, stools, drees code, arrows and many other things.

Or visit the Ik people who found the Morungole Mountains as home and they are indigenous tribe of the area. The hike and encounter take about 8 hours

Hot Spring Visits

The Drive to the Hot Springs is through the park and we should look out for the rare mammals and birds closer to Border of South Sudan

Bush Walks / Nature Walks / Hiking

All these are guided by a park ranger from Uganda wild life Authority and while on the nature walks you shall see a number of wildlife such as buffalos, elephants, you also spot a number of bird species on your nature walk.

Sample trips for Kidepo Valley National Park

4 Days Kidepo Valley National Park Road Trip Safari

4 Day Kidepo Valley National Park Fly in Safari

6 Days Kidepo Valley National Park