Kidepo Valley national Park

Kidepo Valley national Park

Kidepo Valley national Park: Africa’s best park in terms of sight viewing with the widest landscape view. That one finest Africa’s tourist destination holding the authentic African wildness. Considered the Africa’s remotest park and the ancient of nature and culture.

About Kidepo Valley national Park

Kidepo Valley national Park is the third largest national park in Uganda seated on an area of 1442sq/km. Raised at an elevation of 914m to 2,770m. Kidepo Valley National Park is located in the Karomja region northeastern Uganda, bordering South Sudan. The region is of the primitive Karamajong people who dance dances only to beats of their own drums, defied civilization trails holding to the ancient way of life. These pastoralist keep claiming to own all long horned cattle in Uganda.

The park is a true wilderness destination right from the people in communities around the park. Vast of an open savannah landscape, rough mountains that are often lost in rain clouds that enclosing the park. Kidepo Valley National Park is made of two valley systems of Narus River and the Kidepo vally. The Narus Valley system has the highest concentration of wildlife due to presence of permanent water of the Narusi swamp. The Kidepo valley section extends northwards to kanangorok hot springs is the permanent water source neighboring south Sudan. the park can best be reached in a tourist 4×4 safari vehicle, you can drive your self or a well organized safari by a tour operator

The Narus Valley

Narus Valley is an excellent wildlife viewing featuring several flora and fauna species not encountered anywhere else in the country. The large, open plains savannah makes fantasize the park. The sections starts from Apoka, the heart of the park where the glamorous savannah landscape extends beyond eye sighting limits.

In 2019, safari booking the Africa’s largest online marketing. Ranked Kidepo valley national park 11th among the 50 best African national parks. The park shelters rough high numbers of wild games. Such as  tower of giraffes, herds of bushbuck, Uganda kobs, oribe, zebras, warthogs. Water bucks bush buck, Kudus, fox, hyena, aardwolf, Jackals, Jackson heart beast, eland, dik dik, ostrich, cheater, civet, hunting dog and very many great encounters. The park also shelter numbers of wildlife species.

How to access Kidepo Valley national Park

Kidepo valley national park can be accessed through two routes Kampala Soroti/Moroto. Through the scenery of Karamoja wildness and through this route can decide to have your camping overnight at one of the Manyattas. If Uganda Moroto route via Matheniko and Piena Upe game reserves. The shorter route from Kampala is through Kitgum via Gulu about 9/10 hours.

Things to do at Kidepo valley national park?

Wildlife game drive

The game drive is mainly done along the Narus Valley, the valley top target for wildlife game drive noted for higher concentration of wildlife around the Narus swamp. At the park there is chance to sight some of the big five games including elephants, buffalos, lions and leopards. Here lions can be sighted lazing in rocky outcrops and in the evening you can see prides of predators relishing their prey.

On a game drive expect just much which can’t be watched in any other savannah park in Uganda. Larger herds of antelope species including Jackson’s heartbeasts, bushbucks, oribi, Uganda kobs among other, several zebras and giraffes, warthogs, wild dogs, among many other wild encounters can be spotted alongside several bird species.

Also an incredible game drive can be done at the extension of kidepo valley. Northwards of the park along the Kanangorok hot spring, the big catch here is the ostrich and many other sights. Also with own safari vehicle a night game drive can be done at an extra cost of USD $40. The night game drive can present predators actively hunting.

Nature walks

The nature guided walks to surrounding communities brings closer to nature. Nature walks are only done alongside the lead of an armed ranger guide. Nature walks through the golden relished savannahs on foot. Its best option to watch several bird species. Wildlife and can led to communities for cultural experiences.

Mountain hiking

The Karamoja region features mainly a flat landscapes which is dotted with rocky hills and cones that are highly elevated. The most hiking challenge in Karamoja is the hiking Mt. Morungole leading to the Ik people. Reaching to their communities, one has to climb mountains The hiking activity really will need a certain level of fitness has have to walk for over 12km to and from where you vehicle can’t continue any far. This is an independent activity which is singly done a day.

Birding

For bird enthusiasts, the Narus valley is a perfect solution for you. The park is a collection of several bird species about 500 bird species. That makes the park suggesting spectacular birding adventures to bird enthusiasts done especially around Narus swamp. Bird species here include carmine, secretary bird, ostrich especially in the Kidepo valley, Kori bustard, Abyssinian ground hornbill. Yellow billed hornbill, Karamoja apalis, black breasted barbet, silver shrike, Nubian woodpecker, Vivacious bird, Hoopoe, scarlet chested sun bird, white bellied go away bird, singing bush lark and little Weaver and the list continues.

Cultural experiences

Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) organizes the cultural tours to surrounding communities. Cultural tours at Kidepo display various Karamajong clans and their varying lifestyle and the rare IK people. The IK people these are the smallest tribe in Uganda. Who speak Spanish like language and have continued to style in their own beats staying behind the scene of modern civilization.

Besides being back ward they cringed on their traditional beliefs. Like rejected the rest of the foreign religions in Uganda and insisted on their own Akuj god whom they believe gives them all the cattle they own. Visiting communities around Kidepo valley national park like Lurukul cultural community around the park participate in the cultural entertaining undertakings, reach inside their almost empty houses, and also learn their culture through the narrations told at the scene.

Sleeping within the manyattas, these are housing style of Karamajongs where one can decide for a camping overnight within the Manyatta tasting this exotic life.

Wildness camping

Is a special adventure to take in the midst of the wider open savannah just far away from other people, wildness camping within the park is accompanied by an armed ranger guide and select a cool place to make your camping for an overnight. Always expecting to hear the ever closest lion roars throughout the night.

Wildness camping is done with own camping gears, or even can hire a camper van, endeavor to go with an armed ranger guide from the UWA, the will have ever the best wildness camping in the midst of angry predators.