Explore the True African Wilderness Kidepo Valley National Park; Kidepo valley national park is the third biggest savannah park in Uganda after Murchison falls and Queen Elizabeth national parks, Kidepo valley national park lies in the rugged , semi arid between Uganda’s borders with South Sudan in the north west and it is only 6km away from eastern border of Kenya and its 716km from Uganda’s capital kampala.
Kidepo valley national park was gazetted as national park in 1962 the same year Uganda as a country got its own independence, the park covers a distance of 1442 square kilometers, it has a profusion of big game and hosting 76 mammals species such as biggest number of cape buffaloes, Rothschild giraffe, Elands, elephants, Uganda kob, dik dik, gazelles, Gaint gazelle’s, oribi, lions leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, jackal, caracal, bat-eared fox, aardwolf and hosting over 476 bird species like the biggest bird on earth the ostrich, secretary bird, ground Abyssinian hornbill, Abyssinian scimitar bill, Kori bustard bird and more colorful birds and visible ones.
Kidepo valley national park is the Uganda’s most isolated national park, but the few who can make the long journey north wards through the wild frontier of Karamoja region would agree that its the most magnificent, for that is why Kidepo valley national park is ranks among the most Africa’s finest wildernesses in 2018. From Apoka, the heart of the park, a savannah landscapes extends far beyond the gazetted area, towards horizons outlined by distant mountain rangers.
The park contains two rivers that is Kidepo and Narus, which disappear during the dry season leaving only pools for the wildlife. During the dry season, the only permanent water in the park is found in the wetlands and in the remnant pools remains in Narus valley near Apoka. These seasonal oases, combined with the open savannah terrain, makes the Narus valley the parks game viewing location especially with the dense population of cape buffaloes, lions, elephants, antelopes species and much more came in to get water in the Narus valley.
The local people / communities around Kidepo valley national park includes the pastoral Karamojong people similar to the Maasai people of Kenya, the IK group of people with only hundreds in number living in hills of Morongore and the hunters gatherer tribe whose survival is threatened.
Birders paradise Kidepo valley national park , the park famously known and commonly visited because its considered as a birders paradise as its ranked among the best birding safari areas in the country. This national park is a home to over 476 birds species and a dozen of 50 birds are of prey species which are only found in Karamoja region in the country.
Time to visit Kidepo valley national park, the park is open to visitors and tourists pretty much all the year around, but the perfect time to visit Kidepo valley national park is the month of September to march which is the dry season and catching sights of wildlife is much easier than in rainy season.
