Being the must visit wildlife destinations in Africa, Uganda’s Kidepo valley national park is situated at the extreme northeastern Uganda and it’s the most isolated wildlife destination in Uganda. Covering a land area of 1442 kilometer squares, Kidepo valley national park is the third largest national park in Uganda. Kidepo valley national park being most isolated is among the less visited national parks in Uganda. The national park therefore has less disturbed ecosystems and its among the leading ecotourism destinations that the pearl has to offer.
Kidepo valley national park is the only place in Uganda where giraffes can be seen a long side zebras and its also the only national park in Uganda with cheetahs. Lions, cape buffaloes, African elephants, leopards, hyenas, birds like the ostrich and many others are among the wild animals that are usually sighted while on a game drive in Kidepo valley national park. Most of these are seen in the Narus valley, which is the only place in the national park that usually has water through out the year. Kidepo valley national park being situated near the borders of Uganda and south Sudan and also near the border of Uganda and Kenya, the park receives a number of migratory wildlife species that are also sometimes seen by the tourists.
Kidepo valley national park has the highest number of predators in Uganda which include lions, cheetah, jackal, Hyenas, the leopard, bat-eared fox most of which always on the look to take down their prey to get what to feed on.
The African elephants that live in Kidepo valley national park are usually in groups ranging from 10 and more. They are herbivores that predominately feed on grass. A fully-grown elephant at least consumes over 260 kilograms in a day in order to support its mass body, as it’s widely known that they are the largest land mammals on the entire planet.
The bird life at Kidepo valley national park is very immense with the national park being a home to over 500 bird species. Some of the birds that can be sighted include ostriches as earlier mentioned, vultures, eagles falcons, hornbills and many others. Kidepo valley is therefore among the leading birding destinations in Uganda.
Kidepo valley national park unlike some other national parks supports a great diversity of wildlife thus making it a very unique destination for wildlife safaris in Uganda. The vegetation here is very unique mainly because of the semi arid climatic condition that the area experiences. This makes Kidepo valley national park among the top three national parks in Africa with the true and real African wilderness.
This national park can be explored on game drives and on guided nature walks. Nature walks bring the tourists closer to the wildlife with great views of wild animals. These are usually done in the areas of the Rionomoe, which offer clear view of the Narus valley.
Tourists interested in visiting the Karamojong can go for a community walk and discover more about one of the ethnic groups in Uganda that still strongly ties to its local traditional norms and customs.
While in Kidepo valley national park, one can have accommodation at Apoka safari lodge, which a luxury lodge situated within the national park. This offers standard services and usually a number of animals especially zebras are seen around the lodge. There are also budget accommodation facilities offered by Apoka rest camp.
It’s also very possible to camp however tourists in tents are strictly not allowed to move at night without torches or other sources of light.
Generally, Kidepo Valley national park is a very outstanding destination that is very worth visiting by tourists while on a safari in Uganda.
