Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo Valley National Park lies in the rugged, semi-arid valleys between Uganda’s borders with South Sudan in the North West and only 5km from the Eastern border of Kenya. Gazetted as a national park in 1962, it has a profusion of big game and hosts over 77 mammal species. It is 700km from Kampala
Kidepo is Uganda’s most isolated national park, but the few who make the long journey north through the wild frontier region of Karamoja would agree that it is also the most magnificent, for Kidepo ranks among Africa’s finest wildernesses. From Apoka, in the heart of the park, a savannah landscape extends far beyond the gazette area, towards horizons outlined by distant mountain ranges.
The elephant population has surged from around 200 in the mid 1990’s to between 700 and 1000 today. The African Buffalo population is now estimated at 13000.The Rothschild Giraffe is very notable, breeding more than 50 individuals from the bottleneck of the 1990’s population of three and supplemented by several from translocation.
The bird checklist of over 476 species with the common Ostrich, Secretary Bird, Northern Carmine bee eater, little green bee eater, Abyssinian Scimitar Bill and many more colorful and visible species.
The Park contains two rivers – Kidepo and Narus – which disappear in the dry season, leaving just pools for the wildlife. The Park receives comparatively fewer tourists than Uganda’s other national parks. Game viewing is possible by vehicle on dirt roads that crisscross the southern and western parts of the park, other activities include nature walks, Lonyii summit hike, guided night drives and bird watching. A few trunk roads are improved with murram and are passable in all weather. The Park’s remote location means the drive time for tourists from Kampala is an estimated 10 hours.
The Park is also connected by domestic flights from Entebbe International Airport, which land at Kidepo Airport. Tourist accommodations at the Park include a rest camp run by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and other lodges