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Kidepo Valley National park
Kidepo National Park – a beautiful combination of landscape, culture and wildlife
Kidepo Valley National Park is located in a remote northeastern corner of Uganda. It is a park with beautiful landscapes, a deep valley surrounded by a mountain range. There is wildlife, but spotting animals in Kidepo Valley National Park is a bit trickier than in other Uganda safari parks. Around the park, there are unique cultural activities: you can visit a nomadic tribe and a local community. And the best part? It’s not crowded. You will have Kidepo National Park all to yourself. Plenty of reason to visit.
5 facts about Kidepo Valley National Park
There are a few things you should know about Kidepo Valley National Park:
- Kidepo Valley National Park is the most remote park in Uganda. It’s located in the northeast, on the border with South Sudan. If you have like 17 days on a safari in Uganda, Kidepo is easy to fit in. If you are traveling to Uganda for two weeks, it becomes more difficult to include Kidepo.
- The climate is different from the rest of the country: there is one rainy season (April to August) and one dry season (September to March).
- They are very difficult to spot, but cheetahs live in Kidepo Valley National Park
- Around Kidepo National Park you can do special cultural activities.
- Kidepo Valley National Park is known for its large herds of elephants and buffalo.
One of the main reasons to visit Kidepo: the landscape
Kidepo Valley National Park safari begins with the unique road leading to it.
You drive on unpaved roads, through quite rural villages. Kidepo National Park is best described as a large valley. It is a flat landscape, encircled by a mountain range.
It is impressive, beautiful to drive through the park. And the beauty of Kidepo Valley National Park: you will hardly encounter another tourist.
You can drive around for hours without seeing any other visitor. It feels like it’s truly yours.
Unlike the rest of Uganda, the northern region of the country features only one dry and one rainy season. The national park is very green during the rainy season. In our opinion, it is at its most beautiful then. But for wildlife viewing, the dry season is better.
Moreover, the landscape is still stunning even when it is dry: the green slowly changes to golden yellow. You can see far, over the grasslands.
There are large herds of wildlife, but they are a bit more difficult to spot
When it comes to wildlife viewing, Kidepo Valley National Park is hit-or-miss.
Because the national park is large, it is quite possible you will see little wildlife. But with a bit of luck, you will have a truly special wildlife experience.
For example, there are huge herds of African elephants.
They’re a bit harder to spot during the rainy season, as they regularly leave the park to forage for food. In the dry season, they often stay in the valley, where water lasts the longest.
Besides elephants, there are enormous herds of African buffalo. So large that you might wonder: is this the big migration? Kidepo Valley National Park is also home to ostriches, zebras, and giraffes. There used to be a healthy lion population, but it declined somewhat. There are also leopards.
And unique to Kidepo Valley National Park are the cheetahs. Spotting cheetahs requires extreme luck – Kidepo National Park is large, and there are relatively few trails you can drive on.
In short: The vast, fantastic landscape, the beautiful routes – you will definitely get that in Kidepo Valley National Park. Spotting wildlife is a bit trickier.
So, consider wildlife a bonus, the icing on your safari cake.
Safari and cultural excursions
In Kidepo Valley National Park, you can, of course, enjoy the classic game drive.
But you can also enjoy walking safaris, just like in Lake Mburo National Park.
In Lake Mburo National Park, you are guaranteed to be surrounded by zebras and giraffes. In Kidepo Valley National Park, it is more about finding tracks, plants, and insects.
The focus is more on the landscape, less on the animals. During your walk, you will learn all about the area and its surroundings.
If you are staying in Kidepo National Park for a while, you can also take cultural excursions. For example, from Kidepo Valley, you can trek Mount Morungole. There, you will visit the “Ik” – a tribe that lives high up on the mountain. They have their own language and customs. If culture is high on your list, this is one of the most authentic experiences you can have in Uganda. It’s untouched. It’s raw.
Besides visiting the “Ik” tribe, you can also visit the local Karamajong community. You will see how people live around the park. How they raise livestock. How they store harvested crops.
So, besides the beautiful scenery and the chance for unique wildlife encounters, Kidepo Valley National Park is the perfect opportunity to add more culture to your trip.
