Kidepo Valley National Park – Perhaps the remotest Part of a Uganda Safari
Kidepo Valley National Park is in the remote northeast corner of Uganda. The park has a true wilderness feel and is a great destination for the adventurous traveller. It has excellent wildlife viewing during the Dry season, featuring several species not encountered anywhere else in Uganda.
Best time to visit Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo is located in a semi-arid region making it possible to visit this park all-year-round. However, the best time to go is in the dry season months of September to March. For travellers interested in birding, the wet season months of April to August are a lot more rewarding. The downside to going in the wet season is that the roads get very muddy and slippery making them very challenging to navigate.
**Its the reason we prefer taking a using 4×4 Toyota Landcruiser on all our Kidepo Valley Safaris
Things to see & Do In Kidepo National Park
- Game Drives In the narus valley
- Visit the Ik tribe on Morungole Mountain.
- Visit a Manyatta.
- Enjoy a guided nature walk.
- Visit the hot springs.
Read More about Things to See & Do in Kidepo Valley National Park
Getting to Kidepo National Park
Our favourite and most recommended route of getting to Kidepo Valley Park is via Gulu, Kitgum onwards to Lokumoit Gate a journey that would typically take about 10 hours. However, we prefer breaking this trip with an overnight stop at Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary. While at the Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary, your stay will support a Rhino Conservation programme.
Alternatively, travellers with a flexible budget can opt to fly from Entebbe or Kajjansi to Kidepo valley National Park. This saves you a lot of time driving from Entebbe or Kampala.
Read more on How to get to Kidepo Valley National Park
Where to Stay While on a Safari In Kidepo Valley National park
There is quite a number of places to stay both inside and outside the Park. The properties located inside the Park charge a premium, while those outside the park are reasonably priced to cater to the mid-range and upmarket guests.
Located inside the park, is the overly-priced Apoka Safari Lodge. While if you are looking for fair price (outside the Park) lodging around Kidepo Valley National Park, properties like; Savannah Lodge, and the Newly opened Adere Safari Lodge are our favourite.
Read more about Places to stay in & around Kidepo.
Best time to visit Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo is located in a semi-arid region making it possible to visit this park all-year-round. However, the best time to go is in the dry season months of September to March. For travellers interested in birding, the wet season months of April to August are a lot more rewarding. The downside to going in the wet season is that the roads get very muddy and slippery making them very challenging to navigate.
**Its the reason we prefer taking a using 4×4 Toyota Landcruiser on all our Kidepo Valley Safaris
Things to see & Do In Kidepo
Game Drives make up for a big part of a safari to Kidepo Valley.
The heart of Kidepo National Park, Naru’s permanent wetland, has a troubled past. Tribal warfare in the 1980s and ’90s drove away wildlife populations, but the area is now bouncing back as animals begin to thrive once again.The best time for wildlife viewing is the middle and end of the Dry season (November to February) when animals concentrate around reliable water sources. During the Wet season (April to August) animals disperse from the valleys and move to higher ground, where they are more difficult to locate.
Visit the Ik tribe on Morungole Mountain.
The Ik people of Kidepo Valley National park sometimes called Teuso, (Avoid calling them Teuso if you can) are a marginalised ethnic group numbering between 10,000 to 11,000 people living in the Morungole Mountain in northeastern Uganda near the border with Kenya, next to the more populous Karamojong and Turkana people.
The Ik were displaced from their land to create the present-day Kidepo Valley National Park and consequently suffered extreme famine. Also, their weakness relative to other tribes meant they were regularly raided. The Ik are subsistence farmers who grind their own grain.
- Visit a Manyatta.
- Enjoy a guided nature walk.
- Visit the hotsprings.
Getting to Kidepo National Park
Our favourite and most recommended route of getting to Kidepo Valley Park is via Gulu, Kitgum onwards to Lokumoit Gate a journey that would typically take about 10 hours. However, we prefer breaking this trip with an overnight stop at Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary. While at the Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary, your stay will support a Rhino Conservation programme.
Alternatively, travellers with a flexible budget can opt to fly from Entebbe or Kajjansi to Kidepo valley National Park. This saves you a lot of time driving from Entebbe or Kampala.
Where to Stay While on a Safari In Kidepo
There is quite a number of places to stay both inside and outside the Park. The properties located inside the Park charge a premium, while those outside the park are reasonably priced to cater to the mid-range and upmarket guests.
Located inside the park, is the overly-priced Apoka Safari Lodge. While if you are looking for fair price (outside the Park) lodging around Kidepo Valley National Park, properties like; Savannah Lodge, and the Newly opened Adere Safari Lodge are our favourite.
Read more about Places to stay in & around Kidepo.
Kidepo Safari Ideas to inspire you
