Kidepo Valley National Park is located in the far end of northeastern Uganda creating borders with south Sudan and Kenya. It is situated near Karenga in Kaabong district and it costs 250km from Moroto town in its northwestern direction. Moroto is the largest and the main town in Karamoja region. It also takes 560km from Kampala, the Uganda’s Capital city to reach Kidepo Valley National Park by road and we recommend the use of a 4×4 Extended Safari Land cruiser.
Kidepo Valley National Park covers an area of 1,442km2 and it is being dominated by the 2,750m of Mountain Morungole, partly rugged savannah and also transversed by the Kidepo and Narus rivers. The park hosts 77 mammal species and 475 bird species and it is the second highest next to Queen Elizabeth National Park with over 600 bird species. The mammal species in Kidepo include Elephant, Common Zebra, Buffalo, Spotted Hyena, Leopard and Lion are frequently seen, Bat-eared Fox, Carcal, Cheetah, Klipspringer, Striped Hyena, Lesser Kudu, Grant’s gazelle, Bohor Reedbuck, Waterbuck and Kongoni, Oribis, Guenther’s Dik Dik. Senegal Galago and Side striped Jackal, White-tailed Mongoose among other species and they can all be seen in your Uganda Safari.
More about Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo Valley National Park is Uganda’s most isolated national park and one of the most spectacular parks with scenery unlike any other in East Africa and it offers a beautiful Vista of the breathtaking Savannah and mountain Landscapes which end in a rugged horizon. The few who make the long journey north through the Karamoja region will agree that Kidepo is the most beautiful and magnificent National Park and it ranks among Africa’s finest wildernesses. Uganda Safaris to Kidepo Valley National Park provide opportunities of remarkable wildlife encounters during game drives through the park.
A huge latitudinal range, correspondingly wide climatic conditions have evolved an extremely diverse flora. As a result, the variety of animal species in the park are equally diverse including many of which are found nowhere else in Uganda. Kidepo Valley National Park harbors lions, Zebras and Giraffes are a sight to admire in this area.
The Kanangarok Hot springs that cross the Kidepo River are also worth a visit. They are 40 Km away from Apoka camp. They are locally known as Maji Moto. Chances of seeing the Zebras, elephants, giraffe, cheetah, lions, ostrich and the Kudus in this area are high. Kanangarok Hot springs which mean place of black stones in the native language are a small collection of natural hot springs located near the Sudan border in Kidepo National Park.
On the way to the Hotsprings, our tourists are amazed by the way we cut through two main biomes of Kidepo; Savannah grasslands in the Narus Valley then to semi-arid short grass area in the Kidepo Valley National Park.
The natives neighboring the park have a rich diverse culture which consists of traditional dances, handicrafts, spears and hand bungles from beads among others.
The Ik are one of the most reclusive tribes in Uganda and still live in a very high traditional manner. They live on top of the Morungole Mountain in seclusion.
A visit to the Ik tribes takes about 12-hour round which includes hikes. They are hospitable and prior bookings to visit them are made.
The Ketebo people who currently live in Torit in south sudan also known as the Mening people while in Uganda are the inhabitants’ farmers and hunters of Kidepo Valley National Park and they lived in this area since 1800. The Katebo people are the sub tribe of Lango people in Uganda who are mostly referred to as the “Bira” people by the Europeans and also the Didinga call them the “Loceha/Loceka”. In 1958, it was made as the game reserves by the British administration so that to protect the animals from being hunted and further clearing of the bush in order to control the tsetse flies. The process evicted the residents who migrated to other areas like the Katebo people relocated to places of Bira like Napotpot, Kalo Kudo, Namosingo, Loriwo and Naurkori in South Sudan.
In 1962, the reserve was upgraded into a national park hence Kidepo Valley National Park by the newly independent government of Milton Obote. The first warden of park was Ian Ross and in 1972, Paul Ssali took over and replaces him as a warden.