Kidepo valley National park is situated in Karamojo sub region in the Northern part of Uganda in Kaabong district, the park is the most isolated but unexploited and undiscovered for the wildlife viewer that can ever visit Uganda. The park is neighboring south Sudan and Kenya.
The national park covers an area of 1,442 sq.km and offers scenery unparalleled in any other national park within East Africa. The park is home to a number of bird species, semi-desert reptiles plus other flora and fauna.
Kidepo Valley National Park is a semi-arid region with average annual temperatures of 290C, with day temperatures getting up to 400C. The Park receives one season of rains per year and that is April-September. The rain season may seem long in time, but is erratic and the volume low on average 700mm per annum.
The Park was established into a national park in 1962 and hosts over 75 species of mammals and 470 species of birds. All these fall in a prime game viewing location. Kidepo valley national park is great spot for a cultural trail especially to those who would like to see the Karamojongs, Acholis and other great tribes.
Mount Morungole range covers large parts south of Kidepo Valley national park and is the source of River Kidepo and the Narus River the blood vessels of wildlife species in the protected arae. The name of the national park was derived from kidepo valley. In the indigenous community, Kidepo means “to pick” from under. Kidepo valley national park is famous for scenic borassus palm trees, number of elephants as well as indigenous communities, that are beautifully scattered all over the valley.
The Karamojong traditionally live a nomadic lifestyle moving in the vast plains of Karamoja with large herds of livestock like: cattle, sheep, goats and chicken. It’s only the Karamojongs who were not affected by western civilization compare to other tribes and community in the country side.
Kidepo valley national park is owned and managed by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) a government body managing and protecting country’s flora and fauna. The park has two entrances, travelers from the southwestern side of Kitgum and Gulu enter through Lokumoit gate while Nataba gate is the main entry point that connects to southeastern side. Travelers arriving by air land at Lomej airfield get clearance to access the park at Apoka main offices 3 km near the protected.
Kidepo Valley National Park is a popular game drive / viewing destination in Uganda with a wide range of wildlife not forgetting the big 5 which are on a high demand. The region has 80 mammal species, travelers on their safari into the Kidepo Valley National Park have high chances of viewing a wide range of flora and fauna, 28 of the mammal species are endemic to only the Karamoja region in Uganda and travelers on Uganda safari into Kidepo Valley National Park have high opportunities of sighting them.
Kidepo Valley National Park is vast for nature walk /cultural tours. The park has beautiful and exciting features to look at plus the landscape its self,like the rolling valleys of Kidepo and Narus valleys. To many travelers on tour of Uganda, Kidepo valley national park wildlife safari has unique features of the authentic African wilderness that is reason why it is reffered as the true African wilderness.
Flat plains in scenic landscape and land features where beautiful wildlife species spread into all corners of the grasslands and mingle at will.
