Attractions in Kidepo Valley National Park are things that visitors on a Uganda safari to the park have a chance to see.
These attractions are seen when tourists get an opportunity to be a part of the various tourism activities organized in the park.
Kidepo Valley National Park is a true African wilderness with many attractions.
Kidepo Valley National Park is Uganda’s remote national park located in the northeastern part of Uganda in a district called Kaaboong. Kidepo Valley National Park is one of the oldest national parks in Uganda gazetted in 1962. The park covers a total area of 1442 square kilometers and is home to various species of birds and animals including big game.
Kidepo Valley National Park is popular for hosting over 476 species of birds making it a birders paradise.
Over 77 mammals call this park home and some are not seen anywhere else in the country such as cheetah, caracal, aardwolf, mountain reedbuck, hunting dog, lesser kudu and dik-dik to name but a few.
Discover Kidepo Valley National Park’s
Animals
Kidepo Valley National Park is home to the big 4, the lion, elephant, buffalo and leopard. The park is also home to 73 other species of wildlife, including the cheetah, which is found only in this park in the entire country.
There are so many animals to encounter in Kidepo Valley National Park if tourists have time and are willing to participate in activities like game drives and nature walks.
The animals that roam in the savannah vegetation of Kidepo Valley National Park include the lions, elephants, leopards, buffalos, cheetahs, hyenas, aardwolves, warthogs, giraffes, side crocodiles, elands, mountain reedbucks, defassa waterbucks, kudus, Uganda kobs, hartebeests, zebras, klipspringers, stripe-backed jackals, dik-diks, patas monkeys, olive baboons and blue monkeys to name but a few.
Birds
Kidepo Valley National Park has a checklist of over 476 bird species, making birds one of the park’s main attractions.
The park is home to the largest bird on earth, the ostrich. The birds find shelter in the diverse ecosystems that make up the park such as savannah, acacia, scrub and riverine forest.
The birds of Kidepo Valley National Park include the ostrich, Karamoja apalis, northern carmine bee-eater, dark chanting goshawk, African mustached francolin, Heuglin’s francolin, secretary bird, fox kestrel, red-winged lark, superb starling, little green bee-eater, red-winged pytilia, rose-ringed parakeet, eastern violet-backed sunbird, Abyssinian scimitar-bill.
Egyptian Vulture, Black Coucal, Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu, Singing Bush Lark, Chestnut Weaver, Fan-tailed Raven, White-bellied Go-away Bird, Hartlaub’s Bustard, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Orange-winged Pytilia, White-billed Buffalo Weaver, Secretary Bird, Clapper Ton’s Francolin, Purple Grenadier, Kori Bustard, Eastern Pale Chanting Goshawk.
Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Ethiopian Swallow, Greater Krestel, Pygmy Falcon, Clapperton’s Francolin, Northern Carmine Bee-eater, Rufous Chatterer, Red and Yellow Barbet, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Brown Rumped Bunting, Rupell’s Sterling, Mouse-colored Penduline Tit, Abyssinian Roller, Superb Startling, and Kori Bustard among others.
Related read: Best Places for Bird Watching in Uganda
Culture
The best culture in Uganda is done from Kidepo Valley National Park. The areas around the park are home to one of the most famous cultures in Uganda. The Karamajong and IK are the two groups of people around Kidepo Valley National Park, and tourists interested in culture can visit them in their communities.
By visiting the Karamajong of the Kidepo Valley National Park, tourists will be able to meet the elders of the communities to learn about their history. There is always entertainment from the community group of dancers who perform their local songs wearing the beautiful African cultures. While in their community, you will be able to learn how they live their daily lives.
A cultural visit to the IK community comes with the opportunity to learn where they came from to settle around the park. The elders have stories from long ago and the community leaders tell how the people live their daily lives.
The IK are currently subsistence farmers, raising corn, rare goats and bees for honey.
Rivers
The Kidepo Valley National Park contains two rivers, the Narus and the Kidepo.
These two rivers are seasonal because they disappear during the dry season with little or no rainfall. The rivers are a water source for the animals living in the park during the rainy season.
Tourists who visit Kidepo during the rainy season will find the rivers filled with water, but those who visit during the driest times of the year will find the rivers empty.
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What Are the Best Months To Visit Kidepo Valley National Park?
Best time to visit Kidepo Valley
June, July, August, September, December, January and February are the best months to visit Kidepo Valley National Park. These months are the driest of the year with little or no rainfall and plenty of sunshine.
The game tracks are dry and passable, allowing tourists to access most areas of the park, while the vegetation is dry and short, providing clear views of most of the park’s attractions.
Low season in Kidepo Valley National Park
Travelers can still take advantage of the low season months of March, April, May, October and November to visit Kidepo Valley National Park.
Tourists who visit the park during these months get discounted accommodation because during the low season, when there are few travelers, lodges reduce prices to attract a few travelers.
Tourists who travel to Kidepo Valley National Park in the low season should know that the abundant rainfall makes the game tracks and walking trails muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall which limits tourists from seeing some of the park attractions, but the vegetation is so green and this results in better photography.
Getting To Kidepo Valley National Park
Tourists can get to Kidepo Valley National Park by road or by air.
By plane
Air transportation is the fastest and most convenient way for tourists to get to Kidepo Valley National Park, but it’s expensive. Kampala Executive Aviation, Bar Aviation Uganda and Aero Link Uganda have scheduled flights to Kidepo that take 2 hours and 30 minutes.
From Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip, tourists fly to Kidepo Valley National Park and use Kidepo Airstrip. From Kidepo airstrip, it takes a few minutes to get to the booked lodge.
By road
Apart from flying, tourists can also reach Kidepo Valley National Park by road.
Road transport to Kidepo Valley National Park is used by tourists who can’t afford air transport, those who don’t mind traveling long distances, and budget travelers.
The park is the furthest from Entebbe and takes 10 to 12 hours to reach. The time it takes to get to Kidepo depends on the speed of the driver and the number of stops.
The route from Entebbe to Kidepo Valley National Park goes through Kampala, Mukono, Jinja, Iganga, Mbale, Kapchorwa, Nakapiripirit, Moroto, Kotido and Kaabong.
The other route is Entebbe via Kampala, Mukono, Jinja, Iganga, Mbale, Soroti, Moroto, Kotido and Kaabong.
Tourists can also travel to the park from Entebbe via Luwero, Nakasongola, Karuma, Gulu, Kitgum and Kaabong.
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