Guide to visiting kidepo valley national park

Guide to visiting kidepo valley national park : In the northern part of Uganda, kidepo national park is situated in the kaboong district, which is part of Kampala district. As a game reserve, it was established in 1958 by the british colonial government, and later on, it was converted from a game reserve to a national park under the regime of the former president who was called apollo milton obote in 1962, as a result of his administration. As the name of the park suggests, kidepo valley national park derives its name from the word akidep, which in English means picking up.

Originally, the kidepo valley national park was managed by ian ross who was the first chief warden. Paul ssali replaced him in 1972. In the present day, this national park is managed by the Uganda wildlife authority, which is responsible for protecting and managing all ten national parks within the country.

In total, kidepo valley national park covers a surface area of 1442 square kilometers, and it is situated at an altitude of 900-1200 meters above the level of the sea at a height of 1442 square kilometres.

The park is dominated by mount morungole, which is also elevated at 2750 meters above the sea level. Kidepo valley national park is known for its large buffaloes, serene landscape, the river kidepo, and the narus river, which run through the park.

As a matter of fact, there are more than 480 bird species living in the park as well as the only place where the ostrich bird can be seen. In addition, it is one isolated park among all the national parks in the country, which is richly blessed with a number of species of flora and fauna.

Best attractions in kidepo valley national park.

Narus valley.

The name narus means mud in karamojong language. The narus valleys receive their permanent source of water from the narus river that flows from the northwest to the south of the kidepo valley national park where it flows into the narus river. In the narus valley, during a game drive, an array of wildlife features can be spotted, including water pools near the apoka tourism center, as well as the narus dam, just to name a few.

Mount morungule.

Moorungule mountain is elevated at a height of 2,750 meters while river kidepo and river narus flow in it.  Hiking activities are carried out on this mountain with an aim to be able to visit the ik community. As one of the smallest ethnic groups in the country, they formed their own district, culture, language, and in addition, the most important thing about them is that they are considered to be the original inhabitants of Uganda, as opposed to other ethnic groups.

Apoka tourism centre.

The apoka tourism centre is a place where the park guides who accompany tourists on nature walks and game drives are always stationed. It is also where the park vehicles are parked.in kidepo valley national park, the apoka tourism center is the main tourist hub. It consists of cottages that are managed by the uganda wildlife authority. There are also craft shops where visitors can purchase drinks and souvenirs.

Lomej hills.

The lomej hills are well known for their ability to provide a great setting for hiking expeditions, bird watching, and game viewing. These hills are located near the parks headquarters.

Kanangorok hot springs.

It is located 11 kilometers away from kidepo river and is located on the boarder of sudan, just across from the kanangorok hot springs. At the bottom of this hot spring, there is a boiling spring which reaches a temperature of about 50 degrees delicious, which is hot enough to boil an egg in. Among the things that are interesting is the fact that the people from the local area as well as the foreign tourists always pack raw eggs along their journey to the hot spring so that they can boil the eggs there in the boiling water of the spring.

Kidepo valley.

The kidepo river is the source of water for this valley, and there are a variety of animals living in this valley as well. Since the kidepo river is a seasonal river, the number of animals found in this valley will always be dependent on the availability of water from the kidepo river, since the kidepo river is a seasonal river.

Wildlife.

It is estimated that kidepo valley national park is home to over 77 mammal species and 475 bird species, which include jackals, leopards, elephants, bushpigs, bush duikers, and ostriches among many others. Additionally, there are two areas in the park where tourists can spot wildlife, including; kidepo valley and narus valley.

Activities to do in kidepo valley national park.

Kidepo valley national park offers a variety of activities for visitors to take part in during their time in the park, among which are the following activities;

Hiking and nature walks.

Kidepo valley national park offers guided nature walks during the daytime for a fee of usd 30 dollars and at night for a fee of usd 40 dollars per person. Tourists who wish to engage themselves in hiking and nature walks in kidepo valley national park will be able to walk through the narus valley and hike to the lomej mountains and mount morungole.

During hiking these mountains and the nature walks in this park, visitors are primarily interested in visiting the ik communities living within morungole mountains. Visitors spend four hours exploring the beautiful green vegetation and serene landscape of the park, as well as its remarkably diverse flora and fauna.

Bird watching.

The kidepo valley national park is known for its ability to be an ideal destination for birdwatching activities as the park is home to more than 475 species of birds. In addition, the unique fact is that around 23 of these birds are only found in kidepo national park and not anywhere else in the country. Therefore, bird lovers are able top spot many bird species such as; taita fiscal, rufous chatterer, ostriches, karamojs apalis, black breasted barbet and yellow-billed shrike. The birding activities are affordable to many tourists with an interest of bird watching; it is only at a fee of usd 30 dollars per person.

Game drives.

For evening game drives in kidepo valley national park, there is a fee of usd 40 per person. Day game drives in Kidepo Valley National Park are charged at a rate of usd 30 per person.  A game drive in the park is only conducted in two specific locations, namely in the Kidepo Valley and the narus river valley. The well-trained park rangers always accompany tourists during the game drives and they are able to spot out animal species like; buffaloes, leopards, lions, ostriches, giraffes, and many more.

Cultural/ community tours.

Tourists who have an interest in interacting with the local people in the communities and outside the communities are encouraged to visit the neighbouring karamojong community, which is where they will be able to meet the lorukul culture. The lorukul culture can also be viewed by tourists as a performance. Tourists get the opportunity to visit the homesteads in the area and also watch the lorukul cultural group perform.

Accommodation facilities in Kidepo Valley National Park.

Kidepo valley national park offers a couple of accommodation facilities to visitors, and these accommodation facilities range in terms of class, for example, they range in terms of budget, mid-range and luxury accommodation facilities, so that they can be able to cater for all types of visitors to the park. These include; apoka rest camp, Apoka Safari Lodge, kakine self-catering campsite, adere safari lodge, nga moruwilderness camp and kidepo savannah lodge among others.