Kidepo Valley National Park—One of the Best less Explored Parks in Africa
Kidepo valley National Park is on the border of Southern Sudan at a relatively low altitude that ranges between 914m and 2,750m above sea Level.The Park is creatively carved with a labyrinth of swamps that contain 2 rivers namely; Kidepo and Narus, which disappear in the dry seasons and leave just pools for the wildlife. The park is greatly characterized by the savannah landscape, palms, whistling thorn acacias bush and open grassland.
The park is located in Kaabong District, in the northeastern corner of Uganda about 220 kilometers by road northwest of Moroto and 700km from Kampala. The road is a bit bumpy and dusty… to get you ready for the park experience! Kidepo is a home to elephant, buffalo, giraffe, cheetah and zebras, more than a dozen types of antelope species, and elusive lions and leopards. If you’ve not been on game drives in places in Uganda then you will be all that impressed with Uganda’s paradise. The animals are in plenty but not more than in the Serengeti’s of the world, but a trip to the park makes it a great day or overnight trip away from Kampala.
Kidepo is a great spot for bird watching types with about 475 Species of birds as well as a large number of migrant birds making it second only in Uganda to Queen Elizabeth National Park. A few species of note are the Ostrich, Kori Bustard and Karamoja Apalis. If you spend the night in the park, go on a cultural tour to IK people in mount Morungole.
Accommodation
Apoka Safari lodge is a marvelous experience but beware of roving herds of Elephants and buffalos. Enjoy rooms at Apoka safari lodge that have been built with comfort in mind. Everything is handmade by local craftsmen, everything is large and capacious. Ten beautiful rooms, designed with natural canvas walls surround a rocky kopje with endless fantastic scenery across the Savannah plains.
The lodge overlooks the mighty park which is populated by cheetah, lions, Elephant, leopard, giraffe, possibly largest herds of buffalo in Africa, waterbuck, hartebeest, bushbuck and warthogs, not forgetting zebras. Kidepo Valley N.P is the only park in Uganda where Zebras and Giraffes co-exist. All seen from a nice and safe distance. The views are great, it’s peaceful and, let’s face it, staying in a game park with wild animals roaming in the bush is pretty damned cool. Discover a swimming pool at Apoka Lodge – deep and cool that has been carved out of the big rock. This kind of pool makes one feel like jumping-in, splash and yell, feel like a kid again.
Transportation
The park can be reached by both road and air. Ensure that you travel in a 4WD by road due road conditions and distance from Kampala to the park. 4wheel drive will help you to have a perfect game drive and interesting wildlife experience. So do like everyone else and hire a vehicle and a driver in Kampala for the trip otherwise you may get stuck on the way. You can drive yourself through the park (if you want to pick up a guide at the information centre to lead you around and spot for animals make sure to leave space for him in your car) or you can let a driver to make the trip for you. There are special charter flights from Kampala (Kajjansi air-strip), Entebbe with Eagle Aviation or Kampala Aero club to Kidepo Valley National Park. Flights take about two hours to Lomej airstrip near Apoka safari lodge. Aerolink Uganda also offers daily scheduled flights from Entebbe Airport to Apoka Airstrip.
