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Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo Valley National Park lies in the rugged, semi arid valleys between Uganda’s borders with south Sudan in the north west and only 5km from the eastern border of Kenya, some 700km from Kampala. Gazetted as a national park in 1962, it has a profusion of big game and hosts over 77 mammal species.

Kidepo is Uganda’s most isolated national park, but the few who make the long journey north through the wild frontier region of Karamoja would agree that it is also the most magnificent, for Kidepo ranks among Africa’s finest wildernesses. From Apoka, in the heart of the park, a savannah landscape extends far beyond the gazetted area, towards horizons outlined by distant mountain ranges.

Kidepo’s elephant population has surged from around 200 in the mid 1990’s to between 650 and 1000 today. The African Buffalo population is now estimated at 10,000-15,000.The Rothschild Giraffe is very notable ,breeding more than 50 individuals from the bottleneck of the mid 1990’s population of three and supplemented  several from translocation. With a bird checklist of over 476 species with the common Ostrich, secretary bird, northern carmine bee eater, little green bee eater, Abyssinian scimitar bill and many more colorful and visible species.

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5 DAYS KIDEPO VALLEY WILDLIFE SAFARI EXPERIENCE

Africa's big 5, Murchison falls & river Nile, boat cruise, birding, hiking, rhino nature walks, city tours, game drives....

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18 DAYS KIDEPO-BIRDING-PRIMATES & WILDLIFE SAFARI

Birding, hiking, rhino tracking, gorilla trekking, chimpanzees, hot springs, Murchison falls, tree climbing lions, game drives...

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15 days Uganda Kidepo primates' & wildlife safari

Gorilla trekking, golden monkeys, chimpanzees, Murchison falls, hiking, lake Victoria shores, birding, boat cruises, game drives...

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20 day Kidepo gorilla-birding wildlife expedition

Gorilla trekking, golden monkeys, chimpanzees, birding, Africa's big 5, Murchison falls, hot springs, game drives, nature walks...

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24 DAY KIDEPO-UGANDA BIRDING-WILDLIFE SAFARI

Shoebills & African endemic bird species, gorilla trekking, golden monkeys, chimpanzees, rhinos, game drives, Murchison falls, hot springs, forest walks.....

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30 days Kidepo-Uganda birding safari experience

Kidepo, Albertine rift & Rwenzori highland endemics, Africa's big 5, Murchison falls, Shoebill & riverine endemics, boat cruise, game drives...

The park contains two rivers – Kidepo and Narus – which disappear in the dry season, leaving just pools for the wildlife. During the dry season, the only permanent water in the park is found in wetlands and remnant pools in the broad Narus Valley near Apoka. These seasonal oases, combined with the open, savannah terrain, make the Narus Valley the park’s prime game viewing location especially with its dense populations of Lion, Buffalos, Elephant and many similar angulates. Kidepo’s savannah, bush and forests habitats support a wide diversity of mammals with 86 species including cheetahs, bat-eared fox, stripped hyena and caracal white eland only occurs in Kidepo and lake Mburo national parks. 

Kidepo boasts over 475 bird species a number second in Uganda to Queen Elizabeth National park’s 600+ species. The distinctive birdlist includes over 100 dry country residents of northern Uganda and Kenya including a number that are endemic to the Kidepo region e.g. rose ringed parakeets, Clapperton’s francolin and Karamoja apalis. Other highlights include the ostrich, secretary bird, Kori bustard, red-throated bee-eaters, the Abyssinian roller and the Abyssinian ground hornbill. Kidepo is also notable for 56 raptor species including the rare lappet-faced vulture, lesser kestrel and Denham’s bustard.

Narus Valley game drive

The Narus Valley south of Apoka is the park’s prime game viewing area as wildlife congregates here for much of the year. Look for buffalo in the swamps along the valley floor, giraffe on the drier slopes above and scan the rock outcrops for lions. In addition to the main game circuits at Kakine, Katurum and Nagusokopire, newly created loops to the north west of Apoka and to the south of the seasonal Crocodile Pool have opened up new parts of the valley to exploration.

Viewpoints

Binocular viewpoints have been installed at Apoka Rest Camp, Nagusokopire Campsite, and Kakine Campsite. The latter enjoys a superb 3600 panorama that includes the Napore-Nyungea range, the Morungule mountains and Mount Lomej in South Sudan.

Kidepo Valley drive

Compared to the Narus, the dry Kidepo Valley is short on big game but massive on scenery and its vast scale more than justifies the 30km drive from Apoka. Pause on the Narus-Kidepo watershed at Lokimorigen to enjoy a spectacular view towards the looming, 2975m-high Jebel Lotuke in South Sudan before descending to the Kidepo River crossing to walk on the dry, sandy riverbed. Mammals are rare in the vast, semi-arid plains beyond the river but ostriches and secretary birds are often seen. Kanangorok Hot Springs, a modest cluster of small hot pools on the South Sudan border, make a convenient destination, 11km beyond the river.

Nature walks

Short nature walks around Apoka Rest Camp provide the chance to view species such as zebras, hartebeest and reedbucks. Longer walks through the open grasslands of East Kakine should provide sightings of giraffe, buffalo, elephant and perhaps distant lions. Visitors can also explore part or all of the 15km Rionomoe Trail on the southern side of the Narus valley. 

Birding

With it’s high bird population Kidepo is another bird haven for birders from all over the world to take on scenes of amazing and unique bird species some of which are only residents of the park to be found no where else in the world.

Mountain hiking

The Morungule range, which rises from the plains to the north east of Apoka, can be explored on foot with our guide escort.


COMMUNITY WALKS; Community walks provide the opportunity to learn about life in the local Karamojong manyattas (homesteads) at Kawalakol, Lorukul and Karenga.