Best time for game drives in Kidepo valley national park

Best time for game drives in Kidepo valley national park: Kidepo valley national park is a wonderful safari destination all throughout the year. But looking at game drive activities, the national park gives the best results in the dry season. The dry season in Kidepo valley national park happens from June to September and December to February. These months are good for game viewing activities because they are characterized by little rainfall and plenty of sunshine.

Kidepo valley national park is located in the semi-arid areas of northern Uganda where the weather is favorable for most of the park activities including game drives. Unlike other national parks where the weather changes some months of the year for Kidepo valley national park the sunshine is received all day with a few raindrops which can’t get the game drives muddy and slippery.

Kidepo valley national park has two weather seasons and these include the dry season and the wet season. During any of the seasons, tourists can carry out game drives activities however the results differ according to the season. Below we are going to look at game drive activities during each of the seasons in Kidepo valley national park.

Best time for game drives in Kidepo valley national park

The dry season

The dry season in Kidepo valley national park happens in June, July, August, September, December, January, and February. This is a period when there is little or rainfall in the park and plenty of sunshine so the weather is extremely good. The dry season is said to be the best period to visit Kidepo valley national park for game drive activities and it’s during this time that a lot of tourists visit the park.

Advantages of doing game drives in the dry season

The game tracks are dry. During the dry season in Kidepo valley national park, the game tracks are dry and easier to drive through. This gives tourists an opportunity to access most of the park areas without ease and in the end, it does increase the chances of seeing so many wild animals that live within the park.

The vegetation is short. During the dry season, inside Kidepo valley national park there is short and almost dried up vegetation cover. This gives tourists a clear view of wildlife including those that are at a far distance. Photography is very clear even though the background is not as green as it is during the other season.

The weather is favorable. During the dry season, there is little or no rainfall at all received in Kidepo valley national park. This means that park activities will be done on time as planned and there are fewer chances of facing the rain while in the park carrying out activities.

The disadvantages of doing game drives in the dry season

I don’t see any disadvantage of doing game drives in Kidepo valley national park during the dry season. The only issue could be the dust but this is not everywhere every day in the park. There are areas that are dusty and there are those that are not dusty because of the little rainfall that falls in during the dry season.

Game drives in the rainy season

The rainy season is the greener season in Kidepo valley national park. It does happen in March, April, May, October, and November every year in Kidepo valley national park. During the rainy season, the vegetation is very green around the park and this gives clear photography and videography.

The advantages of doing game drives in the rainy season

The vegetation is green. During the rainy season, the vegetation in Kidepo valley national park is very green and the whole scenery is beautiful. This gives tourists who love photography good images with greener vegetation in the background.

The disadvantages of doing game drives in the rainy season.

There is plenty of rainfall. During the rainy season, there is plenty of rainfall in the park, and this delays some park activities. You have high chances of rainfall finding you in the middle of the activity or you have chances of postponing the activity in case the rainfall is too much.

The vegetation is tall. Because of plenty of rainfall in the park, the vegetation of Kidepo Valley tends to grow at a fast speed, and in the end, it creates unclear views for wildlife. Tourists might fail to see animals that are very far or those that are hiding in the thick vegetation cover. When the vegetation is tall, tourists also fail to have clear photography of some animals hidden in the thick vegetation cover.

The game tracks are muddy and slippery. When the rainfall becomes too much in the park, the game tracks become muddy and slippery at times. The slippery tracks sometimes can’t allow the vehicles to move to most of the park areas and this limits the number of different wild animals to see.

The game drive experience in Kidepo valley national park

Game drives in Kidepo valley national park are carried out in the morning, afternoon hours, and during night. Tourists can carry out the game drive activities at any time of their based on the travel itinerary. The day game drives give out the same experience but for the night it’s always different as you get to see nocturnal animals.

The day game drives in Kidepo valley national park

Day game drives in Kidepo valley national park are carried out in the Narus Valley and Kidepo Valley where a high population of animals does live. The Narus Valley is said to be an area with lots of water sources including the Narus River and these attract a lot of wildlife that come to drink the waters. Kidepo Valley is used for game drives because it has other attractions apart from the animals.

During the game drive activities, your safari guide will drive you through different game tracks looking for different wild animals. The game drive takes 2 to 3 hours and by the end, you would have reached most of the park areas. You meet a number of animals, birds, and other attractions of the park.

During the morning and evening game drive activities, tourists are able to see animals such as cape buffaloes, lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, cheetahs, elephants, warthogs, bush duikers, reedbucks, lesser kudu, dik-dik, klipspringers, crocodiles, warthogs, elands, Uganda kobs, defassa waterbucks, hartebeest, giraffes, zebras, side stripped jackals, ostriches, olive baboons, blue monkeys, and patas monkeys among others.

The night game drives

The night game drives usually get tourists an opportunity of seeing the sunset as the day ends in Kidepo valley national park. The night game drives are done by tourists that want to see nocturnal animals which are always active during the night hours. At about 7 pm the night game drives start and tourists are escorted by an armed ranger guide who protects them from any danger.

The night game drives in Kidepo valley national park are carried out in the Narus valley. By exploring the area, you will be able to find nocturnal animals feeding on their prey and others will be lying on the rocks. The animals to see during the night game drives include cheetahs, lions, dik-dik, reedbucks, lions, and leopards to mention but a few.