Visiting Kidepo valley national park in the dry season

Visiting Kidepo valley national park in the dry season: The best weather conditions in Kidepo valley national park are experienced in the dry season. This is when you see abundant wildlife as the climate is good all throughout the day. The national park located in the northeastern part of Uganda is one of the best places for wildlife safaris in the country. It’s home to 76 mammals, 5 primates, and 476 bird species.

Visiting Kidepo valley national park in the dry season we are looking at months December, January, February, June, July, August, and September. These months are characterized by plenty of sunshine and little rainfall which most tourists love after escaping winter seasons in their home countries. In this article, we are going to look at the different reasons as to why you need to visit Kidepo valley national park in the dry season.

Benefits of visiting Kidepo valley national park in the dry season

There is plenty of sunshine

Kidepo valley national park is one of the areas with a semi-arid type of climate meaning that droughts are common. The park receives plenty of sunshine and the temperatures go high. The vegetation within the park dries up giving tourists clear views of wildlife and in the same period, the animals stay near the water sources feeding on fresh vegetation and drinking water allowing tourists to spot them easily during game drives in Kidepo valley.

Little rainfall is received

Kidepo valley national park receives little rainfall in the dry season of December to February and June to September. This means park activities are not interrupted and will go on as planned. Yes, there is little rainfall received within the park and it does fall for a few hours. After raining, the plenty of sunshine dries up muddy tracks which makes it easy for safari vehicles to access most parts of the park.

The vegetation is short

Tourists who visit Kidepo valley national park in the dry season find the vegetation short. This means that they will have clear views of the animals including those that are small in size and those that are far. For tourists that love photography, the grass is not as green as during the rainy season.

Disadvantages of visiting Kidepo valley national park in the dry season

Kidepo valley national park is best visited during the dry season however there are a few challenges one could face. One of the challenges tourists face during their visit in the dry season is over crowdedness. There are lots of tourists who travel in the dry season so you will be packed in the game drives and at the lodges you will be with many people. This is a challenge for tourists who love privacy and an advantage for those who love meeting and interacting with new people.
Getting the best lodge during the dry season can be sometimes challenging and this problem is faced by tourists who don’t do early bookings. When you are to travel in the high season, it’s better you book your accommodation 3 to 4 months in advance to avoid missing out on the best accommodation facilities.

Best activities to do in Kidepo valley national park in the dry season.

Game drives in Kidepo

During the dry season, the game tracks in Kidepo valley national park are all dried up. The game trucks being dry allows safari vehicles to access most of the park areas which increases the number of animal and bird species to spot. Vegetation is short with good views of wildlife including the tiny ones or those that are far. meaning even short animals are well seen during the game drives in Kidepo.
While driving through the Narus Valley and Kidepo Valley, tourists get a chance to see animals such as lions, cheetahs, leopards, buffaloes, side-striped jackals, dik-diks, zebras, klipspringers, elephants, aardvark, bat-eared fox, elands, warthogs, giant warthogs, Uganda kobs, hartebeest, giraffes, gazelles, and roan antelope to mention but a few.

Birding in Kidepo valley

Even though migratory birds are never in the park in the months of the dry season, permanent birds which are over 476 can be spotted. Birding trails in Kidepo valley are dry and tourists reach most of the Birding in Kidepo valley. As a birder, you need a pair of binoculars, a camera, a birding book, long-sleeved clothes, and a good birder to move along with you.

Kidepo valley national park bird watching exercise will give you an opportunity to see bird species Karamoja apalis, grey crowned crane, ostrich, marsh tchagra, Ethiopian swallow, pygmy falcon, clapperton’s francolin, fox kestrel, Jackson’s hornbill, steel blue whydah, purple grenadier, chestnut weaver, white crested turaco, eastern violet backed sunbird, red-cheeked cordon bleu, vinaceous dove, fan-tailed raven, and singing bush lark.

Abyssinian roller, superb startling, eastern pale chanting goshawk, orange winged pytilia, clapper ton’s francolin, verreaux’s eagle, slate colored boubou, eastern pale chanting goshawk, bruce’s green pigeon, rupell’s sterling, D’Arnaud’s barbet, northern carmine bee-eater, rufous chatterer, crimson rumped waxbill, red-throated bee-eater, and white-crested turaco among others.