What is Kidepo valley national park famous for?

What is Kidepo valley national park famous for? Kidepo valley national park is one of the 10 national parks that Uganda has and it’s located in Kaabong North Eastern Uganda. Kidepo valley national park is one of the most visited parks in Uganda by tourists who visit East Africa. When everyone thinks about abundant wildlife, one of the planes that come to mind is Kidepo valley national park. The national park is famous for hosting different animals and bird species some of which are endemic to the region.

Kidepo valley national park is said to be one of the most famous safari destinations in Uganda that provides tourists with a true African wildlife experience together with cultures. Kidepo valley national park hosts over 76 mammals, 5 primates, and 476 bird species making it one of the best destinations to visit in Uganda.

What is Kidepo valley national park famous for?

Endemic animals

Kidepo valley national park is famous for hosting over 28 animals that are not seen anywhere in Uganda but within this park. The endemic animals in Kidepo include cheetahs, aardwolves, caracals, black-backed jackals, greater kudus, bat-eared foxes, mountain reedbucks, lesser kudus, dik-dik, hunting wild dogs, and klipspringers among others.

Apart from endemic animals, Kidepo valley national park hosts several wildlife species that are well seen during game drives or nature walk activities. Among these animals include lions, buffaloes, elands, leopards, spotted hyenas, blue monkeys, Uganda kobs, hartebeests, defassa waterbucks, zebras, giraffes, elephants, side-stripped jackals, and olive baboons among others.

To see all the above animals, tourists must take part in the game drive activities that are normally conducted in the morning, evening, and night hours.  Game drives are conducted in the Narus valley, and Kidepo valley because that is where most animals tend to concentrate. This is because these areas have permanent water sources and fresh vegetation cover.

It’s a birders parasite

Kidepo valley national park is famously known as a birders parasite and this is because it hosts over 476 bird species. Some of these bird species are endemic to the region for example Karamoja apalis, Abyssinian roller, Abyssinian ground hornbill, purple heron, and clapperton’s francolin among others. Bird lovers to Kidepo valley national park exit the park satisfied by the so many bird species spotted on a birding exercise around Narus valley, Namamkwenyi valley, and Apoka.

The bird species of Kidepo valley national park include red-billed oxpecker, dark chanting goshawk, Ethiopia swallow, rufous chatterer, purple heron, golden pipit, fox kestrel, red and yellow barbet, black-breasted barbet, little green bee-eater, rose-ringed parakeet, superb sterling, white-bellied go-away bird, black coucal, pygmy falcon, marsh tchagra, and northern carmine bee-eater among others.

The culture

Kidepo valley national park has one of the most loved cultures in Uganda. The park is surrounded by the IK and Karamojong who have tried to preserve their culture unlike other cultures in the country. These two tribes used to live inside the park until they were evicted by the government in 1992. IK now live around the slopes of Mount Morungole while the Karamajong live around the park.

Cultural visits are organized within Kidepo valley national park to enable tourists to meet the locals and interact with them. A cultural visit helps these tourists to know where the tribe originated from, how they came to settle where they, and how they live their day to day life. Visiting the IK or Karamojong is led by a local guide who takes you to the communities and meets you the local people. At the end of the visit, tourists are entertained by traditional dancers through dance and drama.

Best time to visit Kidepo valley national park?

when talking about best time to visit Kidepo valley, a tourist can visit Kidepo valley national park at any of the year however certain months are better than others. The dry season months are the best time to visit Kidepo valley and they happen from June to September and December to February. This is because they are characterized by little rainfall and plenty of sunshine. The game tracks are dry and passable, the vegetation is short and scattered with clear views of wildlife.

Tourists especially budget travelers can visit Kidepo valley national park in the rainy season and carry out all activities they want. Yes, the rainy season has rainfall but it’s not as much as that received in other national parks. The muddy trails are dried up by plenty of sunshine leaving the game tracks passable. The vegetation is however tall with unclear views of wildlife.

Accommodation in Kidepo

Tourists have a wide range of accommodations to choose from while on a safari in Kidepo valley national park. luxury, mid-range, and budget accommodation facilities are within and out of the park therefore tourists can book for a night or more if they would love to be in Kidepo. Kidepo valley national park accommodations include Apoka Safari Lodge, Kidepo Savannah Lodge, Apoka Rest Camp, Adere Safari Lodge, and Nga Moru Wilderness Camp.