What makes Kidepo valley national park unique?
What makes Kidepo valley national park unique?: Kidepo valley national park is one of Africa’s best national parks, located in the northeastern part of Uganda. CNN travel named this 1442 sq. km piece of land one of the best destinations to visit in Africa making it an international tourist attraction. This was because of its spectacular landscapes and also the great buffalo herds.
So what makes Kidepo valley national park so unique? There are lots of things that make Kidepo valley national park so unique. Firstly, it is the most isolated national park in Uganda as it’s located far in the northeastern part of the country in a district called Kaabong. Kidepo valley national park is the furthest national park taking 9 to 12 hours to be accessed by road transport.
Kidepo valley national park is unique because it’s home to over 76 mammals with 20 being endemic to the region. There are animals that tourists can only see in Kidepo valley national park and these include cheetahs, klipspringers, aardwolf, African hunting dogs, caracals, and black-backed jackals to mention but a few
Furthermore, it’s the home to unique bird species that cannot be seen elsewhere. Kidepo valley national park is famous for its abundant species of birds which are over 467 in number. 20 of these bird species can only be seen in Kidepo and among them include Egyptian Vulture, Karamoja apalis, and Verreaux’s eagle.
What to do you do while on a safari in Kidepo valley national park
Game drives
Kidepo valley national park is home to a variety of wild animals and birds which you can see during game drive activities. Game drives in Kidepo valley, and Narus valley will give you an opportunity to see a large number of animals that are said to be living in this park. Morning, evening, or night Game drives in Kidepo valley will get you land your eyes on more than 76 mammals including the big four mammals
Game drives in Kidepo valley national park helps you see animals such as lions, crocodiles, warthogs, elands, Uganda kobs, reedbucks, bright’s gazelles, defassa waterbucks, caracal, hartebeests, dik-dik, cape buffaloes, klipspringer, giraffes, zebras, elephants, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, leopards, roan antelopes, oribis, side stripped jackals, cheetahs, lesser kudus, African wild dogs, greater kudus, reedbucks, bright gazelles, aardwolves, and klipspringers.
Bird watching in Kidepo valley
Bird watching in Kidepo valley national park is one of the major activities that most travelers enjoy while on their safari in the park. Kidepo valley national park is a birding paradise besides being home to several mammals. The national park is home to over 467 bird species making it one of the best bird watching destinations we have in Uganda.
The bird watching list in Kidepo valley national park is endless you only need ample time if you want to get the best of the park birding. The list includes birds such as the Egyptian vulture, dark chanting goshawk, red-winged lark, pygmy falcon, mosque swallow, red-winged lark, vinaceous dove, superb starling, brown-back woodpeckers, Abyssinian roller, purple grenadier, Karamoja apalis, and violet tipped courser among others.
Cultural tours
Cultural tours in Kidepo valley national park take you to discover the tribes living around Kidepo valley national park. Karamajong and IK are popular product in Kidepo valley national park. There are so many tribes in Uganda but some of the famous ones include the IK and Karamajong of northeastern Uganda. This is because they have done everything to preserve their culture for they have their traditional dances, music, rituals, religious beliefs, and social practices.
Cultural tours in Kidepo valley national park offer amazing opportunities to meet some of Uganda’s most interesting tribes. Cultural tours are usually led by local tours who know everything in their community and act as translators for easy communication. On arrival at any of the communities around the park, tourists are welcome by happy people who give you a place to sit and relax. Later you go around the community, meet elders, interact with the locals, and in the end, you get entertainment from local people.
Accessing Kidepo national park
Getting to Kidepo valley national park can be done by both air transport and road transport within a single day. It takes 9 to 10 hours to get to Kidepo valley national park if a traveler uses road transport and it does take about 3 hours to get to the park if one uses air transport.
Accessing Kidepo national park by road transport: different routes are used, and among these include Kampala/Entebbe via Jinja, Mbale, Kapchorwa, Nakapiripirit, Moroto, Kotido, and Kaabong district. Kampala/Entebbe goes through Luwero, Nakasongola, Karuma, Gulu, Kitgum, Karenga, and Kaabong to the park.
Accessing Kidepo national park by air transport: luxury travelers can access Kidepo valley national park using any of the airlines that have flights to the park. Aerolink Uganda and Kampala Executive Aviation are some of the airlines that have flights to Kidepo valley national park. They fly from Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe international airport to Apoka airstrip inside the park taking 2 to 3 hours.
