KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK.
Kidepo Valley national park is the most isolated park in the country located in the north Eastern part of the country in the Karamoja area, the park is on the boarder of other countries including Sudan in the north and Kenya in the East. The park covers an area of 1442km2 and one of the Africa’s wildness area.
The park can be accessed by air using a 2 hours chatter flight from Kampala to Apoka or using four routes while on road. Kampala - Mbale - Soroti - Moroto – Kidepo = 792kms
Kampala - Mbale - Sironko - Kotido – Kaabong - Kidepo = 740kms
Kampala - Karuma – Lira – Kotido - Kidepo = 705kms
Kampala – Karuma – Gulu – Kitgum - Kidepo = 571kms.
The park a semi-arid type of climate with just one rainy season in a year and it is received April to September. The area is served by two rivers one in the south and the other in the north and they are both seasonal and they normally disappear during dry season. During the dry season, water can only be accessed in wetlands and remnant pools along the Narus valley just near Apoka lodge, thus a reason for high concentration of wildlife in the area.
The park is a habitat to several wildlife species concentration higher than any other national park the country Uganda, the park is a habitant of 77 species of mammals including carnivores like the bat-eared, lion, leopard, spotted hyena, and black-backed and side-striped jackal, striped hyena, aardwolf, caracal and cheetah, Less common ungulates include the greater and lesser kudu, Chandlers Mountain reedbuck, klipspringer and Guenther’s dikdik. Other large ungulates include elephant, Burchell’s zebra, bushpig, warthog, Rothschild’s giraffe, Cape buffalo, eland, bushbuck, bushduiker, Defassa waterbuck, Bohor reedbuck, Jackson’s hartebeest and oribi. Five species of primates are found in the park including the endemic Kavirondo bush baby.
The park boasts an extensive bird list of 463 species confirmed and 26 unconfirmed– second only in Uganda to Queen Elizabeth NP. A few species of note, at least in a Ugandan context, are the ostrich, kori bustard, secretary bird, carmine, little green and red-throated bee eaters, Abyssinian ground hornbill, Abyssinian roller and Abyssinian scimitar bill, yellow-billed and Jackson’s hornbills and the Karamoja apalis. Kidepo is also notable for its birds of prey. Of the 56 species recorded, 14, including Verreaux’s eagle, Egyptian vulture and pygmy falcon, are believed to be endemic to the Kidepo and Karamoja region. There has however been no comprehensive survey of birds in Kidepo and visitors stand a good chance of adding to the current list.
Accommodation: this is concentrated at Apoka which is on the shallow slopes of the scenic Narus valley. The new, upmarket Apoka Lodge offers spacious and luxurious cottages with expansive views across the plains. Note that the lodge is unable to cater for walk-in guests. UWA provides simple cottages nearby at a self-catering hostel. Bottled drinks are available but visitors should bring their own food. Two basic campsites are situated in the Narus valley. Each is provided with a pit latrine and shower stall but visitors should bring all their own equipment and supplies.
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