Getting to Kidepo National Park : Kidepo National Park is the furthest park from Uganda’s capital Kampala. The park is about 740km north of Kampala which equates to about 10 to 12 hours of distance between the park and Kampala city.
Though this park is far, it’s one of the most magnificent parks to visit in Uganda. The park is home to over 600 animal species including the elusive leopards and cheetahs among other animals. It is home to over 450 bird species and it has the most scenic landscape in the region. So a visit to this park will absolutely be a wildlife wonder for you.
So the question is, how do you get to Kidepo National Park?
You can get to the Park by road or by air. Because the park is quite far from the country’s capital flying is so quick and less tiring, however travelling by road though quite tiring it is much more adventurous.
By road
On top of being much more adventurous, travelling by road is cheaper compared to flying. If you are travelling to Kipedo by road you can use a number of routes to get there depending on your itinerary and the activities you would like to do before you get to the park.
The most common and direct route is Kampala through Karuma – Gulu – Kitgum to Kidepo. This route takes you about 9 to 10 hours to get to Kidepo National Park. To make the Journey easier on you it’s advisable to have an overnight stop in Gulu or Kigtum and then arrive in Kidepo the next day.
This is the main route and most direct. Almost 90% of people that travel to Kidepo use this route and tour operators advise their clients to use it.
That said, there are several other routes you could use to get to Kidepo National park and they include:-
- Kampala through Karuma – Lira – Kotido – Kaabong to Kidepo. This route is longer than the first one mentioned above but offers you more adventure.
- Kampala through Mbale – Soroti – Moroto – Kotido – Kaabong to Kidepo or Kampala through Mbale – Nakapiripirit – Moroto – Kotido – Kaabong to Kidepo. These routes are mainly used by people who have safari activities to do in eastern Uganda.
- For persons who combine their Kidepo safari with other safari activities in western Uganda specifically north western Uganda – Murchison Falls National Park. You can connect to Kidepo via Gulu or Kitgum. This means from Murchison Falls National Park, you drive north to Gulu or Kitgum then to Kidepo National Park.
You should note that all the alternative routes to the park are longer and rougher but more adventurous and give you an opportunity to enjoy scenic sights along the way.
If you are travelling to Kidepo by road you should also know that your total safari time will not be shorter than 5 days for you to get the full experience of the park.
By air
Travelling to Kidepo National park by air means you are going to get a domestic flight from Entebbe straight to the park. This means your trip will definitely start from Entebbe. In Entebbe you will drive a kms to Kajjansi airfield where you will get your flight to Kidepo National park. The flight will land at Kidepo airstrip and from Kidepo airstrip you will drive about 45mins or an hour to Kidepo National park.
The total flight time from Entebbe to Kidepo is about 2 hours or 2 and half hours. The flights to Kidepo are scheduled so you should consult with your tour operator to know your exact flight time.
