Nature Walks In Kidepo Valley National Park : One of the few parks in Africa with authentic African wilderness experiences is Kidepo Valley National Park. The park was established in 1962 and is located in the Kaabong District of northeastern Uganda’s Karamoja area, close to the South Sudan border. The park is the most remote of all Uganda national parks, located about 525 kilometers by road from Kampala, the capital of Uganda, yet it is still well worth a visit thanks to its range of magnificent scenery and wide variety of wildlife species. Over 1,442 square kilometers of Kidepo’s varied landscapes, including mountains, rocky, semi-arid plains, savannah grassland, and some forest cover, can be found.
The 77 animal species in the park – 28 of which are local species – succeed thanks to these diverse environments. These include the lesser and bigger kudu, cheetah, aardwolf, black-blacked and side-striped jackal, elusive leopard, etc. With more than 475 species, the park has the second-largest recorded bird population after Queen Elizabeth National Park, which has over 612.
NATURE WALKS IN KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
Nature walks are some of the most satisfying tourist activities, due to the diversity of game-viewing activities that provide tourists with enormous and exciting sights of wild animals, birds, and Kidepo’s stunning terrain. In Kidepo Valley National Park, nature walks offer uncommonly close encounters with the environment and wildlife. You can stroll through the park’s savanna grasslands while admiring the magnificent animals, such as herds of buffalo, elephants, giraffes, warthogs, and dik-dik, among others.
On your Uganda wildlife safari, nature walks offer intriguing interactions with the outdoors, including the smells, sights, and breathtaking vistas of the savanna plains. In contrast to other wildlife encounters, such as game drives, you may get up close and personal with the park’s amazing beauty while on a safari walk through the park. You get the whole wilderness experience outside the safari cars, complete with smells, bones, droppings, and close encounters.
In Kidepo Valley National Park, nature walks are often led by rangers and begin at around seven in the morning from the Apoka Tourism Office. In addition to providing hikers with an armed ranger for security and comfort throughout their nature walk, the rangers here typically provide clear information and a brief history of this national park. A ranger must accompany you on your nature walk at Kidepo Valley National Park. The greatest viewing locations in Kidepo National Park are also simple to locate with the ranger’s assistance. The Lomej Plains, which offer a 4-hour-trip over the plains with amazing sightings of bird species and animals like the mountain reedbuck, Defassa waterbuck, etc., are top locations for nature excursions in Kidepo Valley National Park.
Within a 5-kilometer radius of the Apoka Tourism Center, visitors on safari in Kidepo can also set out on shorter, two-hour guided treks through the Narus Valley. The Narus Valley is the most populous region of Kidepo Valley National Park and is home to the park’s lone remaining water supply, which is especially important during the dry season.
Kidepo Valley, on the other hand, also provides outstanding guided nature hikes along the stunning Kidepo River Valley between the banks of the Borassus Palm Forest, with views of buffalo, ostriches, bushbucks, and the Kanangorok Hot Springs. One hour’s drive from Apoka is the Namamkweny Valley, which is a popular place for birdwatching in Kidepo Valley National Park. Fortunately, the valley can only be visited on foot. During pre-planned walks outside of the park to the Morungole Mountains, visitors can also encounter members of the IK tribe.
WHAT TO EXPECT ON NATURE WALKS IN KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK?
You may breathe fresh air while taking a nature walk in the Kidepo Valley National Park and get a close-up view of the unusual animals that make this place its home. The Kidepo Valley National Park has a beautiful terrain, and strolling through it will definitely give you the opportunity to take in its historical aspects and the natural wonders presented by the gorgeous vegetation, which is supplemented by the hoovering of wild creatures and the singing of various bird species. A staggering number of rare species, such as the Karamoja Apalis, Kori Bustard, Black-breasted Pitta, Superb Sterling, Greater Kestrel, etc., are among the more than 480 bird species that have been identified in Kidepo.
The best viewing spots are visited with the assistance of the game guides and rangers, and while one is here, one can see a variety of bird species, as well as zebras, elephants, buffalos, leopards, waterbucks, lions, and the cheetah, which is specific to this area in the entire country. Walking through the park’s sparse vegetation at a safe distance will allow you to see every one of these animal and bird species in detail.
In Kidepo National Park, beginning a nature walk around seven in the morning is recommended, since it allows one to cover a lot of ground before the Sun gets too hot later in the day. All animal species try to hide when the Sun gets too hot, thus mornings are the greatest time to view them all. It is advised to dress appropriately before beginning this nature-walk-discovery, so when packing for your Uganda safari to this park, include a pair of shorts, a plain-colored top, sunglasses, raincoats for wet days, insect repellant, sunscreen, binoculars, a camera, a first aid kit, and a safari hat.
OTHER ACTIVITIES IN KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
Game Drives
In addition to nature hikes, visitors to Kidepo Valley National Park can take part in other activities including game drives, where they can watch animals up close while relaxing in a 44-safari-vehicle. Safari guides accompany tourists on guided game drives, which are conducted in the morning, afternoon, and at night to observe nocturnal species. However, early morning game drives are the best because this is when wildlife is most active because the herbivores are grazing and the cats are hunting, as opposed to later in the day, when they have relocated to other regions, including bodies of water.
Birdwatching
Kidepo Valley National Park is one of Uganda’s Important Birding Areas (IBAs) and one of the best locations in the country for birdwatching, with around 480 different bird species documented there. Birds of many species can be found in Kidepo National Park. The majority of the species are unique to this section of the country, and this protected area in Uganda, just after Queen Elizabeth National Park, has the second-highest bird record.
Additionally, Kidepo Valley National Park contains 28 species that are representative of the Somali-Masai and Sudan-Guinea Savanna biomes. Additionally, Kidepo is the sole IBA in Uganda, located in the Somali-Masai biome. It is the habitat of some of the most critically endangered species in Uganda, such as the Karamoja Apalis and the Black-breasted Barbet. The common ostrich, Superb Starling, Nubian Woodpecker, Black Coucal, Marsh Tchagra, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, White-bellied Go-away, Hartlaub’s Bustard, Secretary bird, and White-crested Turaco are a few other species to keep an eye out for.
Hiking Tours
The Ik tribe, who live on the slopes of majestic Mount Morungole (2,749 meters), has a distinctive culture that Kidepo National Park will introduce to cultural enthusiasts. A guided day climb up the mountain to the IK settlement is included in the cultural tour. The challenging Moroungole Mountain, which offers the greatest views of Kidepo Valley National Park and the surrounding areas, is a popular trekking destination for tourists. Additionally, by visiting them, one will get the chance to discover more about their way of life, dances, and the history of Migration.
Karamojong Cultural Tour
You can also take a tour of the Karamajong neighborhood while at Kidepo Valley National Park. This tribe, which is regarded as being the most distant in Uganda, is one of the few in the country, whose culture and customs are still intact. It lives adjacent to the park. You can learn about their way of life, distinctive culture, traditional residences called as manyatta, traditional handicraft stools, dances, spears, beads, and hand bungles while you are there, all of which are breathtaking and fantastic to observe.
HOW TO GET TO KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
Kidepo Valley National Park is reachable by road or air. Kidepo is around 600 Kilometers (about 10 hours) away from Kampala by car. Although the trip is lengthy, it can be broken up with Rest stops in Kitgum, Gulu, or the Murchison Falls National Park. The distance from Gulu to Kidepo Valley National Park is roughly 4 hours. However, a regular flight from Entebbe International Airport to the park’s Apoka Airstrip is the quickest and most convenient way to travel to Kidepo Valley National Park. A 2-hour domestic trip to Kidepo offers amazing aerial views of the region’s landscapes and Kidepo Valley National Park, which is a really intriguing experience. Aerolink operates scheduled flights to Uganda’s National Parks, which can be reserved through a dependable travel agency.
BEST TIME TO VISIT KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK.
The greatest times to visit Kidepo National Park are during the dry season, which runs from September to March, as well as in July and August, when the rain is ending and the foliage is sparse. During these times, animals are usually grazing near water ponds, providing exceptionally clear views of the many animal species. But for those eager to visit and go on nature walks, Kidepo National Park is constantly open and accessible.
