Kidepo Valley National Park is a hidden gem in the Karamoja region of northeast Uganda. It is tucked into the corner of Uganda, bordering both South Sudan and Kenya. We took our kids on an unforgettable two day safari in Kidepo Valley National Park that was worth the journey to get there.
How To Get There
The journey to Kidepo takes you 520 km northeast of Kampala. We won’t lie, it is not an easy or quick journey, but we can honestly say that it is worth the long road traveled! This was the third national park and game reserve that we visited during our travels through Uganda. What made Kidepo stand apart from the rest was the rugged savannah that was back-dropped by Mount Morungole. The landscape alone was worth the trip! Throw in lions, leopards, elephants, zebra, giraffe, ostrich, buffalo, and hyena and you’ve got magic.
Since we didn’t book a package tour for our stay in the park, we needed to arrange our own transportation. For all three of our trips into the national parks in Uganda we hired a driver and guide in Kampala named Dauda, the owner of Augur Tours. Dauda was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable of the wildlife and region and was an excellent driver. He was also really great with the kids!
We broke the drive into two days with an overnight in Kitgum. Although it seems like you could cover 520 km in one day, the roads are not in great shape and it’s a slow pace. This also gave us the chance to stop and pick up supplies for our 2 day stay in the park.
There are a few lodges located within the park that offer a more luxury experience than we were looking for. We opted to stay at the Apoka Rest Camp right inside the park which is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. They offer basic bandas with 2 beds as well as shared bathrooms and a kitchen that guests are welcome to use to self cater meals. We came prepared with food that we picked up in Kitgum and were very happy with our more rugged choice in accommodation. It felt like camping in the savannah but without sleeping in a tent.
Day 1: Kitgum to Kidepo Valley National Park
This was our favourite part of the drive. The landscape changed from being mostly flat and scrubby, to being more arid and mountainous. We passed through village after village and watched daily life play out.
We started to play “The Waving Game” with the kids to pass the time. We try to see which side of the truck can get the most waves from passing pedestrians by waving at everyone we see. This kind man selling charcoal was our favourite!
Once we passed the final set of mountains, the landscape opened up into a beautiful sweeping wide savannah. We had arrived at Kidepo Valley National Park.
After checking in to our bandas we hit the game trail. We chased reports of lions and elephants. The lions eluded us but the elephants put on quite the show!
Day 2: Game Drive
On our second day, we drove further out into the park to search for ostrich. To enter this area of the park, we were required to take an armed Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) ranger with us. This was arranged through the UWA office at the entrance to the park.
This area of the park is even more remote and required multiple river crossings, but we found the ostrich!
We also saw giraffe and those elusive lions.
In the end, this national park that is off the beaten path is worth the trip!
Pin it for later!
Leave a Reply