​Overview – Kidepo Valley NP

Ariadne van Zandbergen
Expert
By Ariadne van Zandbergen

Ariadne is a renowned Africa expert. She and her husband form a team who write and update many Bradt guides, including the guide to Uganda.

Ariadne is a renowned Africa expert. She and her husband form a team who write and update many Bradt guides, including the guide to Uganda.

Ariadne is a renowned Africa expert. She and her husband form a team who author the Bradt guide to Uganda.

Ariadne and her husband form a team who author the Bradt guide to Uganda.

Kidepo Valley is in the remote northeast corner of the country. The park has a true wilderness feel and is a great destination for the adventurous traveler. It has excellent wildlife viewing during the Dry season, featuring several species not encountered anywhere else in the country.

 
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Best Time to Go September to March (Dry season)
High Season September to March (The park rarely gets crowded)
Size 1,442km² / 557mi²
Altitude 999-2,349m / 3,278-7,707ft
+23 Photos

Pros & Cons

  • Top wildlife viewing in the Dry season
  • Several species (including cheetah) that don't occur elsewhere in Uganda
  • Excellent birding with many birds of prey
  • Lots of wilderness appeal
  • Growing number of accommodation options
  • Spectacular views over the Narus Valley
  • Very remote and relatively expensive

Kidepo Valley NP Safari Reviews

  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding

Wildlife

The park has a very impressive mammals list. Twenty species of predator are resident, and several don't exist in any other Ugandan park (including cheetah and black-backed jackal). Lion is common and leopard also occurs. Elephant, Burchell's zebra, buffalo and Rothschild's giraffe are all regularly seen, but black rhino has recently become extinct. Twelve antelope species are present – some of which don't occur anywhere else in the country.

Scenery

Two valleys (Kidepo Valley and Narus Valley) on either side of predominantly mountainous terrain dominate the park. There are wide, sweeping views of the Narus Valley from many vantage points. Open grassland is interspersed with acacia trees, desert dates and rocky outcrops.

Weather & Climate

Kidepo has a semi-arid climate that occasionally invites drought in the Dry season (September to March). Average afternoon temperatures sit around 29°C/84°F, except in the park’s higher-altitude areas where it gets colder. The Wet season lasts from April to August. In these months, keep one eye on the sky in the afternoon, when showers arrive like clockwork.

Best Time to Visit

Sunny days and thin vegetation make the Dry season (September to March) the best time to go wildlife watching in Kidepo. This is also when animals go searching for a dependable source of water. An advantage of exploring Kidepo when the rains come is that the dust and heat tend to get washed away, and the birding is better.

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Kidepo Valley NP Safari Reviews

  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
Most Helpful Expert Review
Expert
Mark Eveleigh  –  
United Kingdom UK

Mark is a travel writer who grew up in Africa and has written over 700 titles for CNN Traveller, Travel Africa, BBC Wildlife and others.

Uganda’s secret northern wilderness
5/5

With sprawling savannah and soaring mountains, Kidepo Valley National Park might be the most picturesque park in all Africa. Sharing borders with South Sudan and Kenya’s Northern Frontier District, it is Uganda’s most remote and...

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All 6 Expert Reviews
Latest User Review
Shawn  –  
Kenya KE
Reviewed: Oct 12, 2021
From vast mountains to dry savannahs
5/5

A natural beauty that I have visited numerous time, though remote it is extremely rewarding wildlife is excellent large buffaloes herds roam the savannah in the thousands and lions sit on rocks for an advantage over prey. my favorite...

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