Kidepo Valley National Park is one of the very few most spectacular safari destinations in Uganda that are worth including in your bucket list. The park covers an area of about 1442 square kilometers making it the third largest savanna grassland protected areas in Uganda. It is located northeast of Uganda just at the border between Uganda, Kenya and Sudan.
The park is located in the north – Eastern part of Uganda, 700km from Kampala and it is tucked between the borders of Uganda, Kenya and Sudan. The park is one of Uganda’s major national parks. This unique wildlife habitat is located in North Eastern Uganda and it’s the largest savanna woodland game park in the country.
Kidepo Valley National Park is arguably the most stunning and certainly the most remote park in Uganda. KVNP is the third largest park in Uganda, covering an area of 1442 km2. Its northern boundary is contiguous with the Sudan border. The Kenyan frontier lies just 5 km. to its east. It lies in the most North eastern district of Uganda known as Karamoja.
Location
The park is hidden in a valley in North Eastern Uganda along the border with Sudan. Surrounded by mountains it is considered by many to offer the most stunning scenery of any national park in Uganda. The park lies in the present Kaabong district and Moroto district (Karamoja region) in North Eastern Uganda.
Size
The 1,436sq km park with mountain landscapes which end in rugged horizon. It lies in the rugged, semi-arid valleys of Karamoja province, and those that make the long journey north would agree that it is the most magnificent park.
Vegetation
It is known to many as the true African wilderness because being there gives a feel of being in the real Africa. A visit to Kidepo Valley National park feels you with the real atmosphere of the African jungle / wilderness. Kidepo valley national park is among the greatly blessed and diversified national parks in Uganda mainly comprising of a semi arid climate with an oases where green thrives through out the year attracting a number of wild animals in the park especially herbivores.
Kidepo Valley National Park comprises of shallow valley systems with dry mountain terrain. In the southwest, there is the Narus Valley surrounded by the Naporre range to the northwest, south of the Kidepo Valley features the Morungole Mountain range and in the north, there is Mount Lotuke in Sudan.
The vegetation of the park can best be described as open tree Savannah which varies much in structure and composition. Mountain forest dominates some of the high places, while areas along the Lorupei River support dense Acacia geradi forests. It harbors scenery unsurpassed in any other park in East Africa as well as great numbers of wild animals, birds and plant species.
Kidepo has several biomes within its boundary such as: a variety of savannahs, deciduous forests- including the Borassus sp. palm forest, montane forest, and bush land. The park, due to its rather unique combination of topography and climatic shifts, is renowned for its distinctive floral composition. This in turn, allows a variety of animals to be found within Kidepo; some not to be found anywhere else within Uganda.
Topography
The topography in Kidepo includes dramatic contrasts. It consists of broad valley floors (ranging from 914- 1219m) bounded by mountain ranges, the highest being the 2749m Morungole peak. The park contains two main valleys which contain the Narus and Kidepo rivers. These valleys drain northwards and converge near the Sudan border. The Narus Valley lies in the South-west of the park. It is bordered by the Napore Range on the southwest and to the north-east by the high ground of Lopetapara and Lomej. In the North and East is Kidepo Valley, bordered to the south by the Morungole Range and to the North by Lotukei in Sudan, and the Zulia Mountains.
Climate
The Kidepo climate is unusual in Uganda as it has a single wet season (from April to September). The dry season occupies the rest of the year. In the Narus Valley 889mm is received while 635mm is received in Kidepo Valley. Hot North-eastern winds blow strongly throughout the dry season, facilitating widespread bush fires. All the Park’s rivers flow intermittently. However, flash flooding does occur which can lead to powerful surges of water. Surface water is available throughout the year, but as the dry season progresses, water is only available from a few sources in the Narus Valley.