Kidepo Valley National Park – Self-drive to Uganda: Car Rental Congo

Kidepo valley national park is located in the northeastern region of the country, Kaabong district. The park is bordered by South Sudan where it’s known as Kidepo Wildlife Reserve and Kenya. It lies between an altitude of 914m and 2750m above sea level. it has nice landscapes that can’t be found anywhere in Uganda.

Getting to Kidepo Valley

Self-drive travelers to Kidepo Valley are advised that there are two routes to enable you to access the park depending on the number of days your planning to spend on Uganda Safari with car rental Congo. These are

• The shortest takes you about 10 hours (Kampala-Nakasongola-Gulu-Kitgum-Kaabong ).
• The longest route goes up to 14 hours which is the Kampala- Mbale-Soroti-Moroto-Kotido-Kaabong-Kidepo which rewards you with a great experience of Mountaineering on Elgon  & Jinja Source, wildlife Watching in Pianupe Game Reserve like the same way of Self drive around Lake Victoria and the traveler is advised to book & Select 4×4 Car Rental fleets like LandCruiser, Toyota Rav4.

Facts About the National Park.

Kidepo Valley National park was gazetted in 1962 to protect animals from hunters and it covers an area of 1,442sqkm. It has over 77 mammal species like elephants, giraffes, zebras, large herds of buffaloes, leopards, hyenas, and over 450 bird species both forest and savannah birds.

The largest part of the park is covered by semi-arid type of vegetation and the highlands have a montane type of vegetation. The relief of the land is so spectacular with very large savannah plains and also some highlands, giving the park a good viewing scenery and also making it a good place for photography.

The park has two rivers i.e. Kidepo and Narus, these rivers dry during the dry season leaving some ponds for the wildlife. The Narus and Kidepo valley attract large numbers of animals and birds making it a perfect spot for game viewing. The valleys floors lie between 3,000 and 4,000 meters deep.

The park is also a home for some groups of people like the Karimajong and the Ik people who have interesting cultures to learn about which ranges in their food, dress code, dance, marriage, making it a good destination for cultural tours while visiting Uganda.

What To See

The Karamojong and Ik people. These are the indigenous people of the area. Some Karimajong stays in the park and some don’t. The Ik people are a small community and stay within the park.

Narus valley. This valley has a seasonal Narus river that dries up during the dry season leaving oases in the valley. This attracts a lot of animals that come to the ponds to quench their thirst, making it one of the special places in the park.

Kanangorok hot springs. The local people consider these hot springs to be a spiritual healing place as you will find some people bathing in this water. The springs heat up to 50 degrees celsius which is hot enough to even cook food.

Mount Morungule. Hiking can be done on this mountain and tourists will be able to reach the homesteads of the Ik people who live in these mountains.

Namamukweny valley. The word Namamukweny means a lonely place with few people peoples. This place has a large number of birds and can be a good birding spot.

Things to do in Kidepo Valley National Park;

Game drive. This activity can be done early in the morning at am and in the evening at 4 pm and it takes about 4hours. While doing this activity it’s better to get a perk guide who will direct you on the routes and place where there an abundance of wildlife and make your movement within the park much easier. In Kidepo Valley National Park, the activity is commonly done in the Narus and Kidepo valleys which attract a lot of animals because they have oases most especially in the dry season. You will spot various wild games like elephants, zebras, giraffes, antelopes such as eland, oribi, dick dick, Jackson hartebeests among others, large herds of buffaloes whereby a herd can have between 500 to 1000 buffaloes. Various bird species like purple heroin, Common Bulbul, Abyssinian Roller. Different tree species like the sausage tree, acacia, and cactus.

Birding. While in Kidepo Valley National Park, one can start their birding tour Apoka Rest Camp and the activity can be done any time of the day. Rare species like Karamoja Apalis and black, breasted barbet can be seen. Other species include; the Hamerkop, saddle-billed stork, white crown shrike, yellow-billed stork, African jacana, white-crowned turaco, Abyssinian roller, purple heroin among others.

Hiking and nature walk. This takes place in Lamoj Mountains, it takes about 4hours. The activity is done in the morning before the sun gets hotter. During this activity, you will see various bird species, tree species, and also some primates like monkeys.

Community walks. This is one of the main activities within the park. There are some Karimajong and Ik people who live within the park. Community tours are done by visiting these communities and learn about their interesting culture like their food, marriage, dance, dressing style. You can as well support them by buying their locally made products like crafts