Kidepo Valley National Park has a very impressive bird list of more than 470 species, the second-highest population of any Ugandan reserve, following only Queen Elizabeth National Park. Sixty birds on its list haven’t been recorded in any other Ugandan park. No comprehensive survey has been done, so visitors could easily see some species not previously recorded for the park. Kidepo Valley National Park is especially good for spotting raptors, with 56 species on record. Migratory birds are present from November to April. The birdlife in Kidepo Valley National Park is good year-round, but at its best from March to April for all the specials and the many migrants. November to February has the least rain, while June to August has more. Rain shouldn’t be too much of a problem in this semi-arid part of the country. Migratory birds are in the valley from November to April. For wildlife viewing, the middle and end of the Dry season (November to February) are best.
Kidepo Valley National Park
Background
Located in the furthest northern corner of Uganda bordering Sudan and Kenya, Kidepo Valley National Park offers a remote and rewarding safari experience, with special wildlife features including cheetah and African wild dog. Known as the long forgotten Eden of Africa. Kidepo Valley National Park is the most undiscovered and unchartered of Uganda’s parks and reserves, yet it is said to have the most spectacular wildlife viewing of them all. It only receives less than 10 visitors per day as an annual average, so the experience is bound to be an exclusive one. There are two valleys carved out with by Kidepo and Narus Rivers, and each area offers a unique safari scene, characterised by different landscapes and hosting different animals. There are only a couple of accommodation options in the park, so safari activities are luxuriously exclusive and one would be forgiven for thinking they are alone in the 1500 sq. km wilderness.
Wildlife Experience
Kidepo Valley National Park is known as Africa’s long forgotten Eden for a reason: it is teeming with wildlife and offers perhaps the best game viewing in the country. It is small in comparison to Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth National Parks, but it has a higher density and diversity of wildlife. Its semi-arid environment means it has distinctive wet and dry seasons, which each support differing wildlife. The dry months between September and March are the best for game viewing because the water dries up in the rivers and wildlife gathers at the remaining pools in the Apoko region. Game drives, bird-watching excursions, walks and hikes, as well as cultural activities are what make Kidepo famous, but the lack of tourists keeps the experiences blissfully private. Cheetah, wild dog, Rothschild’s giraffe, bat-eared fox, striped hyena, pangolin, and ostrich demonstrate the species diversity of this magical place.
