Game Drives in Kidepo National Park.
Game drives in Kidepo Valley National Park are one of the most thrilling safari activities that allow travellers to explore the true African wilderness in semi-arid landscapes. It is located in the northeastern region of Uganda, and is the third largest national park spanning an area of about 1,442 square kilometers. The park was first gazetted in 1958 as a northern Karamoja controlled hunting area, and it was converted into a national park to protect the African Big game that existed in 1962. Kidepo Valley National Park derived its name from River Kidepo, a seasonal river that flows through the park and pours its waters into South Sudan for a few hours, leaving behind a river of sand as wide as 165 feet.
Animals like elephants, buffaloes and birds dig up the sand and drink water from the sand. The park is known for its rich biodiversity, hosting up to 78 mammal species, including caracals, aardwolves, greater kudus, striped hyenas, cheetahs, and Guenther’s dik-dik, which can only be found in Kidepo in Uganda. It also hosts the highest number of buffalo in the country, up to 10,000 buffalo residing in the park. Bird lovers will find the park a paradise for bird watching with over 480 bird species, including water birds, birds of prey, migratory birds, savannah birds, and the park’s endemic species. It’s the only place in Uganda where bird lovers can find ostriches.
Game Drives Experiences in Kidepo National Park
Game drives in Kidepo Valley National Park are one of the remarkable safari activities that give travellers a chance to explore the beautiful scenery of the park and its rich biodiversity. This is a guided safari activity led by a knowledgeable park guide who gives more insightful information about the wildlife and bird species that visitors might encounter. The park offers three sessions: morning game drives, evening game drives, and night game drives, all of which provide exceptional safari experiences.
Morning game drives offer the chance to spot predators as they roam the park in search of prey, along with other wildlife such as Uganda kobs, warthogs, dik diks elephants, giraffes, zebras, Cheetahs, kudus, Aardwolves and buffaloes, all grazing and wandering freely and bird species such as the, Abyssinian Scimitarbill, Purple Heron, Clapperton’s Francolin, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Egyptian Goose, Garganey, Ring-necked Francolin, among others.
Evening game drives provide an opportunity to observe nocturnal animals emerging from their daytime hiding spots as they prepare for nighttime activities. This includes elusive predators like leopards, which rest during the day and hunt at night. Night game drives offer a remarkable experience as they allow you to witness nocturnal animals such as leopards and hyenas in action, along with various bird species, including Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, among others.
Game drives in Kidepo Valley National Park are best done in two places: Kidepo Valley and the Narus Valley. The Narus Valley has open grasslands and stunning views of hills and mountains that adds up on the beauty of the drive. This area has permanent water sources throughout the year, like the Narus River and swamps that attract most of the animals during the dry season. Visitors will have a chance to see countless number of buffalo, savannah elephants, giraffes, hippos, lions, Uganda Kobs, waterbucks, zebras, and more. On the other hand, Kidepo Valley has few numbers of animals during the dry season due to its dry nature. Though during this period, Kidepo Valley offers exceptional safari experiences as it allows visitors to explore the dry Kidepo River with a white sand bed and a variety of bird species, such as ostriches.
Best Time to Visit the Park
The park is open throughout the year, and the best time to do game drives in Kidepo Valley National Park differs. The park experiences two seasons: the dry season and the wet season. The dry season is the most preferred period by most travellers, which runs from June to September and December to February. During this period, the park receives little to no rainfall, the tracks are dry, which makes it easy to penetrate them and the vegetation cover is short and scattered that provides clear views. Visitors can also do game drives in the wet season from March to May and October to November. During this period the park receives enough rainfall, the tracks are muddy, making it challenging to penetrate them.
