Kidepo Valley National Park

Uganda

Kidepo is the park people mean when they say Uganda still has wilderness. It sits in the far north-east, against South Sudan, in a landscape of mountains and open valleys that looks nothing like Bwindi or the Kazinga Channel. Ostrich, cheetah, large buffalo herds and a bird list with dry-country specials are the draw. Lions are present. So is silence after dark.

The Narus Valley is the game-drive heart. You cover ground. This is not a boat park and it is not a gorilla forest. Nights are cold for East Africa; mornings start early. Cultural visits with Karamojong communities are arranged with groups that receive the fee — we do not improvise village stops.

The road from Kampala is a very long day. Almost everyone who can, flies. Afrisites treats Kidepo as a fly-in add-on to Murchison or as the centre of a specialist north Uganda safari, not as a cheap extra night on a Bwindi trip.

Wildlife

Ostrich, cheetah, large buffalo herds, elephant, lion, and a bird list that includes species missing from southern Uganda.

What we book here

• Morning and afternoon game drives
• Narus Valley viewpoints
• Cultural visits with Karamojong communities

Where we put you

Apoka Safari Lodge and the mid-range Narus camps. Capacity is limited; we hold rooms when we hold the flight.

Getting there

Scheduled or charter light aircraft from Entebbe or Pakuba. Overland via Gulu and Kitgum is possible but it costs you a safari day each way.

How we combine it

Murchison Falls on the way, Pian Upe, or a north–south itinerary that still ends in Bwindi if you insist on gorillas on the same ticket.

Best time

The north is driest from December to March. Roads are longest from Kampala — fly-in is the comfortable option.

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