Attractions and Activities in Kidepo Valley national park : Kidepo valley national park is a true gem with huge abundance in wildlife. Kidepo valley national park was gazetted in to a national park in the year of 1962 and currently hosts over 75 species of mammals and 470 species of birds and they are all in a prime game viewing location .it is found in Kaabong district in North Eastern Uganda and it is about 510 kilometers by road from Kampala city tours and it is known as the third best national park in Africa.
Attractions in Kidepo valley national park
They are many tourist attractions in Kidepo valley national park and they include the following
Kanangorok hot springs
Kanangorok hot spring is found in the northern part of Kidepo valley national park near to Kidepo River the hot springs are magnificent features to see and have beautiful scenic pictures .Kanangorok hot springs give out hot water boiling at 50 degrees Celsius. according to the masai people they believe that water from the hot spring possess magical healing powers
Culture and the local people
Kidepo valley national park is a great culture and traditions hub in Uganda it is found in Karamoja region which is inhabited by two tribal groups of people that is the karamajong living in communities and the Ik people living on the summit of mountain Morungole and they are some of the few tribes in Uganda visiting these communities gives your insight in to the true African life style, the Karamoja people live in impressively built dome shaped houses called manyata which are dotted in circular form the culture of karamajong is similar to the masai and turkan people and the karamajong are pastoral people and the IK are minority people, Attractions and Activities in Kidepo Valley national park
Lomej hills
Lomej hills are the spectacular features interesting to encounter in Kidepo valley national park it takes few minutes’ drive from the park .Lomej hills view in the park and they are great bird watching spot in the park when you at Lomej hills you spot many bird species such as Karamoja apalis, Abyssinia scimitar bill, chest nut waver, black breasted barbets it is also a good spot to view animals
Mount Morungole
It is an impressive feature in Kidepo valley national park located on the southern boundary of the park rising from the plains a few kilometer north east of Apoka .mountain Morungole is not only a tourist attraction it is a home of the Ik people but also the smallest tribe in Uganda living in the summit of this mountain, mountain Morungole is bisected by two prominent rivers that is Kidepo and Narus river which fed the park and it is a home for animals and birds
Lonyili Mountain
Lonyili Mountain it is another tourist attraction in Kidepo valley national park .it lies between on the border of Kitgum and Sudan border the slopes of Lonyili Mountain are dominated by green forest thus making a perfect home for primates such as colobus monkeys it is bit had to reach the mountain but plans for rehabilitating the roads by the Uganda wildlife authority are soon pushing through and the only way to reach the mountain is by using scheduled flights to the park
Activies done in Kidepo valley national park
Bird watching
Kidepo valley national park is one of the best birding areas in Uganda and it is a home of more than 475 recorded bird species and they include endemic birds ,savannah birds ,migratory birds which makes it the best during the birding safari in Kidepo valley national park which can be done during the game drives and nature walks you should look out for common bird species like Karamoja apalis, yellow rumpled seed eater ,superb starling ,yellow necked spur fowl ,ostrich, white bellied bustard ,Kori bustard ,Jacksons hornbill and singing bush lark .
Nature walks
It is best activity in Kidepo valley national park which gives visitors an opportunity to explore the park on foot during the nature walk and you will be accompanied by an experience guide who is well conversant with walking trails in the park and even the park ranger to protect from any danger nature walks in Kidepo valley are done in different area include Narus valley, Namamukweny valley, Kidepo plains which lead you to the Morungole mountains where you will see Ik people the nature walks start at 7;00am at Apoka tourism office and you get a chance to spot animals like elephants,bufallos and zebras , Attractions and Activities in Kidepo Valley national park
Culture encounters in Kidepo valley national park
They are many groups’ people in Kidepo valley national park that is the karamajong people and the Ik people who live on top of Morungole Mountain during the culture you will be able to learn more about their lifestyle, history, and way of living and learn how they do their things forexaple how to make their traditional instruments like beads stools and spears and how bride price is determined in their culture
Best time to visit Kidepo valley national park
The best time to visit Kidepo valley national park is during the dry season in the month of June, July august September, December, January and February the dry season is the best time for viewing in that vegetation in the park during the dry season animals gather around the water bodies to drink water which makes wildlife viewing much easier.
It can also be visited in the wet season during the month of March to May and November .during the wet season the park can be enjoyable because of few crowds and bird lovers will get a chance to spot variety of bird species
