Kidepo Valley National Park lies in the rugged, semi arid valleys between Uganda’s borders with Sudan and Kenya, some 700km from Kampala. Gazetted as a national park in 1962, it has a profusion of big game and hosts large number of mammals. Kidepo valley national park lying in the north eastern part of Uganda means it’s more exclusive as its less developed and still kept with its natural taste. It is 1442 km2 in size, very expansive in the Karamoja region. The terrain is rough and it’s convenient only to fly there. Its altitude ranges between 914m to 2750 m above the sea level. Kidepo valley is largely covered savannah vegetation. It’s a region rich with many species of mammals, there are roughly over 86 mammal species which include; the elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, bush pig and predators including the black backed jackal, African hunting god, fox, cheetah, lions, leopards and so much more. In the kidepo valley about 17 antelope species have been recorded. It is also home to a number of bird species with more than 463 species of birds recorded in the region, including 56 raptors, like pygmy falcon, tawny eagle, secretary bird, vultures.
The kidepo valley has two Rivers which flows through that supports the wildlife during dry season shortly before drying up. These rivers are; Kidepo and Narus – which disappear in the dry season, leaving just pools for the wildlife Kidepo is Uganda’s most isolated national park and this provide it wildness to the wildlife untouched, if you are able to make it through the wild frontier region of Karamoja you would agree that it is also the most magnificent, for Kidepo ranks among Africa’s finest and breathtaking wildernesses. Through the heart of the Kidepo Park, a savannah landscape extends far beyond the gazetted area, towards horizons outlined by distant mountain ranges.
In the dry season is the best and convenient for game viewing as all animals will be around the permanent pools and swampy areas. Large numbers of mammals are found in wetlands and remnant pools in the broad Narus Valley near Apoka. These seasonal oases, combined with the open, savannah terrain, make the Narus Valley the park’s prime game viewing location