Kidepo Valley National Park is in the remote northeast corner of the country. The park has a true wilderness feel and is a great destination for the adventurous traveler. It has excellent wildlife viewing during the Dry season, featuring several species not encountered anywhere else in the country.
Kidepo Valley National Park has arguably the most diverse savannah fauna of any park in the country. It is particularly rich in predators, including lion, leopard, cheetah and bat-eared fox. Black-backed and side-striped jackal are both present. There are large herds of buffalo. Twelve antelope species occur in the park, including Jackson's hartebeest, oribi, eland, Uganda kob and klipspringer. Kidepo usually offers excellent lion and elephant sightings. Herds of up 1,000 buffalo are often encountered. Cheetah are seen with increasing frequency, and it is home to many dry-country species, among them caracal, aardwolf, greater and lesser kudu, mountain reedbuck and Guenther's dik-dik. Five primate species are present, including the localized patas monkey. Lucky visitors might spot the endangered Rothschild's giraffe.
Two valleys (Kidepo Valley and Narus Valley) on either side of predominantly mountainous terrain dominate the park. There are wide, sweeping views of the Narus Valley from many vantage points. Open grassland is interspersed with acacia trees, desert dates and rocky outcrops.
Kidepo Valley National Park has a very impressive mammals list. Twenty species of predator are resident, and several don't exist in any other Ugandan park (including cheetah and black-backed jackal). Lion is common and leopard also occurs. Elephant, Burchell's zebra, buffalo and Rothschild's giraffe are all regularly seen, but black rhino has recently become extinct. Twelve antelope species are present – some of which don't occur anywhere else in the country.
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 is especially good for spotting raptors, with 56 species on record. Migratory birds are present from November to April.
Red-cheeked Cordon-Bleu
