How to get to Kidepo valley national park
How to get to Kidepo valley national park; Kidepo valley national park is one of Uganda’s stunning wilderness areas located in Karamoja region, Kaabong district in the far northeastern part of Uganda’s border with south Sudan and Kenya. Kidepo valley national park was first gazetted as a game reserve in 1958 by the colonial government and later turned into a national park 1962. Kidepo valley national park covers a total land area of 1,442 square kilometers which is comprised of savannah vegetation, woodland and grassland, Mount Morungole, Narus and Kidepo Rivers. Kidepo valley national park is a home of about 76 mammals including buffaloes, elephants, lions, leopards, waterbucks, elands, Jackson’s hartebeest, elands, Bohor reedbucks, oribi, Uganda kobs, giraffes, zebras, cheetahs, hyenas, aardwolf, bat eared fox, kudus, and over 475 bird species including ostriches, Karamoja apalis among others.
How to get to Kidepo valley national park
Kidepo valley national park is located in northeastern part of Uganda and can either be accessed by road or air transport means.
Getting to Kidepo valley national park by road transport means
When using road transport means, there are possible routes that you can use to get to Kidepo valley national park for example routes that pass through the west via Murchison falls national park and Acholi land and routes that pass through the east via Karamoja region.
Western route to Kidepo valley national park
When using the western route, you will drive from Kampala via Karuma, Gulu, Kitgum and then to Kidepo valley national park which is about 571 kilometers and takes about 10 hours’ drive.
Another western route is driving from Kampala through Karuma, Lira, Kotido, Kaabong and then to Kidepo valley national park which is about 705 kilometers and takes about 12 hours’ drive.
Eastern route to Kidepo valley national park
When using the eastern route, you will drive from Kampala via Mbale, Sironko, Moroto, Kotido, Kaabong and then to Kidepo valley national park which is about 740 kilometers and takes about 12 hours’ drive.
There is another eastern route where you will drive from Kampala, Mbale, Soroti, Moroto, kotido, Kaabong and then to Kidepo valley national park which is 792 kilometers and takes about 13 hours’ drive.
You can also access Kidepo valley national park from Pian upe wildlife reserve which takes about 5 hours’ drive.
Using road transport means to get to Kidepo valley national park is tiresome but rewarding as you will be able to have stopovers at Karuma falls, Ziwa rhino sanctuary for rhino tracking and enjoy stunning views of the countryside, beautiful scenery, roadside markets, local people among others.
Kidepo valley national park can also be accessed by public means of transport whereby you will take daily buses from Kampala via Jinja, Mbale, Soroti, Iriri, Moroto, Kotido and then to Kaabong which takes about 16 hour drive and from Kaabong you will hire a taxi to Kidepo valley national park. Using public means of transport to Kidepo valley national park is however not recommended as its tiresome and time consuming because buses have many stopovers along the way and you can also be cheated.
Getting to Kidepo valley national park by air transport means
Kidepo valley national park can also be accessed by air transport means whereby you will book scheduled or charter domestic flights with Aero link Uganda or Bar Aviation from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Apoka airstrip and then connect to the park headquarters or lodge by road. Scheduled flights to Kidepo valley national park with Aero link Uganda depart from Entebbe international airport at 12:30 and arrive at Apoka airstrip at 14:45pm while scheduled flights from Kidepo national park depart from Apoka airstrip at 15:00 and arrive at Entebbe airport at 16:30. Scheduled flights to Kidepo valley national park only operate on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and will operate with a minimum number of 7 people, other days of the week scheduled flights are available on request.
Charter flights to Kidepo valley national park are available daily on request. Using air transport means to Kidepo valley national park is the best option to use when going to Kidepo valley national park as its quick, less tiresome and good for clients who do not like to drive long distance hours. Domestic flights to Kidepo valley national park can be booked by your trusted tour operator like Achieve Global Safaris.
Kidepo valley national park offers a number of interesting activities that travelers can engage in upon arrival in the park including, Game drives where you will be able to view different animals, Nature walks/ hiking where you will be able to explore the park of foot accompanied by an experienced park guide and an armed park ranger, bird watching where you will be able to view different bird species and community tours where you will be able to interact with the Karamajong and IK people in the surrounding community.
Best time to visit Kidepo valley national park
Kidepo valley national park can be visited anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February. During the dry season, there is less rainfall in the national park therefore vegetation will be thin and abundant animals will gather around the water bodies to drink water which helps you to view different animals clearly. During the dry season access roads to the park and game drive tracks will be dry and passable compared to the wet season when the game tracks are muddy and slippery.
You can either get to Kidepo valley national park by road or air transport means depending on your preference. For more information about how to get to Kidepo valley national park, you can contact us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website for various Uganda safari packages.
