Kidepo Valley National Park is located in a semi-arid climatic region of Uganda to the north in Kabong district, it was gazette as a national park in the 1962 same year as the country got its independence, the isolated 1442 square kilometer conservation area boasts a golden savannah grassy land dotted with trees, small bushes, rock kopjes, seasonal rivers surrounding by winding hills and mountains, which act as habitats to wildlife species that call this home the national park is well known for its endemics example species include the rock hyrax, bat eared fox, ostrich to mention a few.
The best time to visit Kidepo valley national park is during the dry season between the months of December –March and June- September it is mostly dry during this time, the trails of the park are easy to access and less slippery, the golden green grass disappearing in the mountains enclosing the park seem endless, the single tress dotted in the grass and kopjes along which are resting mammals for example lions are hard to miss, the grasses are shorter hence viewing of animals on game drives is much easy, it should however be noted that the climate during the day is hot. Due to global changes, there can be rain anytime of the year. The most angelic time to see wildlife in the park is September to March. Many of the water points dry up with only 1 permanent river in the Narus valley remains, along the beds of the rivers you will find relaxed buffaloes as the sand cools them down from the hot sun.
The wet season is ok to visit as well, despite animals being easier to see in the dry season, the wet season is amazing to see an incredible list of wildlife as well, Migratory birds fly into the park as it a fruiting time, on the over 400 species that have been recorded here, there a chance of seeing rare birds some of which are endemics to the destination. However this time some game tracks are impassable and hard to access, the seasons of the Kidepo valley differ slightly from those of other national parks, simply because it is in the semi-arid climatic region of Uganda. It is dry most of the year.
Things to do in the national park include game drives these are best done during the dry season these are done in the comfort of a 4*4 wheel drive , guided nature walks, visit the Karamojong community, cultural encounters to the IK tribe in the Morungule mountains, Kidepo valley national park can be accessed by road via the northern Uganda highway route, it is a long drive to the national park approximately 11 hours through beautiful small towns and villages, there are available flights to the park from the Entebbe international airport to Kampala Kajjansi.
In conclusion, there is available accommodation in the national park ranging from the best budget to Luxury these offer the best experiences to guests during their stay in the national park.