Kidepo sits in the top right corner of Uganda against the South Sudan border, ringed by mountains and reached by a two-hour flight or a very long drive. It looks and feels like nowhere else in the country, and it holds species you will not see anywhere else in it.
- Size
- 1,442 sq km
- Region
- Karamoja, north-eastern Uganda
- Species found almost nowhere else in Uganda
- Cheetah, ostrich, greater and lesser kudu, caracal
- Access
- ~2 hrs by air from Entebbe; 10–12 hrs by road
- Best time
- September–March
- Visitors
- Among the lowest of any East African park
Why go so far
Because you will have it to yourself. Kidepo receives a small fraction of Queen Elizabeth's visitors, and on a morning drive through the Narus Valley you can go hours without seeing another vehicle while watching four hundred buffalo move across open grassland with mountains on three sides.
The wildlife list is different too: cheetah, ostrich, greater and lesser kudu, Bright's gazelle and caracal all occur here and essentially nowhere else in Uganda.
The two valleys
The Narus Valley holds water year-round and carries most of the game — lion, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and the park's cheetah. The Kidepo Valley to the north is drier, sandier and emptier, with the Kanangorok hot springs near the South Sudan border and a stark beauty that is the reason many people come.
Karamojong culture
The Karamoja region has a pastoralist culture quite distinct from the rest of Uganda. Community visits to a manyatta can be excellent or can be uncomfortable theatre, depending entirely on how they are arranged — we use community-managed visits only, and we will say so if we think a particular one is not worth doing.
Getting there
Fly. Scheduled and charter services run Entebbe to Kidepo in about two hours, sometimes touching down en route. The drive is 10–12 hours each way on roads that reward a well-maintained 4x4, and it is only worth it if the journey through Karamoja is itself part of what you came for.
Where to stay
Apoka Safari Lodge sits above the Narus Valley and is the standout. The Uganda Wildlife Authority's Apoka Rest Camp is simple, cheap and superbly located. Nga'Moru Wilderness Camp covers the mid-range.
Questions
Frequently asked
Is Kidepo worth the cost of flying?
On a trip of two weeks or more, and for anyone who values solitude over convenience, yes. On a first Uganda trip of ten days, the money is usually better spent on a second gorilla trek or a longer stay in Queen Elizabeth.
Is Kidepo safe?
The park and the tourism corridor have been stable for many years and are patrolled. Karamoja more broadly has a complicated history; we monitor the current position and will advise honestly. Check your own government's travel advice as well.
Next
Keep planning
- Uganda gorilla safaris — how Kidepo fits a longer trip
- Getting there and around — internal flight network
- Murchison Falls — the other northern park
- Contact us — ask us to price a Kidepo extension