Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo sits in the far northeast against the South Sudanese border, ringed by mountain ranges with a broad grassland valley between them, and its isolation has given it a species list that differs from the rest of Uganda: cheetah, caracal, greater and lesser kudu, ostrich and bat-eared fox occur here and largely nowhere else in the country. Lion are regularly seen, sometimes in trees, and buffalo herds run to several hundred. Two seasonal rivers cross the valley, and in the dry season animals concentrate around the remaining water at Narus. The Karamojong pastoralists live around the park, and community visits to a manyatta, the thorn-fenced homestead, are arranged from the lodges.

What you actually see

• Narus valley - the dry-season water concentration and the best game viewing.
• Kidepo valley and Kanangorok springs - the drier northern sector towards the border.
• Cheetah and kudu - species largely absent elsewhere in Uganda.
• Karamojong manyatta visits - the pastoralist homesteads around the park.

When to go

September to March is the dry season and by far the best for wildlife, when animals concentrate at water. In the wet months the grass is high, tracks are difficult and sightings drop.

Honest expectations

Getting there is the whole problem: the drive from Kampala takes two long days on rough roads, and most visitors fly, which is expensive. Accommodation is limited to a handful of lodges and community camps. The remoteness that makes it special also means little redundancy if something goes wrong. Karamoja has its own travel considerations and lodges will advise on current arrangements for the drive.

Nearby

Karamoja's pastoral country surrounds it; Murchison Falls lies far to the southwest.