The mountainous terrain of the park is broken by the Narus Valley in the south west and the Kidepo Valley in the north east and is more typical of Kenya than the rest of Uganda. Whilst the park is large (1,442km²) most of the wildlife is concentrated within the Narus Valley revealing fantastic panoramic views of vast herds of buffalo with elephant, giraffe, waterbuck and zebra grazing alongside. There are also a number of predators present including lion, cheetah, leopard, and spotted hyena.
The Kidepo Valley National Park is one of Uganda’s most spectacular parks. It is 1,442 square kilometers and harbours scenery unsurpassed in any other park in East Africa. Tucked into the corner of Uganda’s border with Sudan and Kenya, the park offers breathtaking Savannah landscapes, which end in rugged horizon. Kidepo is largely dominated by the Savannah vegetation with over 86 mammal species including the elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, bush pig and predators including the black backed jackal, African hunting god, fox, cheetah, lions, leopards and so much more. 17 antelope species have been recorded. The bird checklist is of 463 species recorded, including 56 raptors, like pygmy falcon, tawny eagle, secretary bird, vultures.
Game Viewing: The park harbours a great diversity of animal species than other parks. Of the 80 species of mammals listed in 1971, 28 were not known to occur in any other Ugandan park. Carnivore species unique to Kidepo and Karamoja region include the bat-eared fox, striped hyena, aardwolf, caracal, cheetah and hunting dog. Less common ungulates include the greater and lesser kudu, Chandlers Mountain reedbuck, klipspringer, dikdik and bright gazelle; beisa oryx and roan antelope have been severely depleted by poachers in the recent years. Among other large ungulates are elephant, burchell’s zebra, bush pig, warthog, rothschild giraffe, cape buffalo, eland, bush buck, bush duskier, defassa water buck, bohor reed buck, jackson’s hartbeest and oribi. Five species of primate are found in the park of which the Kavirondo bush baby is endemic. Carnivores present include lion, leopard, several small cats, spotted hyena, black-backed jackal and side-striped jackal. The easiest to see being the jackals.
There are high chances of viewing tree climbing lions that always sits on sauces trees along Narus valley or on rock just as you enter the Apoka Park Headquarter. Other wildlife include elephants, leopard, bush duiker, jackal, bush buck, bush pig, kavirondo bush baby, buffalo and much more that are some times seen right from the veranda of Apoka Rest Camp.
The park boasts an extensive avifauna. 465 species have been recorded (three new species were added to the list in 1995). Of particular interest, the ostrich and the Kori bustard are principally associated with arid regions. The park is outstanding for its birds of prey. Of 58 species recorded 14 are believed to be endemic to Kidepo and the Karamoja region. These include Verreaux’s eagle, Egyptian vulture and pygmy falcon.
