Birding in KIdepo vall Ntional Park

There are very rare birds in Kidepo Valley National Park that the birders may be interested in viewing, alongside common and some migratory birds as well. The abundance of vegetation in the park contributes to the diversity of bird species in here, from the grassland, the montane vegetation the vast savannah, temporary wetland vegetation all harbor different bird species.

There are at least 470 bird species that have been spotted at the park. Pity, most habitat of these birds is temporary mostly due to the kind of climate experienced by the region in which the park is situated. There are no large permanent water bodies in Karamoja, neither does it have massive rain forests. Kidepo therefore has the highest population density of birds (more birds than the habitats available).

The flat plains and short vegetation give birders an opportunity to spot a variety of birds from a distanced and at various angles. The scattered trees can be seen with rare birds resting. The Park indeed has a very rich diversity of birds, with lots of migratory birds in transit either in their breeding or incubation zones for example:

Red-fronted & Black-breasted Barbets, Vinaceous Dove, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Hoopoe, Little Green Bee-eater, Long-tailed & Standard-winged Nightjars, White-bellied Tit, Pygmy Falcon, Four-banded Sand Grouse, Red billed Oxpecker, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Abyssinian Ground, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Rufous & Chestnut Sparrow, Black-headed Plover, Kori, Pygmy & Beautiful Sunbirds, , Mosque Swallow, Karamoja Apalis, Nubian Woodpecker Violet-tipped Courser, Yellow-spotted Petronia, Northern White-crowned and Yellow-billed Shrikes Eastern Violet backed,  White-browed & Chestnut- crowned Sparrow Weavers,Mouse-coloured Penduline Tit, Grey-capped Social & Speckle-fronted Weavers, Clapperton’s & Heuglin’s Francolins, White-headed and White-billed Buffalo Weavers, African Grey Flycatcher, Ruppell’s & Superb Starlings, Scarlet-chested Sunbird,  Ethiopian Swallow, Steel-blue & Strawtailed Whydahs, Pied, African Swallow-tailed Kite, Little Weaver & Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu, Fan-tailed Raven, White-bellied & Hartlaub’s Bustards, Abyssinian & Rufous-crowned Rollers, Eastern Pale Chanting Go-shawk, Superb Starling, Isabelline & Heuglin’s Whea-ters, Black-bellied & Black-faded Waxbill, Fox Kestrel, Foxy & Red pate Cisticolas,  Brown-rumped Bunting , Ostrich, Eastern Yellow & Jackson’s Hornbills, Red-winged Lark, Slate-coloured Boubou, Green-winged, White-faced Scoops Owl, Orange-winged & Red-winged Pytilias Yellow-necked Spurfowl, Singing Bush lark, Stone Partridge.

The Park will indeed feed your eyes with the variety of birds, most of which will be heard singing and chirping from branch to branch and along the streams, all best seen during hiking and during a nature walk in the park.

ACTIVITIES TO DO IN KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK.

Kidepo is a big national park and filled with a diversity of activities. There is a lot of natural untapped potential and this park is not visited by many people and that means it’s less crowded. Here are some of the things you can do in the national park:

Nature walk/Hiking

You can have a chance to get out of the car and walk around under the supervision of a ranger. There are some small Mountains that you can actually Hike. There is Mt. Morungole and Mt. Lomej. On top of these mountains, you will have a clear view of natural features and animals.

Guided game drive

You can do a morning, afternoon, evening and night game drive Via the Narus Valley. This valley is a unique spot for a lot of the animals in the national park. Animals to see include African bush elephants, Antelopes, Big Cats, Warthogs, Hyenas, Birds, Zebras and Giraffes

Best time to visit-Kidepo Valley National Park

We have two dry seasons in Uganda and these are undoubtedly the best times to visit Kidepo Valley National Park. The dry seasons are June to August and December to March. The roads to the park and within the park are impassable during the rainy season. During the wet season as well, the animals move to the higher grounds to run away from the flooding valleys which makes finding these animals abit hard.

Community walks and Cultural experiences

This Park is located in the Karamoja area and the park is surrounded by the rare Ik tribe that is almost close to extinction. These people are isolated and live in the Mt. Morungole Mountain.

The livelihood of these people depends on raiding nearby tribes and rustles their cattle and hunting. You will have a chance to test on the lifestyle of these people, the food, dances, art and the pastoral life.

Top accommodations in Kidepo National Park

This Park has few accommodation places but give the true description of sleeping in the wild. Nights here give undoubtably give you a complete safari experience. The accommodations in Kidepo include Budget, Midrange and Luxury including Apoka Safari Lodge (Luxury), Nga’Moru Wilderness Camp (Midrange) & Apoka Rest Camp (Budget & Midrange).

How to Get there

There are two options to get to Kidepo Valley National Park: By road and Air.

Travelling by road takes about 10 to 12 hours to cover a distance of about 515km from Kampala. Some people choose to break down this journey into two since the road is bumpy and makes the journey long and tiresome.

Travel by air is another option. We can book for you a flight from Entebbe or Kajjansi and Land at Apoka Airstrip. This is a 45 min Journey and will make you experience of this park even better depending on the kind of adventure you are looking for.