Activities in Kidepo Valley National Park | What to do In Kidepo: Game Drives, Bird Watching, Nature walks and Cultural tours

There are a number of fascinating activities in Kidepo valley national park, ranging from game drives to cultural tours of Karamajong region and IK people. Below are top activities tourists may experience on their visit

Game Drives In Kidepo Valley

While doing your game driving in this park, it’s good to have a ranger who will guide you on where and how to spot lions, leopard, elephants, jackal, bush duiker, bushbuck, bush pig, buffalo and ostrich that sometimes sit on different rocks in the wild Narus Valley.

Narus Valley Game Drive

Game drive in Narus valley is best set off in morning and afternoon hours that is from 6am – 4pm. This will enable visitors to spot wildlife and bird species in Narus valley. In the southern Narus valley, you find all wildlife and permanent water points. Elephants and buffaloes are in swampy areas across the valley floor. Eland and giraffe are in drier slopes of the Narus valley while lions are spotted in the rocky out crops.

Kanangorok Hot Springs drive

Dry Kidepo Valley has got a wonderful scenery and is good on small game. The Kanangorok Hot Springs drive is long and passes via magnificent landscapes. Apoka is 30km north of the hub and there is a road that crosses the sandy and dry bed of the Kidepo River. This road enters a plain lined of Morungule mountain range in the East and Jebel Lotuke in the north which is 2975m high. Ostriches and secretary birds are spotted always but mammals are not seen commonly in this area.

Birding In Kidepo Valley

When setting off for birding in Kidepo, don’t miss to spot Apoka Rest Camp. Narus and Namamukweny Valleys are also birding spots. Purple Heron, Abyssinian Roller, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill and Clapperton’s Francolin are the birds spotted in this area. Birding can start from morning and end in evening.

Hiking And Nature Walks In Kidepo Valley

Walking via the Narus Vally, hiking to Lomej Mountains, you meet community members of IK tribe whose culture is endangered wandering in the Splendid Kidepo River Valley through the banks of Borassus Palm Forest.  Visitors are also spotted wandering on the same place. It takes one hour for one to reach Namamkweny from Apoka. IK members are met at Murongole Mountains by the visitors who have arranged to meet them during hiking.

The Lomej Mountains is easily accessed by walking on foot. The hiking that starts from 7am takes about 4hours. Two hours can be spent on the walk from radius of Apoka to Narus Valley which is about 5km distant.

Cultural encounters in Kidepo Valley.

Kidepo Valley is a national park which is habituated by the IK and Karamajong people. Visitors can tour on the top cultural activities in the park. IK and Karamajong cultures are alike to the Masai culture of Kenya. Visiting this park will bring the sense of similarity of these culture with the guidance of Lorukul Cultural Group or with any other cultural group on the borders of the park.