Attractions in Karamoja region : There a lot of unusual exiting features in this region. It contains exiting attractions like Kidepo Valley National Park, game reserves, mountains, their traditional culture and it’s unique climate.
Kidepo valley national park.
Kidepo valley national is one of the true magnificent African finest wilderness is located near Karenga in Kaabong district in the northeastern corner of Uganda. Kidepo valley national park lies in the rugged, semi-arid valley between Uganda’s with south Sudan in the north west and only 5km from the eastern boarder of Kenya, just over 700km from Kampala the capital city of Uganda and over 247km to the biggest town in the region (Moroto ). It covers an area of over 1443sq kilometers.
Kidepo Valley National Park was once a playground of the late Idi Amin and is a place where you visit and exposes you to a remote and a fantastic memorable safari experiences and reality while in Uganda Safaris. There a lot to be seen while in Kidepo valley national park. When you visit Kidepo valley national park a lot of several tourists’ attractions you will enjoy. Exiting fauna and flora are some of the magical important attractions you will enjoy.
Kidepo national is truly gifted with amazing nature with cool environment and its extraordinary view of Savannah grassland harboring over 86 mammal species, 4477 bird species and over 692 plant species . Most of this birds are restricted to Kidepo valley national park and Karamoja region. The national par harbor a vast number of birds and reptiles. Kidepo national park has over 80 mammal species with around 28 of them being not fond in any of Ugandans national parks. These include, Lions, Zebras, African bush Elephants, Cheetahs, and Buffaloes and also the Nile Crocodiles among others. The unique interesting fact about Kidepo national part is that, it harbors mammals species which you may not see unless if you visit Kidepo national park. From Apoka is the heart of the park, a savannah landscape extents for beyond the gazetted area, towards the horizons of the distant mountain ranges.
Beyond its extraordinary safari experience, this national park offers a great opportunity where you can spot great cultural experiences of the karamajong and their neighboring tribes like Acholi. The name Kidepo came from the Dodoth language “Akidep” meaning “to pick up”. The park was inhabited by the Dodoth pastoralists and Ik people before it was gazetted ads a game reserve by the British colonialist in 1989 with the intension to protect both animals and hunters from clearing the forest for tsetse fly control and later changed to be a game park in 1962 by the Uganda government.
Tourist activities
Game drive
Kidepo national park is a popular Uganda safari game drive offering outstanding view experiences to visitors. The park has got over 80 mammal species and a traveler has a great chances and opportunities of spotting them out on a tour to Kidepo valley national park, around 28 of the mammal species found in Karamoja region cannot be found in any of the Uganda’s national parks and travelers have golden opportunity to spot them while they are on Ugandan safaris. The vegetation of the area with short savannah tress favorable for sight viewing making the game drive memorable. While in the safari game drive, travelers can spot a variety of mammal species which cannot be spotted in any of the Ugandan national park like Cheetahs and there also other mammal species such as lions, Uganda Kobs, common buffaloes, kukus, elephants, reedbuck, stripe hyena’s, jackals, less zebras , Nile crocodiles among others. Most parts of the Kidepo valley national park is flat terrain landscape with the beautiful a scenic undulating hills scattered around the park which provides the vast view of the entire landscape of the park.
The species within the Kidepo valley national park like any other national parks in Uganda highly reduced due to exceptionally rate of poaching. Rhinos were hunted to disappearance for their horns.
The game drive is highly advised by the management (UWA) to use the authorized safari car along with the game ranger and this within the authorized viewing hours 6:00am to have a magistical opportunity to spot different unique wildlife species and to access to interact with the wild and also 4:00pm evening game drive viewing the rare mammal species winding up with the activities of the day.
Nature walk
The nature walks at Kidepo valley national park can be done around Apoka camp at any time of the day and a visitors are able to observe a number of animals such as Elephants, Zebras, Reedbucks, Common Buffaloes among others. Nature walks gives a mazing and fantastic experience to view the beautiful magnificent of the wilderness of Kidepo valley national park. Many travelers on Uganda tour, Karamoja sub-region has thesaurus features of the magnificent African wilderness. Flat terrain landscape and nice looking rare wildlife species spread all points of the plain and this gives gives a traveler copious opportunity to see plenty of magnificent mammals and bird species within the backdrop of marvelous landscape of Karamoja.
The nature walk along the Narus and Namamukweny valleys exposes a birder or traveler to a variety of bird species. The valleys are inhabited by the a large number of bird species such as Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Abyssinian Roller, Purple Heron, Common Bulbul, Green Wood Hoopoe and Clapperton’s Francolin among others which are found only in Kidepo valley national park. also a nature walk to mount Morungole offers a traveler with a great exposure of the people who live in the mountain with amazing cultural experiences and their cultural dances and also gifts the visitor with a chance of viewing the all sight of the wilderness and excellent selling photography sighting the all-region the mountain can be reach just few kilometers from Apoka the headquarters.
Bird watching
Kidepo national part is blessed with a number of bird species and it is among the best birding destination in Uganda. the park hosts over 463 bird species confirmed and over 26 unconfirmed.kidepo national part is the only park in Uganda gifted with Ostriches, other bird species includes Yellow- billed , Jackson’s hornbill, Little green and Red threated bee eaters, Kori bustard, Abyssinian scimitar bill , Secretary birds, Carmine, Abyssinia Roller, Abyssinian grounded hornbill and Karamoja apalis among others . Kidepo national park is known for its birds prey. Of the 64 recorded, 14 including the Verreaux’s eagle, Egyptian vulture and Pygmy falcon are believed to have been endemic to the Karamoja region and Kidepo national park. Due to the survey conducted of birds in Kidepo valley national park by the visitors and the birders. The best place where birding can be carried in the Kidepo valley national park is the Narus and Namamukweny the local language meaning “the place with no birds” and yet is the heart of bird haven in the Karamoja region.
The commonly sighted birds a visitor should not miss to sight at Apoka the Headquarters at the Southeast of Narus valley includes Scarlet cheslet chested sunbirds, Red cheeked cordon bleu, Little weaver birds, Ruppel’s super starling among others. There are also auifaunistic several birds species a visitor should not miss in Apoka site sites and while in the game drives such as Ostriches, African grey fly catchers, Ethiopian swallows, Rose ringed parakeet , Brown rumped bunting, White faced scoops owl, Tailed kite, Pygmy falcon, Fox kestrel, African swallow among others . there also the best places birding is highly supported while in the park like in mount Morungole, mount Lomej , mount Lonyili and Kanangorok hot springs Community encounter
Community encounter in the Karamoja region. The park is located in the foot tips of the unique cultural heritage of Uganda dominated by the Karamajong community in the northeastern corner of the country. Karamoja is one of the thesaurus and highly preserved cultures in Uganda that a visitor should not miss when in Kidepo valley national park safari. Karamoja cultural experiences and traditional styles gives the most memorable remote cultural experience. The karamajongs still honor their traditional instruments and customs in their lifestyle such items includes spears, bows, arrows and bead stools, jewels. The people are similar to the Maasai of Kenya with the link of their pastoral practices, this people stay in the far remote part of Uganda.
Kidepo national park have been much in the support of the local communities around the park with a number of local tours conducted. The cultural tours to communities around the park has made visitor feel the true African styles that have been demolished by many tribes in the world. Visitors are exposed to the way of living the karamojongs are living, they sleep in the Manyatta made of grass thatched huts and how they live in an extended families.
The Kidepo valley national park has supported the local communities around the park with local tour safaris which have contributed to the direct and indirect financial support through buying of the local products made such as beads, spears, articles among others and constructed community lodges and the local community gets some money from tourists
The well and rich Lorukul community gives the amazing history of their existence, this community was originally living in the park and then migrated and settles few kilometers from the park and formed three clans called “ATIROK” meaning strong or brave . According to the history one of the elder in the early 50s killed a Buffalo raiding his garden and throw a spear Back in those days when a person killed a Lion, Rhino, Buffalo, Leopards, they will respect that person because his strong and brave.
