Tour Guide, Kampala, Uganda
| 5 mins read
Travelling is one thing that makes life complete and exploring the Kidepo Valley Wilderness brings your travel dreams to reality as you will experience more than just wildlife encounters on your trip to this hidden gem in the Karamoja region of northeastern Uganda.
I have travelled through countries and visited different national parks but the first time I stepped in the Kidepo wilderness, my life changed completely and I can never stop dreaming of that single day I can return to the true wilderness of Africa. The park is located in the Karamoja region which holds one of the ancient tribes in Africa that still live the typical African lifestyle to date
Well, the trip took us 7 days exploring the Karamoja region and I will now break it down as it went day by day:
We started early in the morning on day one and drove to Sipi Falls that is located on the slopes of Mount Elgon where we did an evening hike through the beautiful waterfalls that offer more than just spectacular views but also a home feeling of being in Africa with its beautiful weather and friendly people that are always smiling on seeing the tourists whom they call 'Mzungu' in the local language. The drive took us 5-6 hours from Kampala/Entebbe and the walk through the waterfalls took us 3 hours before we went and relaxed at our hotel.
On the second day, we had a delicious breakfast on one of the most beautiful views overlooking the Karamoja plains and thereafter, we hit the road to Karamoja through Pian Upe Game Reserve which is yet to be made a national park. The reserve inhabits quit a number of endemic wildlife species and if you are chanced, you may spot cheetahs, roan antelopes, giraffes, ostriches and much more wildlife roaming the savanna plains of this little paradise.
After a 6 hours drive, we arrived and stayed at Kara Tunga Safari Camp where we had one of the most delicious dinners as it was cooked in a typical African way.
If you have that adventurous spirit, you have an option of camping in the Kraal with the locals where you will enjoy the warrior songs and stories told by the elders about the life of the Karamajong's as the blazing campfire protects you from the mosquitoes.
On the third day, we had to light up our adventure spirits as we started early and embarked on a scenic road through the plains to the promised land 'Kidepo Valley National Park'. The journey took us 6 hours as we drove through the villages filled with the Karamajong huts known as 'Manyatas' that are all built out of local wood, mud, grass and smeared with cow dung that acts as a repellent from termites which would easily destroy the beautiful round huts.
We arrived early for lunch at our hotel that has a magical panoramic view of the savanna plains overlooking the 'Narus Valley' of Kidepo Valley where numerous wildlife species forage. We checked into our cozy tents that have inbuilt bathrooms and an amazing terrace to watch miles away and get your mind blown off into nature. We all couldn't wait for another day to get lost into the jungle; we had to do a sunset safari and we never regretted our decision because we have the most luck than anyone ever had on a safari spotting a cheetah, two leopards, a lion, herds of elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, zebras and much more wildlife in a blink of an evening... this was simply overwhelming for us and we had endless chats on dinner.
We spent day four and five doing safaris and spotting wildlife in the different tracks of the park and also managed to visit the 'Ik' tribe living in the Murongole Mountains located on the borders of Uganda and South Sudan. This tribe consists of less than 900 people and reaching them, you take a 3 hours scenic trail from the base of the mountain to the ranges that stand at approximately 2748m above sea level.
Our journey was filled with great memories as we left on the sixth day and had a night at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary which is the only place you can spot the White Rhinos in the wilderness on Ugandan soil. In the early 1980s, Uganda had a number of rhinos but were all hunted down to extinction during the political and civil instabilities of the post-colonial government. Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary a non-profit organisation took over the role of reintroducing the Rhinos in the early 2000s and they have registered great success over the years. They currently have 28 rhinos and are aiming at a hitting 40 so that half of these can be reintroduced in the national parks.
Nevertheless, we managed to spot 8 rhinos that wrapped up our 'Big '5 African wildlife encounter.
With our minds filled with memories and changed souls, we returned to Kampala on day 7 and visited some sites and museums around the capital that wrapped up our lifetime memorable experience.