Fly to Uganda’s most remote and beautiful wilderness for three nights of game drives in the Narus Valley, with huge buffalo herds, elephants, ostrich and rare cheetah, and almost no other vehicles.
Kidepo Valley National Park, in Uganda’s far north-east, is often called Africa’s best-kept secret. Its semi-arid valleys are ringed by mountains, and its wildlife includes species found nowhere else in Uganda, such as cheetah, ostrich and bat-eared fox. Because it is so far from Kampala, few travellers make the journey, which is exactly what makes it special.
This fly-in safari makes Kidepo easy: a two-hour flight from Entebbe, three nights in the park and game drives every day.
Kidepo feels completely different from the rest of Uganda. The Narus Valley is a wide sweep of golden grassland and borassus palms ringed by mountains, and you may drive for hours without seeing another vehicle. Morning and afternoon game drives are the main activity, with buffalo herds numbering in the hundreds and elephants moving between the waterholes. Lions are now scarce in Kidepo, so a sighting is a bonus.
Middays are hot, so lodges plan rest and lunch between drives. Nights are cool and clear, with spectacular stars. The Karamojong visit introduces a proud cattle-herding culture whose traditions remain strong.
Experienced safari-goers looking for something wild and uncrowded, photographers who love dramatic landscapes and light, and anyone combining Kidepo with a gorilla safari in the south-west.
Options range from a luxury lodge with views over the Narus Valley to simple bandas at Apoka run by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. We recommend booking early in the dry season because rooms are limited.
After an early pickup from your Entebbe hotel, check in for the scheduled flight north. The flight crosses the farmland of central Uganda, the wide waters of Lake Kyoga and the dry plains of Karamoja, often with a short stop on the way, before landing at Apoka airstrip inside Kidepo Valley National Park.
After lunch at your lodge, set out on your first game drive in the Narus Valley. Buffalo herds, elephants, zebra and Jackson’s hartebeest graze around the waterholes, and Kidepo’s rocky kopjes make dramatic viewpoints over the valley. Return to the lodge as the light turns gold over the mountains.
Spend the day exploring the Narus Valley. Morning drives find buffalo herds and elephants near the waterholes; look also for the rare cheetah, bat-eared fox, ostrich and Jackson’s hartebeest. Return to the lodge for lunch and a rest, then head out again in the late afternoon, finishing with sunset from Lomej hill.
Visit a Karamojong homestead near the park to learn about the cattle-herding way of life, crafts and traditions of the people of Karamoja. In the afternoon, drive north to the Kidepo Valley, with its sandy river and borassus palms, and optionally on towards the Kanangorok hot springs.
Enjoy a last early-morning game drive in the Narus Valley, when predators are most active and the light is soft. After breakfast, transfer to Apoka airstrip for your flight back to Entebbe, arriving in the early afternoon in time for an onward flight or a final night by Lake Victoria.
Lodges shown match the quoted price. Ask us about mid-range and luxury upgrades.
Kidepo is about 700 km from Kampala, 10–12 hours by road. Flying saves two full days and lets you enjoy three nights in the park.
September to March, the dry season, when wildlife concentrates in the Narus Valley.
Its species (cheetah, ostrich, bat-eared fox), dramatic mountain scenery and remoteness; you may see no other vehicles all day.
Yes. The region has been peaceful for many years and the park is well managed.
Usually 15 kg per person in soft bags on light aircraft.
Yes, but it takes 10–12 hours each way from Kampala, ideally with a night in Gulu, so the trip would need at least six days.
Cheetah, ostrich, bat-eared fox, striped hyena, aardwolf, caracal and greater and lesser kudu are found in Kidepo but nowhere else in Uganda.
Wildlife 7 daysTwo of Uganda’s greatest wildernesses in one journey: the thundering Nile at Murchison Falls, then the wide, wild plains of Kidepo Valley in the far north-east.
Short break 4 daysRhinos on foot, chimpanzees in a mahogany forest, the most powerful waterfall on the Nile and the big game of Uganda’s largest park, in four unhurried days from Kampala.
Honeymoon 12 daysAdventure and romance: fly in to trek gorillas in Bwindi, see tree-climbing lions and the Kazinga Channel, then fly to Zanzibar for Stone Town and six nights on the beach.
Change the dates, add a night, upgrade a lodge or combine it with Rwanda or Kenya. Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll send a revised plan and price.
