Apoka Safari lodge takes you to Uganda’s most remote areas of Kidepo Valley National Park in that, when you close your eyes, you think of Africa with its imagined landscape: the jagged hills, the magical golden grasses, the soft glowing light, and the plains dotted with wildlife.

Kidepo Valley National Park's vast golden-green plains, accentuated with rocky outcrops, reveal bigger lights at night in the skies. Click here to view mountain goilla trekking safaris.

Kidepo valley national park has abundant Wildlife species such as leopards, lions, cheetahs, giraffes, elephants, and zebra. Kidepo Valley is Uganda's only national park where giraffe and zebra live together, and possibly Uganda’s largest herds of buffalo, waterbucks, hartebeest, bushbuck, and warthogs. Click here to see our recommended mountain gorilla trekking tour.

Apoka Safari Lodge rooms are built with comfort in mind. Everything is handmade by local craftsmen, and everything in the lodge is large and capacious enough to accommodate travelers. All 10 expansive rooms are made from natural canvas walls with endless views across Kidepo Valley National Park. 

Apoka Safari Lodge's swimming pool is deep and cool; it was carved out of a big rock. That makes travelers feel like kids again because of the splashing, yelling water from this swimming pool.

Apoka Safaris Lodge makes it simple for visitors to enjoy a walk through the savanna national park with zebras. Spend some time in Karamojong villages as you learn about Karamojong traditions and their way of life.

Kidepo Valley National Park is a hidden gem in Uganda, harboring some unique animals that are only found in this region and distinctive cultural experiences. The following are some of the favorite tourist attractions within Kidepo Valley National Park

1. Narus Valley Game Drive

Narus Valley offers water points to many animals within Kidepo Valley National Park. Narus Valley is the perfect spot for big game drives because of the high concentration of animals.

Narus Valley accommodates animal species such as Cape buffalo, African elephants, lions, warthogs, giraffes, and zebras. If a traveler is lucky enough, he or she might even spot a cheetah.

2. Kidepo Valley Game Drive

Kidepo Valley is located next to the Kidepo River, offering water to animals and beautiful scenery. While making the game drive through the Kidepo Valley, the road intersects the Kidepo River. During the dry season, the Kidepo River dries up and the place is filled with white sand. Borassus palm forest is the only remnant of the once-flowing Kidepo River. Kidepo Valley is where you can see ostriches and secretary birds at most of the points.

3. Kidepo River

While visiting Kidepo Valley National Park in the dry months of June, July, August, and September, the Kidepo River may not look like a river. But it is a 50-meter-wide bed full of white sand, and it stretches so far that you can see it from a distance Kidepo River beds are lined with Borassus palms and the remnants of vegetation from the wet season. During the two rainy months, the Kidepo River can be filled and becomes a surviving water point for many animal species within Kidepo Valley National Park.

Suppose you are planning to visit Kidepo Valley National Park during the dry season. In that case, you can plan with your trusted tour company and the Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers to camp along the river bed.

4. Kanangorok Hot Springs

While visiting Kidepo Valley, make sure your driver guide continues to Kanangorok Hot Springs. to encounter the hot springs that are situated on the South Sudan and Uganda border and that offer magnificent views of the mountain ranges.

5. Lorokul Cultural Group

The Lorokul cultural group attracts visitors who want to learn more about the Karamojong tribe; a visit to the Lorokul cultural group will never leave visitors unchanged. The Lorokul cultural group is located outside Kidepo Valley National Park.

The Notorious Cattle Herders are the Karamojong people; the Karamojong tribe has created a welcoming home, and they are willing to share their cultural experience and traditions with visitors to the region. The Karamojong cultural experience is among Uganda’s unique tourist attractions within Kidepo Valley National Park.

6. Hike to Mount Morungole?

Mount Morungole stands at 2,750 meters; its highest point is occupied by the Ik people, and it is the source of both the Narus Valley and Kidepo Rivers, all located in Kidepo Valley National Park.

Mount Morungole harbors the smallest ethnic group in Uganda, called the IK tribe. Planning to hike Mount Morungole gives travelers a greater chance to spot forest vegetation and take incredible photos of Kidepo Valley National Park animals.

7. Birding in Kidepo Valley National Park?

Kidepo Valley National Park protects approximately 475 species of birds. Kidepo Valley National Park bird species include the Abyssinian Roller, Ruppel’s Super Starlings, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Purple Heron, Red-Cheeked Cordon Bleu, Red-billed Oxpeckers, African Hoopoe, and Karamoja Apalis, among many others. Travelers can also encounter Clapperton’s Francolin, which can only be found in Kidepo Valley National Park.

The best place for bird watching within Kidepo Valley National Park is along Narus Valley and Namamukweny Valley, all situated in the northeast. Namamukweny Valley offers the best bird-watching opportunities within Kidepo Valley National Park. If you are so interested in searching for ostriches and the Secretary Bird, make sure you are in the northern part of Kidepo Valley.

To avoid intense heat during the dry season and messy roads in the rainy season, we recommend travelers visit Kidepo Valley National Park from August to September each year. Although Kidepo Valley National Park can be explored throughout the year.

If you don’t mind the intense heat, we recommend you visit Kidepo Valley National Park from December to February or from June to August during the long and short dry seasons. During this period, you will have the greatest opportunity to spot many animal species congregating around water sources.