KIDEPO SAVANNAH LODGE
Kidepo Savannah Lodge is located on the edge of one of the most beautiful national parks in Uganda. The lodge is owned by Nature Lodges and it’s their latest and most remote property. Kidepo valley national park has received several international awards as one of the greatest Parks of Africa. This is because the park is naturally amazing with a diverse wildlife count in the wilderness. It is also a home to the highest concentration of the cape buffaloes in Uganda. Kidepo Savannah lodge offers unparalleled vistas of the expansive Narus Valley. Plus Mount Morungole and the distant mountain ranges which form the border with Southern Sudan.
Its inspiration comes from the Savannah surroundings i.e. the grasslands and rocky outcrops. Another factor is the Karamajong tribe with their typical manyattas and colorful blankets. Kidepo Savannah Lodge is located in the far North-eastern Uganda in Kaabong, at the edge of Kidepo Valley National Park, 2 km to Kalokudo gate-an entrance to the park.
Briefly, Kidepo Valley National park is located in the northeastern corner of Uganda. It is Uganda’s most isolated national park, but ranks among Africa’s finest wildernesses. The few who make the long journey north through the Karamoja region would agree that it’s truly magnificent.
Accommodation
Safari Tent
Kidepo Savannah Lodge has twelve beautifully appointed safari tents on raised decks. Each of the spacious tents has a private veranda offering splendid views of the mighty Savannah. The tents are comfortably furnished with a 1 double or 2 single beds well-spaced. All safari tents have an en-suite n bathroom with 24 hours hot showers, running water and a flushing toilet.
Tents
Kidepo Savannah Lodge offers 9 non-self-contained tents that fall in the budget option. These tents are comfortably set with stunning furniture, together with 2 singles or 1 double bed. They also contain a bedside table and a power outlet for charging your electrical gadgets like phones. The views into the park are vast and magnificent with an occasional herd of elephants or buffaloes passing by. The tents share a communal ablution block with hot showers and flushing toilets. No need to worry about linen as all bedding and towels are provided.
Restaurant, Bar And Lounge
Kidepo Savannah Lodge offers a 4 course meals, and also offers a 2 course meal during lunch. Everything runs off solar, including the fridges and freezers, so the lodge works with a fixed menu. If one has any dietary requirement, the lodge is happy to cater for your request.
At the highest point of the Kawalokol hill you will find the restaurant, bar and very spacious lounge. The bar has a variety of drinks for the guests to enjoy while relaxing at the lodge.
The thatched dining and bar area offer one of the finest views over the Park with wildlife opportunities. From the wooden deck in front of our restaurant one can often witness the Milky Way like only National Geographic is able to catch.
ACTIVITIES
Kidepo Valley National Park is one of those out of the ordinary places in East Africa. A place as you might imagine Africa would be, but only better. The park is still raw and remote with few numbers of visitors, however there has to be improvements. This is truly the perfect place for your African adventure as you plan to visit the wilderness.
Game Drives
Kidepo Savannah Lodge organizes morning and afternoon game drives of 2 to 3 hours in an open roofed extended land cruiser. A classic African safari experience along Narus valley tracking down a pride of lions.
Nature/Bush Walks
There is nothing like taking a walk on the wild side. Explore the Savannah by foot, accompanied by an armed guide you will venture along dry river beds, over rocky outcrops and through bush land to track the resident wildlife.
Lamoj Mountains:
Most of the hiking is takes place on Lamoj Mountains only a couple of kilometers from the Headquarters of the Park. This area is in the Narus Valley, a prime game viewing area of Kidepo Valley national park. The river is dries out through the biggest part of the year which makes it impossible for animals to stay near it. A stroll on its wide bed of white sand or in the barassus palm forest which feels like an oasis in the Sahara, is a fascinating attraction.
Karamajong Village Visit
Karamajongs belong to the Nilotic ethnic group and are agro-pastoral herders living mainly in northeastern Uganda. The name Karamajong derives from a phrase meaning ‘the old men can walk no further’. Originally from Ethiopia, they settled in the northeastern Uganda and are related to the Maasai warrior nomad tribe. For generations, pride and status were cattle, and cattle raiding was the rule of the day. Since the disarmament program, things have calmed down and subsistence farming has become a lot more common after cattle. Cultural visit to their manyatta, will give you an insight into this fascinating community, its culture and tradition
Cultural Experience with the IK Tribe
The IK people are one of the original tribes and were here long before the Karamajong came to the place. Initially the IK people occupied the current Kidepo Valley National Park before their original home was declared a national park. They were forced to move northwards to Mount Morungole to settle there. This brought extreme famine and the IK people had to adapt new practices and skills to forge their way of survival.
Today, they are one of the smallest and most marginalized tribe in Uganda with over 10,000 people. There are fears that this tribe might be on the verge to extinction through resistance has led to their survival. Today, visitors have an opportunity to visit the IK community. This day venture gives you the most stunning scenery to know the rare insight of the tribe.
Fly in safaris
The Lodge organizes a 3 day fly in safari to this remote and unspoiled National Park. The package consist of a fine combination of game drives, a cultural visit to Karamajong and their unique manyattas and a nature walk where you will explore the Savannah by foot.
Reaching the lodge
By Road: The best and most direct route via car from Kampala passes through Gulu and Kitgum to “Lokumoit Gate”. Set off early to avoid the Kampala traffic and take a packed lunch for this 10-hour long journey.
By Air: The easier option is to fly in by a scheduled or chartered flight. The lodges land cruiser can pick you up from Kidepo airport and drive you the rest of the way to the safari lodge.
If you have plans of traveling to any East African country, for activities like Gorilla tracking, lion tracking, chimpanzee tracking, golden monkey tracking, wildlife viewing, game viewing, mountain hiking, volcanic exploration, wildebeest migration viewing, cultural experience, heritage sites visit plus your bucket list, book a wildlife safari now
