Kidepo Valley Game Reserve Wildlife | Top Tourist Attractions and Activities in South Sudan
Kidepo Valley Game Reserve is one of the magnificent Game Reserves in South Sudan located in the far southern depths on the border with Uganda in the Southeast. It forms a contiguous ecosystem with Uganda’s world-famous Kidepo Valley National Park. The reserve offers up close and personal encounters with wildlife with animals like elephants and Defassa waterbuck all of which often visit and walk through the game lodges located on the boundaries of the reserve.
The Reserve covers an area of over 1200 km2, and there is no fence between the two parks, just an imaginary line of the international border. The Kidepo River which flows through the Reserve originates in South Sudan's Kidepo Valley Game Reserve and flows into Uganda's Kidepo Valley National Park.
The Reserve is covered in savannas, grasslands, and woodlands. Acacia short-grass savanna predominates in the plains. Low ranges of rocky hills are covered in scrub. The Ibakany-Toomodo and Narus plains, Lonyili Mountains, Akorou-Bira Mountains, Dongatona Mountains, and Didinga Hills have areas of montane forest and shrubland.
Wildlife:
Mammal species in the reserve include African bush elephant, African wild dog, lion, cheetah, leopard, spotted hyena, lesser kudu, African buffalo, and giraffe among others.
The reserve is an Important Bird Area. Native birds include Heuglin's spurfowl, yellow-necked spurfowl, and dusky turtle dove. There are high opportunities of spotting Egyptian vulture, Pygmy falcon, Ostrich, Verreaux's eagle, Black coucal, Yellow-rumped Seedeater, Clapperton's Francolin, Karamoja apalis, Black-breasted barbet, Broad-tailed warbler, Silverbird, Yellow-billed Shrike, Marsh Tchagra, Crimson-rumped Waxbill.
Things to do in Kidepo Valley Game Reserve:
Game drives:
Game drives are the best way to explore the far reaches of the park within a short space of time. Coming face to face with large mammals and predators from the safety of your vehicle is an unforgettable experience.
Birdwatching:
Because certain parts of the park are virgin and rarely visited, there is no complete count of the number of bird species found in the park. Kidepo Valley game reserve is best known for its resident birds of prey such as the Egyptian Vulture, Pygmy Falcon, and Verreaux’s Eagle.
Nature walks:
Step out on a trail and notice the sense of vulnerability that makes every walk a vivid experience. Comforted by the knowledge of your guide, you can encounter the wilderness in all its glory. Most of the walking trails take 2 to 3 hours. The nature walks give you ample opportunity to see an abundance of magnificent mammals and birds within the backdrop of a stunning landscape.
Community visits:
The Boya and Didinga people live within the South Sudan Kidepo Game Reserve and they will be visited during any safari to the reserve.
Best time to visit:
Kidepo Game Reserve safaris in South Sudan can be done throughout the year, though the best time is during the dry season between June to September which is the best time for sighting animals in the park.
Arrange and Book with Ultimate Wild Safaris for the tour of Kidepo Valley Game Reserve in South Sudan.
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