Safety in Kidepo valley national park
Lots of tourists who have read about Kidepo valley national park and are interested in visiting normally ask about what safety is like in Kidepo. Well, Kidepo valley national park is a very safe place to visit if you want to have a safari in Uganda. The national park of Kidepo is protected by Uganda Wildlife Authority a government body controlling and managing park activities like it does in the other nine national parks.
Safety in Kidepo valley national park
Years ago Kidepo valley national park was not as safe as it is today however we would like to tell travelers that the situation did change. Cattle raiding by the Karamojong was a being issue in areas of Kidepo and northeastern Uganda but with an increase in security that did stop. Kidepo valley national park before being gazetted as a national park had Karamajong and IK people live alongside animals but when it was gazetted to a national park these were sent out.
The cattle keepers in Karamoja areas used to think tourists and their safari drives were cattle raiders not until Uganda Wildlife Authority taught the communities living around the park now that these people were tourists coming to see the different attractions within the park. UWA every year gets a certain percentage of the money collected and gives it to the locals living around the park to show them that tourism is of good importance.
The local people who are the Karamajong and the IK now welcome tourists as friends but not as cattle raiders or strangers. Tourists who love the African culture visit these locals to see how they live their day to day life ever since they lived in the national park. At the end of the visit, the local dancers entertain these tourists through dancers and drama.
Kidepo valley national park also safe because of the tight security by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. UWA trained rangers and is still training more to go into these national parks and make sure animals and tourists are safe. The first rangers are at the entrance gates to check tourists and vehicles which access the national park. After accessing the park, the lodges where tourists stay have security personnel to make sure tourists are safe during their stay at the park.
Inside the national park, armed ranger guides are everywhere monitoring the vehicles of tourists and animals around the park. For animals that want to be dangerous, there are shots in the air to scare them and cool them down. These ranger guides know very well how to treat animals when they have charged but tourists need to keep rules and regulations when carrying out different activities to avoid such moments.
During the day, tourists are supposed to use good safari vehicles while moving around the park. It’s hard for animals to attack these safari cars and they move through different game tracks without any difficulty. At night, all safari cars going for night game drives are supposed to have armed ranger guides.
The best time to visit Kidepo Valley Park
Tourists looking at the best time to visit Kidepo valley national park should look at the dry seasons. June to September and December to February are the best times to visit Kidepo valley national park because they have good weather conditions. The national park receives little rainfall and plenty of sunshine which keeps the game tracks dry and easier to drive through, the vegetation is short with good views of wildlife, and roads leading to the park are passable.
Tourists most especially budget travelers and those that want privacy can visit Kidepo valley national park during the rainy season. From March to May and October to November lodges and tour operators give tourists discounts to attract the few that want to visit the park. The rainy season is however characterized by too much rainfall that makes some game tracks muddy and impassable while the vegetation is tall with unclear views of wildlife.
