The local communities around the park include pastoral Karamojong people, similar to the Maasai of Kenya, and the IK, a hunter-gatherer tribe whose survival is threatened. The IK are believed to be the indigenous occupants of this region of Uganda before the coming of other tribes.
Kidepo is Uganda’s most isolated national park, but the few who make the long journey north through the wild frontline region of Karamoja would agree that it is also the most magnificent, for Kidepo ranks among Africa’s premium wildernesses. From Apoka, in the heart of the park, a savannah landscape extends far beyond the gazetted area, towards horizons outlined by distant mountain ranges.
During the dry season, the only permanent water in the park is found in wetlands and remnant pools in the broad Narus Valley near Apoka. These seasonal oases, combined with the open, savannah terrain, make the Narus Valley the park’s prime game viewing location (UWA, 2018).
