Ask ten safari veterans for their favourite African park and Kidepo Valley comes up more than you would expect. It is remote - a two-hour flight or a full day's drive from Kampala - and that isolation is exactly why it still feels untouched.

What makes it different

Kidepo combines rolling savanna, the seasonal Narus and Kidepo rivers, and dramatic mountain backdrops shared with Kenya and South Sudan. Herds of buffalo, elephant and Rothschild's giraffe move across open plains where you may not see another vehicle all day.

Predators and rare species

The park holds healthy lion prides (including tree-climbing behaviour in some areas), cheetah, and species found nowhere else in Uganda, such as the bat-eared fox and the striped hyena.

• Best visited June-September and December-February for game concentration around the rivers
• Pairs well with a cultural visit to the Karamojong homesteads nearby
• Limited camps mean a genuinely exclusive, uncrowded safari

We usually recommend combining Kidepo with a fly-in itinerary to make the most of your time - ask us about routing it alongside Murchison Falls.