Bat-eared Fox

Bat-eared Fox in Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo Valley National Park is Uganda’s most remote and ruggedly beautiful savanna wilderness, spanning 1,442 square kilometers in the extreme northeastern Karamoja region. Bordering South Sudan and Kenya, the park features a dramatic landscape dominated by the Narus and Kidepo valleys, flanked by the soaring Mount Morungole and rugged mountain ranges. Because it is isolated, it receives a fraction of the tourists found in western Uganda, providing an exclusive, untamed safari atmosphere reminiscent of Africa fifty years ago. The park protects a diverse ecosystem of montane forests and semi-arid savanna grasslands. It is home to 86 mammal species and over 460 bird species, including many found nowhere else in the country. Kidepo Valley National Park is known for Kidepo is renowned for its spectacular, crowd-free landscapes and harboring Uganda's unique wilderness predators, including the largest single herds of African Cape buffalo on the continent. Spotting this small, fascinating predator during the cooler hours of the day or on a night drive is a lesson in absolute sensory focus. Instantly recognizable by their disproportionately large, dish-like ears, these foxes spend their time with their heads lowered close to the ground, listening intently for the subterranean movements of harvester termites and beetles. To watch them hunt is mesmerizing; they tilt their heads from side to side before frantically digging into the soil with their sharp claws to unearth their insect prey. Moving in small, tightly-knit family groups, their massive ears, dark eye masks, and bushy, black-tipped tails give them an incredibly distinct, endearing presence on the open plains. Best time to visit for this: September to March, with the prime window of the dry season from December to February, when wildlife congregates heavily around the permanent water sources of the Narus Valley.