I have friends that wants to do a 4 week Uganda trip in May/June next year. One of the places they want to go is Kidepo National Park in the far North East corner of Uganda. I have never been to the park, so an idea formed in my head to explore the park before they arrived. I mentioned it to my friend Adam Scott Kennedy and he had never been to the park either and he were keen to go on an exploratory trip with me. Zoe wanted to come too, so Adam also brought his girlfriend Khadija. Zoe and I drove up to Nairobi on Saturday, August 8 and spent the night in Adam’s beautiful apartment. The day after we started at 06:00 from Nairobi, crossed the Busia border to Uganda and spent the night in Mbale, Uganda.
Day 1, Monday, August 10, 2026: Mbale – Katurum Lodge, Kidepo Valley National Park.
Again, we had a 06:00 start and I were very uncertain about the roads. I had decided to go on tarred roads as long as possible. I were quite surprised by the quality of the roads from Mbale to Lura via Soroti. From Lura to Katgum the road were being worked on so the 125 km went fairly smooth. We stocked up on Water and Diesel in Kitgum before we started the drive towards Katurum Lodge inside the park. We could not pay by the gate, so we had to do a detour to Apoka for the entrance fee. It were a nice afternoon, so we took the opportunity to bird our way to Apoka and back to our hotel: Here are some of the birds we saw on the road towards Apoka: Yellow-billed Shrike, Abyssinian Roller, Vinaceous Dove, Kidepo Lark, Grey-backed Fiscal, Chestnut Weaver, Harlequin Quail, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Meyer’s Parrot, Piapiac, African Grey Hornbill and Grey-backed Fiscal. We arrived at Katurum Lodge at around 19:00. We were greeted by the manager Francis and were shown to our rooms. We had dinner and retired early to bed. I heard Barn Owl calling outside my room and played the call and two came in.
Some pictures from Day 1:
Katurum Lodge, Kidepo Valley. A beautiful place to stay with incredible views.
Abyssinian Roller, Coracias abyssinicus
Vinaceous Dove, Streptopelia vinacea – LIFER
Kidepo Lark, Corypha kidepoensis – LIFER
African Grey Hornbill, Lophoceros nasutus
Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Bucorvus abyssinicus
Day 2, Tuesday, April 11, 2026: Kidepo Valley National Park
We met our guide the day before and agreed to meet him at Apoka at 07:00 in the morning. We found Freckled Nightjar on the road just outside our lodge, further on also Swamp Nightjar. Other birds observed before we met our guide included: Wahlberg’s Eagle, Clapperton’s Spurfowl, Black Coucal, Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Squacco Heron, Northern Red and Black-winged Red Bishop. We met up with our Ranger/Guide and set out to find the Black-breasted Barbet. On the way to the spot we saw Foxy Cisticola, White-crested Turaco, Plain-backed Pipit, Cut-throat Finch. We stopped, but the sun were straight in our face. On the left side of the road we saw a flock of Long-tailed Paradise Whydahs. After more thorough examination, Adam found some odd ones and later he confirmed with Nik Borrow that they were indeed Exclamatory Paradise Whydah a new bird for East Africa! We walked from from the road and spotted Bateleur, Black-breasted Barbet, White-headed Vulture, White-crested Helmetshrike, Fan-tailed Raven and Cinnamon-breasted Bunting before we returned to the car. On the way back to lunch we added Green Wood Hoopoe, Mosque Swallow, African Wattled Lapwing, Kidepo Lark again (quite common in the park), White-backed Vulture Red-winged Starling and Red-headed Weaver. After lunch, Zoe and I did some garden birding at the hotel and we added Mocking Cliff Chat, African Paradise Flycatcher, Hooded Vulture, Stone Partridge, Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu and Northern Grey-headed Weaver. After lunch, Adam wanted to go and get better pictures of the Barbet, so we went back to the same spot. Here are some of the birds we found: African Hawk-Eagle, Croaking Cisticola, Wood Sandpiper, Bleating Camaroptera, Lappet-faced Vulture, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, White-crested Turaco and Black-headed Oriole. The others went in for the Barbet. I stayed by the car. They came back and had not found it. We started driving slowly back and found the Barbet again. We spent some time taking pictures and then continued: Rose-ringed Parakeet, Senegal Coucal, Brown Snake Eagle, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Broad-billed Roller, Greater Blue-eared Starling and at dusk a fly by of a Pennant-winged Nightjar. We arrived at camp, had dinner and retired for the night.
Some pictures from Day 2:
Clapperton’s Spurfowl, Pternistis clappertoni – LIFER
Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Estrilda paludicola
Foxy Cisticola, Cisticola troglodytes
Long-tailed Paradise Whydah, Vidua paradisaea
Village Indigobird, Vidua chalybeata
Bateleur, Terathopius ecaudatus
Bateleur, Juvenile, Terathopius ecaudatus
Black-breasted Barbet, Pogonornis rolleti – LIFER
Jackson’s Hornbill, Tockus jacksoni
White-headed Vulture, Trigonoceps occipitalis
White-headed Vulture, Juvenile, Trigonoceps occipitalis
Kidepo Lark, Corypha Kidepoensis
Fan-tailed Raven, Corvus rhipidurus
Abyssinian Roller, Coracias abyssinicus
Martial Eagle, Polemaetus bellicosus
Mocking Cliff Chat, Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris
Mocking Cliff Chat, Female, Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris
Stone Partridge, Ptilopachus petrosus
Hooded Vulture, Necrosyrtes monachus
Wood Sandpiper, Tringa glareola
Lappet-faced Vulture, Torgos tracheliotos
Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Treron waalia – LIFER
White-backed Vulture, Gyps africanus
Croaking Cisticola, Cisticola natalensis
Senegal Coucal, Centropus senegalensis
Brown Snake Eagle, Circaetus cinereus
Day 3, Wednesday, April 12, 2026: Kidepo Valley National Park
That day, we were supposed to go to the hotsprings north in the park on the border to South Sudan. We had high expectation for the hot springs, but the guide did not mention any specific birds. We drove to pick up our guide in Apoka and added Grey Heron, Malachite Kingfisher, Black Crake, Black-crowned Night Heron, Grey Kestrel and Black-headed Gonolek. Then we drove quite fast past the Barbet site and found an Exclamatory Paradise Whydah perched nicely. On the way to the Hot Springs we added Red-pate Cisticola, White-bellied Bustard, Common Ostrich, Black-bellied Bustard, Black-billed Wood Dove, Rufous Chatterer, Common Hoopoe, African Cuckoo, Secretarybird, Shelley’s Sparrow, White-browed Sparrow-Weaver and then we reached the Hot Springs. It were a tiny sip from the ground and no birds around. I asked again the guide what were the main targets. No answer. We found Northern Red-fronted Tinkerbird, White-bellied Go-away-bird and Greater Honeyguide up there. We wasted the morning light by going fast up there and had to return in bright light. We tried for the Karamoja Apalis that neither Adam or I needed, no luck. On the way back, we added Speckle-fronted Weaver, Wattled Starling, African Grey Flycatcher, Grey-capped Social Weaver, Flappet Lark, Slate-colored Boubou, D’Arnaud’s Barbet, Beautiful Sunbird, Little Weaver, Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird, Singing Bush Lark, Wahlberg’s Eagle, Northern Red-fronted Hornbill, Mourning Collared Dove, White-headed Buffalo Weaver, Heuglin’s Wheatear, Namaqua Dove, Superb Starling, White-billed Buffalo Weaver, White-browed Scrub Robin, Helmeted Guineafowl and Fox Kestrel. We dropped our guide at Apoka and continued to camp. Just before camp, we added Familiar Chat. We just drove from camp in the afternoon without a guide in search of the Four-banded Sandgrouse, no luck. We found Silverbird, Yellow-billed Shrike, Red-pate Cisticola, Pin-tailed Whydah, yet a Kidepo Lark and Harlequin Quail. It started raining at the end of the loop and we returned to our lodge. We had dinner and retired early to bed.
Some pictures from Day 3:
Exclamatory Paradise Whydah, Vidua injterjecta – LIFER
Red-pate Cisticola, Cisticola ruficeps – LIFER
Bateleur, Terathopius ecaudatus
White-bellied Bustard, Eupodotis senegalensis
Rufous Chatterer, Argya rubiginosa
Black-bellied Bustard, Lissotis melanogaster
Black-billed Wood Dove, Turtur abyssinicus
Secretarybird, Sagittarius serpentarius
White-bellied Go-away-bird, Crinifer leucogaster
Greater Honeyguide, Indicator indicator
Northern Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Pogoniulus uropygialis
African Grey Flycatcher, Bradornis microrhynchus
Singing Bush Lark, Mirafra javanica
Wahlberg’s Eagle, Hieraaetus wahlbergi
Helmeted Guineafowl, Numida meleagris
Northen Red-billed Hornbill, Tockus erythrorhynchus
Mourning Collared Dove, Streptopelia decipiens
Heuglin’s Wheatear, Oenanthe heuglini – LIFER
Namaqua Dove, Oena capensis
Fox Kestrel, Falco alopex – LIFER
Familia Char, Oenanthe familiaris
Yellow-billed Shrike, Corvinella corvina
Red-pate Cisticola, Cisticola ruficeps
Pin-tailed Whydah, Vidua macroura
Kidepo Lark, Corypha kidepoensis
Black-crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax
African Grey Hornbill, Lophoceros nasutus
Harlequin Quail, Coturnix delegorguei
Day 4, Thursday, April 13, 2026: Kidepo Valley National Park
That morning we were going to try for the elusive Ring-necked Francolin. We drove to pick up our guide, stopped at a wetland and found Purple Heron, Hamerkop and Western Cattle Egret. We exited the park near Savannah Lodge and found White-fronted Black Chat and Lesser Blue-eared Starling. We stopped at a patch where the guide told us to go into high grass to find the Francolin. We asked him how we could get pictures of an elusive bird in high grass? We did some exploring and got no direction from the guide. We found Bronze Mannikin, Striped Kingfisher and Black-winged Red Bishop. We finally came to the main road again. I noticed some bird activity and played a warning call. We lured out a number of birds including Yellow-fronted Canary, Brubru, Red-bille Quelea, Green-backed Eremomela and Red-faced Crombec. We drove toward the gate we came in and dropped our guide there. We returned to the lodge for lunch and saw an African Olive Pigeon and a white morphed African Paradise Flycatcher as we approached the lodge. We checked location for the Francolin over lunch and knew exactly the location where they had been found. We had been in the right place. After lunch, we drove back. We had a cloud cover and very little bird activity. We only added Olive Bee-eater and got some pictures of Crested Francolin. We stopped many places and called the Francolin, but not a single reply.
Some pictures from Day 4:
Hamerkop, Scopus umbretta
Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea
Western Cattle Egret, Ardea ibis
White-fronted Black Chat, Oenanthe albifrons – LIFER
Black-winged Red Bishop, Euplectes hordeaceus
Striped Kingfisher, Halcyon chelicuti
Green-backed Eremomela, Eremomela canescens
Crested Francolin, Ortygornis sephaena
Olive Bee-eater, Merops superciliosus
Day 5, Friday, April 14, 2026: Kidepo Valley National Park
Adam wanted to give the Francolin another try. Just near the lodge, we photographed the Freckled Nightjar again. The morning yielded the following birds: Northern Yellow White-eye, African Green Pigeon, Black-bellied Firefinch, African Cuckoo-Hawk, Black Saw-wing, Nubian Woodpecker, Mottled Swift, Brown Babbler, Rattling Cisticola, Vinaceous Dove, Blue-spotted Wood Dove, White-crested Turaco and White-bellied Go-away-bird. Still absolutely no response from the Ring-necked Francolin. We returned to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, we again went in search for the Francolin. We had to stop for some rain, very little activity (I did not take a single picture) and again absolutely no sign of the Francolin. We had dinner and retired early. That was the last day in our park. We had the first afternoon and two full days in the park before we spent the next two full days searching for the Francolin. In hindsight, we should probably have tried a different approach to see more of the park?
Some Pictures from Day 5:
Freckled Nightjar, Caprimulgus tristigma
African Cuckoo-Hawk, Aviceda cuculoides
Foxy Cisticola, Cisticola troglodytes
Brown Babbler, Turdoides plebejus
Vinaceous Dove, Streptopelia vinacea
Blue-spotted Wood Dove, Turtur afer
White-bellied Go-away-bird, Crinifer leucogaster
Day 6, Saturday, April 15, 2026: Kidepo Valley National Park – Bungoma, Kenya
We birded on the way out and found some roadside birds. In Kitgum we filled up Diesel. The road from Kitgum to Lira were being worked on and from Lira to the border, the road were extremely good. We crossed the border and managed to reach Bungoma in Kenya where we found a guest house for the night.
Some pictures from Day 6
Crested Francolin, Ortygornis sephana
Long-crested Eagle, Lophaetus occipitalis
Day 7, Sunday, April 16, 2026: Bungoma, Kenya – Home to Usa River, Tanzania.
We started early from Bungoma and reached Nairobi just before 14:00. We were supposed to spend the night in Nairobi, but we decided to make a run for it. The border crossing went smooth and we arrived home at 18:45. More than 12 hours behind the wheel two days in a row. Nothing for an old Norwegian 🙂
Not bad, 1.351km in two days?
This were indeed an exploratory trip. I got 10 Lifers, but had hoped for a few more. In total we saw 190 species inside the park and we took pictures of 108 of them. I am going back with friends in late May next year and I am a little more prepared now. I have two upcoming Usambara trips in September, before I go to Kenya again end October. Finally, I end the year with a 3 week Tanzania trip in December. Stay tuned for more trip reports.