Apoka Lodge, Kidepo Valley National Park
When you close your eyes and think of Africa, the landscape you imagine – the jagged hills, the golden grasses, the plains dotted with wildlife, the soft glowing light – is likely to be Kidepo. This is Uganda’s most remote park, far away from city life.
The rooms at Apoka have been built with comfort in mind. Everything is handmade by local craftsmen, everything is large and capacious. 10 expansive rooms with natural canvas walls surround a rocky kopje with endless views across the savannah. With inside sitting rooms and private verandas there are plenty of places to relax, read and write letters. Big hand-hewn beds with soft duvets are draped with mosquito nets, hand-woven woolen carpets, extra large plush towels, oversized dressing gowns…you may be as far away from the city as you’ll ever be, but you won’t miss a thing.
Each room has its own ensuite bathroom with double sink and large tropical shower. Water is heated by solar power and there is plenty of it. Step outside to a sheltered terrace and slip into your own outdoor stone bathtub, big enough to fit the whole family. All rooms have electric lights, power points.
Wildlife in kidepo is abundant. Lions, leopard, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, zebra (this is Uganda’s only park where giraffe and zebra are found together), possibly Africa’s largest herds of buffalo, hartebeest, waterbuck, bushbuck, warthog…the list is endless. Better still, much of it can be seen from the privacy of your veranda or your outdoor bathtub, but the best way to see the wildlife is up close, on foot.
Activities
- Game Drives
- Guided Walks – this is a must in kidepo
- Birdwatching
- Visits to the local Karamajong community
- Spotlit night drives
Apoka Lodge is one of the holy grails of safari, a safari so far removed from the more conventional areas that sometimes it is hard to believe it even exists.
