Apoka Safari Lodge
Apoka Safari Lodge is located in Kidepo Valley National Park. Apoka Safari Lodge and Kidepo Park are as remote as one can get in Uganda. If you are looking for luxury accommodation in a game park in an off the beaten track destination in the Pearl of Africa, then Apoka Safari Lodge would be the perfect choice for you. Kidepo is Uganda’s most remote park, with no mass tourism here. You will not find hundreds of safari land cruisers here crisscrossing the park like you would in say the Serengeti. Kidepo is rugged mountains, tall grasses, vast savannah plains dotted with wildlife, game and birds.
There is an abundance of wildlife and animals in Kidepo. Kidepo is the only national park in Uganda where giraffe and zebras co-exist. You will find loads of leopards, lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffalos, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs and hartebeest, the list is quite long.
The drive from Entebbe to Kidepo can be tiring and long, but well worth it considering the safari game viewing opportunities in the park. Even mind boggling is that most of the wildlife can be spotted from your private verandah or outdoor bathtub when staying at Apoka Lodge. You will have a chance to go on numerous game drives in open roof safari 4×4 vehicles, giving you a chance to see the animals upclose and personal. Guided walking safaris can also be arranged and led by experienced safari guides who have mastered the art of spotting the big cats from afar.
Accommodation at Apoka Safari Lodge is in cottages that are inspired by local architecture using some locally sourced materials. There are 10 extremely spacious cottages with natural canvas walls surrounded by a large outcrop rock. The furnishings at Apoka are all handmade by local craftsmen. The lodge itself has dramatic and stunning views of the vast Kidepo savannah plains and beyond.
The rooms have large lounges and private verandas for you to relax from after game drives in the park. Sip a Ugandan beer or robusta/arabica coffee from the comfort of the cottage lounge or from the veranda in total privacy as you soak it the marvel and luxury that Kidepo and Apoka lodge are. There is outdoor natural stone bathtubs, as well as a swimming pool that will keep you cool on hot days or after an afternoon game drive.
There is so much that one can do when at Apoka Lodge, from walking safaris to see zebras to local Karamajong village visits to interact with the Karamajong, learn about their culture, traditions, customs, music, dance, food and their traditional way of life. Enjoy a sundowner under a sausage tree, watching large herds of elephants strutting their stuff in the park and close to the lodge. This is an African safari experience like you have never had before and ever will. Kidepo is quite simply different, private and stunning.
A word from the owners of Apoka Safari Lodge and how they have stayed engaged with the local community.
“At Apoka, we have established an ongoing relationship with the village of Lokorul which lies on the outskirts of the Kidepo Valley National Park. Beyond hiring almost exclusively from the village and offering professional training, we have engaged them in developing tourism activities. Our guests can now visit the village and see how the Karamojong live.
They can spend time learning about preparing the local food and building a kraal. They can chat with the village elders and participate in activities with the children. Our relationship with Lokorul has enabled them to build a village clinic and we have facilitated regular visits with a doctor in the region. Our next target is to build a school”