Mount Morungole
Mount Morungole
Mount Morungole Mountain range at 2,750m is the highest point in Kidepo valley National park. The Morungole Mountain range located northeast of Apoka, covers and marks large parts of the south boundaries of Kidepo valley national park. The mountain range may not be tall by any standards compared to other Ugandan mountains, but the fact that it raises from the Karamoja plains makes it an astounding force to reckon with. Much of the mountain range is lush montane forest; remarkably, different vegetation set up from much of Kidepo valley national park.
Because of high altitudinal range from the rest of Karamoja region, the Mount Morungole is a big factor in influencing climatic conditions and drainage system in the Kidepo valley national park. Ultimately, this affects the wildlife movements, characters, behaviors and the corresponding tourism activities and attractions in Kidepo valley national park.
Mount Morungole is the source of Kidepo and Narus Rivers. In the rainy season, the runoff collection from different streams in the mountain ranges feeds into and floods the valleys. Vegetation flourishes, wildlife species have enough to feed on and life in Kidepo valley national park is bustling. The travelers on Uganda tour into Kidepo valley national park have high incidences of spotting a large collection of wildlife species. In the dry season runoff collection from Morungole Mountains reduces, water levels in the rivers recede; some wildlife species migrate deeper into the wilderness and visitors traverse large areas to locate their hiding areas.
Travelers on tour of Uganda into Kidepo valley national park recognize the iconic presence of Mount Morungole in an instant because it is always a point of reference. To the new comer on travel the Mount Morungole gives an impression of a laid back setting where life seems natural in its original form. The montane forest cover seems curiously opposite of the semi arid climate conditions in the rest of Kidepo valley national park plains during the dry season.
To enthusiastic adventurers this arouses curiosity, wilderness adventure adrenalin and invites exploration and discovering what lies underneath. To the adventurer on safari to experience the African life in its original form where communities lived with wildlife, Mount Morungole is an ideal spot to capture top of magazine photographs that prove you right. The 8-hour hike to and from Mount Morungole brings adventurers in the heart of a less trampled tranquility and undoubtedly unique feelings and experiences that last forever on the adventurer’s mind.
Mount Morungole is the ancestral home of a unique group of African community, the Ik people. The Ik is the smallest ethnic group in Uganda that has a very traditional and unique lifestyle with strong root to traditional African culture. The Ik rarely travel beyond their ancestral lands and even then, it is never beyond the Karamoja region. The Ik are so proud of their culture and lifestyle in their own way that even the few who travel abhor and never want to adapt to trends in the outside world. Their everyday life is traditional African, less tampered with by foreign influence and they are proud of it. Many travelers on Uganda safari into Kidepo valley national park combine game viewing and visit into the Ik community to get arguably the best lifetime experiences of safari into Uganda.
The Mount Morungole range is at a high elevation from the rest of Karamoja and the temperatures are slightly cooler than the rest of the plains. The montane vegetation itself has a cooling effect and provides cover for wildlife species from the burning sun. Many wildlife species notably birds, monkeys and smaller solitary mammals hibernate to Morungole Mountain range to brood. When looking for unique places to spot unique wildlife species in Kidepo valley national park, Morungole Mountain range should always cross the travelers’ mind.
