Pian Upe Game Reserve Facts, Tours, Animals | Official Site

Pian Upe Game Reserve Facts, Activities, Tours, Things to Do. Located to the north of Mount Elgon, the Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is Uganda’s second-largest national protected area (after Murchison Falls National Park), comprising an area of about 2043 square kilometers. The Pian Upe Reserve may be found in the Nakapiripirit District of Uganda’s Karamoja Region in the country’s far northeast. The reserve is home to a wide variety of animals, including impalas, giraffes, plain zebras, and common elands. Ostriches are the most famous and sought-after of the many bird species that call Pain upe Game Reserve home.

Discover Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve

The Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve in Uganda is widely regarded as one of the best places to go on a safari in the country. Since it is one among Uganda’s more recently discovered tourist spots, it nevertheless retains much of its natural beauty and rawness. You’ll have the entire game reserve to yourself almost all the time, and the breathtaking countryside scenes are framed by the nearby mountains. With a total area of up to around 3,893 km2, Pina Upe is the second-largest protected area in Uganda, behind Murchison Falls National Park. The Mountain Elgon Conservation Department is in charge of the Pian Upe wildlife reserve, which is located to the north of Mount Elgon and has a total size of around 2,275 square kilometers. As a result, the Mount Elgon Conversation Area now includes not just Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve but also Matheninko Wildlife Reserve, Bokora Wildlife Reserve, and Mount Elgon National Park, all located in the northeastern region of Uganda.

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Location of Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve

Pian Upe is in the Nakapiripiti district of northeastern Uganda, and the game reserve extends into or near the neighboring districts of Amudat, Moroto, Katakwi, Napak, Kween, Kumi, Bukedea, and Bulambuli. Traveling by car from Kampala, the capital city, to the game reserve takes about 8 to 9 hours via the Mbale to Soroti road, and about 4 to 5 hours from Mbale city town and 5 to 6 hours from Kidepo national park. Nakapiripiti’s Pian Upe is conveniently located just south of the Chepsikunya trading center and just north of the Namalu trading center for those coming from Moroto city. Amudat airstrip is the closest one that’s still in use.

History of Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve

Before Pian Upe wildlife reserve was established as a conservation area, the area was infamous as a battleground between two Karamojong pastoral groups, the North-Eastern Ugandan Karamojong and the Kenyan Pokot, who raided each other during ruthless cattle rustling all the way up to Matheniko & Bokora Wildlife Reserve and into Kidepo Valley National Park. But now that peace has returned, and tourism has been introduced for the benefit of the locals, things are looking up.

The government launched a project for agricultural output in the south of the Girik River in 1958, threatening the wildlife reserve’s borders, but the area south of the river was gazetted as the Debasien Animal sanctuary. This heightened danger to the reserve’s resources prompted the state to push for an expansion to the north and a new name for the reserve in 1964: Pian Upe Game Reserve. The government of Uganda has shown a keen interest in promoting Pian Upe Game Reserve to the status of a national park, and work is underway to reintroduce and replenish the reserve’s wildlife population, as well as to open up additional regions and communities to tourism expansion.

Attractions in Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve

Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is the second-largest protected area in Uganda, and it can be found in the Karamoja subregion in the country’s northeast. Established in 1964, the wildlife reserve is a vital component of the Mount Elgon protection region. About 2,788 square kilometers of grassland and woodland flora, huge plains, rocky outcrops, and mountains make up Pian Upe nature reserve.

Activities in Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve

Activities in Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve have helped it become one of the top Ugandan tourist spots, and visitors may choose from a wide range of exciting activities during their time there. Pian Upe Game Reserve is the place to go if you want to see wildlife without having to compete with hoards of people, as is the case in nearby Murchison Falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park. You can easily combine a trip to the Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve in Nakapiripiti District in northeastern Uganda with a safari to either Sipi Falls or Mount Elgon National Park in eastern Uganda, or to Kidepo National Park in the country’s north-eastern corner. Here are some of the best Pian Upe wildlife reserve activities.

Best Time to Visit Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve

The best time to visit the Pian Upe wildlife reserve’s attractions is during the dry season, which is June through September, December through February. Since the wildlife reserve receives less precipitation during the dry season, the foliage is sparse and you will have a better chance of seeing the animals plainly. Less rain means more animals congregating around the reserve’s watering holes, where you may observe and photograph a plethora of wildlife.

How to get to Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve

It takes roughly 6 hours to drive from Kampala to the park headquarters in Pian Upe, and another 2 hours to drive from Mbale town, both in a 4WD safari vehicle. Pian Upe is a wildlife reserve in northeastern Uganda.

Our Top Safaris in Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve