Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve Safari
The outstanding plateau landscape of rolling plains with black cotton soil drained by intermittent watercourses flowing westwards into Lake Kyoga, forest and wooded savanna grasslands home to eye-catching wildlife roaming in the plains as well as majestic hills and mountains like Mount Kadam (previously Mount Debasien) with ecstatic views of the countryside that offers a once-in-life African experience.
Pian Upe Game Reserve is located in Eastern Uganda, north of Mount Elgon in the districts of Moroto, Amudat, Katakwi, Napak, Kween, Kumi, Bukedea, and Bulambuli and it is connected to Matheniko Game Reserve by the Bokora Corridor land Tenure.
The game reserve is a paradise to a variety of mammals in the area including lion, leopard, cheetah, giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck, Uganda, mountain reedbuck, roan antelope, Jackson’s hartebeest Most of the eland, topi, and zebra migrate into the area to breed from North Bokora and Matheniko reserves and migrate northwards when the rains begin.
The game reserve also harbors reptiles like the Common Agama, Geckos, Venomous puff adders, Rock pythons, savanna monitors, chameleons, and crocodiles along river Girik.
Pian Upe Game Reserve is a birders’ haven with spectacular viewpoints for bird watching. The colorful Birds include ostrich, secretary bird, and yellow-billed shrike among others.
Pian Upe derives its name from its community. Pian refers to a clan among the Karamajong people of Northeastern Uganda while refers to a Kalenjin-speaking pastoral community of the Karamojongs who are said to have originated from the Pokot tribe in Kenya but are now settled close to the wildlife reserve in Amudat district.
Pain means “calm-hearted people while Upe means enemy. The combinations of the two words form one word “Friendly enemies”. These are predominantly pastoralists and live a very traditional lifestyle.
