Wildlife Reserves in Uganda

December 24, 2024

Wildlife Reserves in Uganda

In addition to the 10 National Parks, Uganda also has up to 12 spectacular game/wildlife reserves. Each of the 12 wildlife/game reserves in Uganda has diverse fauna and flora worth exploring on Uganda safaris. The checklist of Uganda’s game reserves to explore includes Katonga Wildlife Reserve, Ajai Game Reserve, Pian-Upe Wildlife Reserve, Kigezi Game Reserve, Bokora Corridor, Karuma, Kabwoya, Toro-Semliki, and others. Explore the detailed list of game reserves in Uganda;

Ajai Wildlife Reserve

Ajai Game Reserve is located on the western bank of the Albertine Nile, Northwestern Uganda. This reserve lies in the Arua district and extends up to 166 sq.km. In Ajai Wildlife Reserve, there exists a diversity of wildlife including buffaloes, common duikers, bushbucks, hartebeests, hippos, warthogs, olive baboons, Uganda Kobs, sitatunga, oribis, and crocodiles.

Ajai Wildlife Reserve

There are also black and white colobus monkeys; birds such as the grey-crowned cranes, African fish eagles, marabou storks, black-headed weavers, helmeted guineafowl, white-browed council, and more. The ideal safari activities to engage in Ajai include bird watching, game viewing, and nature walks.

Pian-Upe Wildlife Reserve

Lying in Nakapiriprit District in Northeastern Uganda, Pian-Upe Wildlife Reserve is the 2nd biggest conservation area with surface area coverage of up to 2788 sq.km. It comes just after Murchison Falls National Park which is 3840 sq.km. Pian-Upe Wildlife falls under the management of Mount Elgon Conservation Area.

Pian-Upe is a rich game reserve with over 44 species of mammals and 242 species of birds. The different mammals that survive within this nature reserve include zebras, giraffes, cheetahs, aardvarks, rock hyrax, leopards, cape buffaloes, roan antelopes, spotted hyenas, duikers, vervet monkeys, topis, klipspringers, elands, bushbucks, and olive baboons.

Pian-Upe Wildlife Reserve

The diverse bird species to identify on Uganda safaris in Pian Upe include the Great hartlaub’s bustards, fox’s weavers, superb sterling, Jackson’s hornbill, Karamoja apalis, Abyssinian ground hornbill, ostriches, white-headed buffalo weavers, and more. Pian-Upe Game Reserve is surrounded by the Kalenjin and Karamojong.

Katonga Wildlife Reserve

Katonga is found in Western Uganda and covers 207 sq.km of land area. It boasts of its diverse faunal species with over 40 species of mammals. The different mammal species that make Katonga Game Reserve a great destination worth exploring include the African elephant, sitatunga, buffaloes, zebras, water chevrotain, leopards, reedbucks, river otters, Uganda Kobs, and waterbucks.

Katonga Wildlife Reserve

Possible activities to enjoy here include bird watching, nature walks, and canoe rides.

Bokora Corridor Game Reserve

The Bokora Corridor Wildlife Reserve is a stunning nature reserve in North-eastern Uganda. It is situated in the Karamoja sub-region and takes its name from the Bokora ethnic group. It is an extensive game reserve with an area coverage of 2056 sq.km. Within the Bokora Corridor, there exist diverse wildlife such as spotted hyenas, reedbucks, topis, elands, Rothschild’s giraffes, cheetahs, Oryx, Uganda Kobs, striped hyenas, cheetahs, lesser kudus, roan antelopes and others.

The Bokora Game Reserve is also an enriching bird-watching destination with birds including eastern bronze-napped pigeons, dusky turtle dove, African hill babblers, ostriches, and grey cuckoo-shrike. There are also Jackson’s hornbills, thick-billed honey guide, white-headed buffalo-weaver bird, mountain yellow warblers, and others.

Bugungu Wildlife Reserve

It lies between Buliisa and Masindi districts just at the base of the breathtaking rift valley escarpment west of Murchison Falls National Park. Bugungu covers a land area of only 473 sq.km and protects a diversity of wildlife. Within Bugungu alone, there exist over 600 Uganda Kobs, 240 species of birds, and 1200 oribis. It is an ideal place to engage in a guided nature walk, game drive, camping, and birding.

Kabwoya Game Reserve

Kabwoya Reserve lies in western Uganda. It extends up to only 87 sq.mi and is close to the Albertine region. Within Kabwoya Reserve, there are more than 460 species of birds including the stripe breasted-tit, western nectar, dwarf honey guide, yellow-billed ox-peckers, bare-faced go-away bird, grey parrot, black-headed weavers, Northern carmine bee-eaters and more.

Karuma Game Reserve

Karuma Wildlife Reserve takes its name from Karuma waterfalls on the Nile River. This game reserve lies close to Murchison Falls National Park and holds a huge profusion of wildlife.

The diverse faunal species in Pian-Upe Wildlife Reserve include lions, Rothschild giraffes, oribis, Uganda kobs, elephants, topis, buffaloes, leopards, and primates.

Kyambura Wildlife Reserve

It forms part of the vast Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area and is most popular for chimpanzee tracking. Kyambura was established in 1965 and is currently managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

The Kyambura Wildlife Reserve is drained by river Kyambura which links to the Kazinga Channel, this makes the reserve an important water source for the animals in Queen Elizabeth National Park and the reserve itself.

Kyambura Wildlife Reserve

Kigezi Wildlife Reserve

The Kigezi Reserve protects wildlife such as African elephants, topis, giant forest hogs, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, and birds like the red-faced barbets, verreaux’s eagle, hammerkop, saddle-billed stork, grey-crowned cranes, and peregrine falcon.

Kigezi Wildlife Reserve

East Madi Wildlife Reserve

Located in Northwestern Uganda in the Amuru district, the East-Madi Reserve is a special wildlife reserve of its own. This game reserve occupies 831 sq.km of land area, protecting 374 species of plants and 181 species of birds. The diverse primates to encounter in this game reserve include red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, colobus monkeys, and more.

East Madi Wildlife Reserve

Matheniko Wildlife Reserve

Matheniko Game Reserve lies in the Karamoja sub-region, Northeastern Uganda. This nature reserve supports a range of wildlife and birds. These include the lesser Kudus, ostriches, roan antelope, and additional birds such as thick-billed honey guide, grey-cuckoo shrike, Alpine chat, and more. The activities to engage in here include nature walks, bird watching, and community visits.

Toro-Semuliki

The Toro-Semliki Game Reserve was established in 1926 and is one of the best reserves in Uganda. Located in western Uganda within Semuliki National Park, the Toro-Semliki isn’t only known for its powerful hot spring but also diverse bird species and faunal species.