Pian Upe is the second largest game reserve after Murchison falls National Park. A newly recognized tourist destination with pristine scenery. It occupies 2043square kilometers and is joined to two other wildlife protected areas. Namely, Matheniko and Bokora Wildlife reserve and Mount Elgon National Park to form the Mount Elgon conservation area which is managed by Uganda Wildlife Authority.
LOCATION AND HOW TO ACCESS PIAN UPE
Pian Upe is located in the North Eastern part of Uganda. It is closely or a little distantly borded by the districts Katakwi, Nakapiripirit, Amudat, Napak, Moroto, Kween, Kumi, Bukedea and Bulambuli.
Pian Upe is accessed easily from the South of Chepsikunya trading center. Through Mbale City as one drives from Kampala city which is about an 8hour’s drive. From Mbale city, it is a 5hours’ drive. 2-3 hours road drive from Sipi Falls in Kapchorwa district on the edge of Mount Elgon. From Pian Upe reserve to Kidepo Valley National Park is 5hours road drive. The closest operational airstrip is located in Amudat.
History of Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve.
It is a newly gazetted reserved that was a famous battleground between the Karamojong. Namely, the groups of those of North Eastern Uganda and the Pokot from Kenya, right into the Matheniko and Bokora Wildlife reserve and into Kidepo Valley National Park. The main road leading into the reserve of Pian Upe forms the boundary where the two Karamojong groups intersect to raid one another during ruthless cattle rustling. Fortunately, peace has since returned to the region and tourism is progressing.
In 1958, the Southern part of Pian Upe was gazetted as the Debasien Animal Sanctuary when the boundaries were still under a threat when the government established a project for an agricultural produce in the South of Girik River. This escalated threats on the resources of the reserve. The state was pressed hard to expand the area northward and rename it to Pian Upe in 1964. Gladly, the Ugandan government has expressed interests in upgrading the reserve to a National Park level. The efforts to introduce and restore wildlife numbers in it are already in the process.
Pian Upe derives its name from a clan among the Karamojong people of North Eastern Uganda. These are predominantly pastoralists living a very traditional lifestyle cantered around their cattle. This group is mainly found in Nakapiripirit close to the headquarters of Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve. “Pian” means “calm hearted people” whereas Upe is from the Kalenjin speaking pastoralist community of the Karamojong said to have originated from the Pokot tribe of Kenya. They now settled close to the reserve in Amudat. “Upe” means “enemy”. The combination of both words gives us “Pian Upe” to mean “friendly enemies”.
WHEN TO VISIT PIAN UPE GAME RESERVE.
The best time to visit Pian Upe is in the months of November to March. This is when the management there carries out controlled bush burning and when it is generally dry. Hence the vegetation is short making it easy to view the wild animals and the water sources as the animals gather for a drink. Girik river is the main source for the animals in Pian Upe game reserve. It is located in the south of the reserve.
The rains in Pian Upe game reserve are very unpredictable. Given that it is in a semi-arid region but in the months of April to October, there are very heavy rains received here. This makes the trails in the reserve, as well as the roads to it very flooded and almost impossible to navigate through, and hardens view of game. Visitors of the reserve are advised to at least spend two days in there. So as to get a decent taste of what Pian Upe is made of.
ATTRACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES IN THE PIAN UPE GAME RESERVE.
Flora and Fauna.
Pian Upe game reserve is located in a remote semi-arid area of the country and it is dominated by wooden savannah plains surrounded by mountains and also cut between rock-strewn ridges and kopjes, plateau and seasonal rivers. Pian Upe is also dominated by short trees and shrubs thatching grass, lemon grasses, beard grasses to mention but a few. Also, acacia shrubs like the butterfly pea can also e found here, as well as bush willows an desert date.
Pian Upe also rears very rare animals found nowhere else in Uganda including cheetahs, the world’s fastest animal and the Uganda’s only population of the Roan Antelopes is in Pian Upe game reserve.
Other predators in here are, spotted hyenas, civets, mysterious leopards and lion prides that travel from the nearby Amudat Wildlife Conservation Area periodically. The reserve is untouched with very few visitors which guarantees one to be able to view game privately and intimately, in the morning and or evening game drives, not missing the sight of the common Agama geckoes, venomous puff adders, rock pythons, savannah monitors, monkeys, olive baboons and more.
It is important to note that most animals that were in the reserve became extinct during the insurgence. However, the Uganda Wildlife Authority already has plans of introducing animal species to reactivate the reserve for tourism developmet.
Bird watching in Pian Upe game reserve.
The reserve’s eco system is an attraction to various species of birds. This makes it one of the best bird destinations in Uganda. Some of the birds in here are…. The ostrich, the secretary bird, the Karamoja apalis, the fox weaver bird and more.
Community tours
Pian Upe is located in the Karamoja region, North East of Uganda. These people are very similar to the Masai of Kenya and have a very rich culture that is very exciting to experience even though they are known to be hostile. They have very rare music, are very dedicated to their culture of pastoralism, very unique huts (which are very short since the women are the ones n charge of building as the men graze the cattle) and unique dressing style. Do not miss out on the famous Edonga dance.
WHERE TO STAY WHILE AT PIAN UPE GAME RESERVE.
Being a new reserve, it still is underdeveloped in terms of accommodation. Affordable accommodation can be found at Uganda Wildlife Authority Banda’s at the headquarters. The four of which are named after some of the animals in the reserve. Three of the Bandas are self-contained with big beds and facilities like a bathroom with a shower and big beds. All the Bandas are connected to electricity for charging and lighting. Moving around the park at night is not a smart thing to do. Leopards are said to spend the night resting at the headquarters.
Also, Karamoja Overland Camp is a midrange accommodation where you can sleep in a self-contained safari tented cap. It is located just below the headquarters of Uganda Wildlife Authority. For a wilder experience, camping is available as a means of accommodation at the camp, however, one is advised to carry their own tent. At the reserve, single person tents are at UGX40.000 whereas double person tents are at UGX55.000. Both are exclusive of the camping reserve fee of UGX15.000per tent per night.
Certain foods are not readily available and it is therefore important to book in advance so that the ingredients for its preparation are bought.
Entrance to the Reserve and Kidepo Valley National Park is UGX15.000 for the East African Community. $35 for foreign non-residents and $25 for foreign residents. Children pay UGX2500 as the East African Community whereas the foreigners pay $5.
Mountain hiking and guided nature walks
There is an endless flow of savannah plains and the red acacia. This you will encounter as you drive through the reserve. When you look beyond the horizon, the mountains Elgon, Kadam and Napak can be seen stretching high above the sky and they are wonderful for hiking. While at Pian Upe, hiking to the Napedet Cave is one of the best experiences. It is a popular ancient recreational place for the first inhabitants of this area who would gather for paintings of the Roan antelopes, baboons and giraffes. Hiking will test your physical fitness while you get to see beautiful views of the ranges of the reserves.
