Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve

Pian Upe covers around two and a half thousand square kilometres of open semi-arid plain in Karamoja below Mount Elgon and Mount Kadam, which makes it the second largest protected area in Uganda and one of the least visited. The species are the dry-country ones: roan antelope, greater and lesser kudu, oryx, cheetah and the Uganda kob, along with ostrich. Numbers are low after decades of pressure, and the appeal is the emptiness rather than the density.

What you actually see

• The open plains - vast semi-arid grassland below the Karamoja mountains.
• The dry-country antelope - roan, kudu and oryx, scarce elsewhere in Uganda.
• The cheetah - one of the few Ugandan areas where they occur.
• The emptiness - one of the least visited large reserves in the country.

When to go

June to September and December to March are the dry seasons. The rains make the tracks impassable. Days are very hot and nights can be cool.

Honest expectations

Wildlife numbers are low and sightings take patience and luck. Facilities are minimal and accommodation is limited to a basic camp. Roads inside the reserve are rough and a four-wheel drive is essential.

Nearby

Mount Moroto is north, and Mbale is south.