Extending over an area of 2788 square kilometers to the north of mountain elgon, is the Pian Upe now under the management of mount elgon conservation area, is the second largest protected area in Uganda after Murchison falls reserve, it lies in semi-arid country which usually receives rainfall in April and more substantial showers from June to early September but some years the rain fails completely.

 

The predominant cover of mixed Acacia commipphara savanna is essentially Uganda’s extension of an eastern savanna encompassing much of northern Kenya and the Amboseli-Tsavo-mkomazi complex of reserves on the border between Kenya and Tanzania. Providing dramatic contrast to the dry scrubby plains of Pian Upe is Mount Kadam, an isolated range of spectacularly tortured turrets and bleak volcanic plugs that rises to an altitude of 3068m on the reserve’s eastern boundary.

 

Pian Upe is home to two pastoralist tribes for which it is named: the Thespian, which is part of a subgroup of the Karamaja, and the Upe, which is a Kalenjiin-speaking people more widely known as the Pakot within Kenya. These two tribes have a history of armed conflict, mostly related to cattle rustling. At times, the Pian and the Upe team up to fight neighboring tribes in Kenya or Uganda, or they have directed their violence at each other.

 

Animals such as leopards, cheetahs, and spotted hyenas are quite popular with ranger patrols, and a small population of lions is present.  Among the ungulate species are Bur Hell’s zebra, buffalo, eland, Harte beast, greater kudu, topi, orib, dik-dik, and Uganda’s last population of roaming antelope. In addition to the vervet monkeys, olive baboons, and far-localized pata monkeys, which are popular in the savanna,

 

Size

Extending over an area of 2788 square kilometers to the north of mountain elgon

 

Getting There

Mbale-Moroto road roughly 90km from Mbale

 

What to do

Forest walks, bird watching, Mountain Climbing, Study Tours, camping, sightseeing