The Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is one of the most remarkable protected areas in the Karamoja subregion, Northeastern Uganda. This large conservation area lies in the Karamoja subregion of northeastern Uganda. It is the second largest conservation protected area in Uganda.
It covers an area of about 2788 square kilometres which makes it the second biggest protected area in the country just after the Murchison Falls National Park in Northwestern Uganda.
It lies in Eastern Uganda, north of Mount Elgon. Connected to Matheniko Game Reserve (160,000ha) by the Bokora Corridor Land Tenure Government Physical Features This is a high plateau area of rolling plains with black cotton soil drained by intermittent watercourses flowing westwards into Lake Kyoga. Most of the area is subject to inundation during the rainy season. Mount Kadam (previously Mount Debasien) near the border with Kenya is the highest point in the reserve at 3,068m. Vegetation Most of the area is wooded savanna grasslands with some forest in the north on the margins of a higher ridge.
The southern side of this incredible game reserve was gazetted as the Debasien Animal Sanctuary in 1958. In 1964, this area was extended northwards and it was named Pian Upe Game Reserve. This remarkable game reserve is composed of hot springs and it is sighted as one of the incredible destinations with mercury wells just at Mount Kadam. This tremendous wildlife reserve derived its name from the Karamojong local dialect which denotes “Friendly Enemy.”
This game reserve comprises untouched grassland and wooded grassland. There is also a section of riverine woodland, kopjes and others. The main tree species in and around the reserve include the red acacia, desert date, bush willows, Harrisonia Abyssinia, and red spike thorns as well as shrubs such as butterfly pea and woolly caper bush.
