Mountain gorilla is one of the two sub species of the eastern gorilla. On the IUCN Red List, it is listed as an endangered species. The total population is estimated to comprise of 1,004 individuals as of 2018 census.

Gorillas in Uganda

Mountain gorillas are tremendously social and live in groups of 2 to 40 led by the silverback, a dominant male that is the chief leader and protector. The majority of males leave their biological group around 11 years old. Some move alone and others travel with other males for a few years until they attract females to join them.

The silverback leads the group to the best spot for feeding and resting throughout the year. Generally, conflicts are resolved through standoffs and intimidating behaviors meant to frighten intruders away without causing physical harm.

However, almost 10 times stronger than the biggest American football players, a silverback protects its group from attacks by humans, leopards, or other gorillas—even if it means sacrificing his own life.

The female usually gives birth when she turns 10 and has offspring every four or more years. Newborns are weak and weigh only about four pounds.

Their first movements are awkward, like a human infant, but they develop almost twice as fast. Infants nurse and are gradually weaned after they turn three when they are more independent. Mountain gorilla infants have been a principle focus for poachers.

Their diet is made up of more than 10 different species of plants. This great ape favors celery, thistles, wood, and roots. And it rarely needs to drink since it gets most of its water from the plants it consumes.

Where can I see mountain gorillas?
Mountain gorillas can be seen in their natural habitat in only 3 African countries. One population lives in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and the other in the Virunga Mountains in three adjacent national parks; Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Uganda
Uganda is a home to over 500 mountain gorillas, which is half of the world’s population, making it an ideal destination. There are 18 habituated gorilla families in Uganda, 17 live in Bwindi impenetrable national park and 1 lives in Mgahinga national park. Some of the gorilla groups include; Mubare, Habinyanja, Rushegura, Oruzogo, Bitukura, Kyaguliro, Nshongi, Mishaya, kahungye, Busingye, Bweza, Nkuringo, of Bwindi and Nyakagezi of Mgahinga.

Gorillas in Bwindi are split into four regions, which are Buhoma in the north, Ruhija in the east Nkuringo and Rushaga in the southern section of Bwindi Forest. The Uganda gorilla permit is relatively cheap, costing $600.

mama and the baby gorilla

Rwanda
Known as the land of a thousand hills, Rwanda is a luxury gorilla trekking destination with the gorilla permit costing $1500. The gorillas live in volcanoes national park and is a home to 10 habituated groups which are all open for trekking.

Rwanda gorilla groups include Igisha group (Susa B), Kurira group (Susa A), Amahoro group, Umubano family, Karisimbi family, Sabyinyo group, Kwitonda group, Hirwa family, Agasha family, Bwenge group, Titus group, Muhoza family and Pablo family.

Democratic Republic of Congo
Virunga national park is a home to 8 gorilla habituated gorilla families. D.R Congo is the least visited destination due to high insecurity threats associated with tourist kidnaps and killing of park rangers.

The Congo gorilla permit costs $450. Gorilla families in Congo include; Rugendo, Munyaga, Mapuwa, Lulengo, Kabirizi, Bageni, Nyakamwe, and Humba gorilla families.

How many mountain gorillas still survive in the wild?
The mountain gorilla is one of the most animals in the world and one of the most endangered. The new census reveals the surviving mountain gorilla population has now risen above 1,000.

This represents a rise of 25% since 2010 in its heartland of the Virunga Massif in central Africa. It also marks success for intensive conservation work in a region riven by armed conflict, and where 6 park guards were killed.

What is the best time for gorilla trekking?
Gorilla trekking is an all year round activity. The best time to trek gorillas is during the dry season, which runs from December to early February and June to September. This is the best time because less rain is expected in the forest.

Gorilla trekking involves moving through forests for more than 2 hours, hiking some hills and highlands in the parks, depending on the location of the gorillas that day.

gorilla trekking

Trekking gorillas during the wet season is possible but a bit challenging. The trails get wet, muddy and slippery, which is tiresome for some trekkers. During the wet season, rain can be expected any time while in the forest, which really does make the experience enjoyable for most trekkers.

Can a person with disabilities trek gorillas?
Mountain gorillas live in mountains at altitudes above 2500 meters and the trek takes from between 3-6 hours. The older, less mobile and physically disabled people have always found gorilla trekking difficult due to the steep hikes and long hours of trekking.

Trekkers with disabilities can either use sedan chairs which is carried by 4 porters or a stretcher. This can be hired at the park headquarters at $300 or more depending on various factors like; time spent in the forest, distance, weight of the client. This way, the person is carried to the hills on the forest and gets a chance to watch the gorillas in their natural habitat.

What are the chances of seeing mountain gorillas?
Chances of seeing mountain gorillas on any trek in any of the destinations has been put at 95% meaning that chances are so high that when you pay that highly priced gorilla permit, you will see these gorillas.

On the trekking day, trackers go into the forest ahead of the group to look for the gorillas. They will keep in contact with your park ranger guide and direct him/her of where the gorillas are as they follow them. So the chances are so high.

How much does a gorilla weigh?
Gorillas are the world’s largest primates, with males weighing around 143-169kg and standing about 1.4-1.8m tall in the wild. Females tend to be 20-30cm shorter and weigh roughly half what the males do.

A male gorilla’s armspan is enormous, stretching 2.3-2.6m, while female gorilla’s armspans are proportionally smaller.

The world’s largest gorilla in the wild weighed 267kg when it was shot in Cameroon, but it wasn’t as tall as another silverback gorilla that was shot in Congo in 1938.

That silverback stood 1.95m tall, measured 1.98m around the chest, had a 2.7m arm span and weighed an impressive 219kg.

In captivity, gorillas have reached even greater weights, sometimes in excess of 310kg.

What do gorillas eat?
Gorillas are mainly herbivores, and their diet mostly consists of bamboo, fruit and leafy plants, though western lowland gorillas also eat small insects. Adult gorillas can eat up to 30kg of food each day.

As roaming herbivores, gorillas play a vital role in seed dispersal. Many large fruit trees depend upon these animals to survive.

what gorillas eat

Different types of gorillas . Gorillas are large wild apes living in the group of apes, they are native to the forests of Africa. These apes are relatives to humans by 98% DNA.

These are in two types, the eastern Gorillas and the western Gorillas which is the most numerous and wide spread in a range of about 4,600 square miles of the tropical rain forests in the eastern part of Democratic Republican of Congo.
They live in two populations, one in the Virunga mountain of Central Africa and others in Bwindi which is found in Uganda.
The eastern Gorillas have two subspecies, the mountain Gorillas and the eastern lowland Gorillas. The western Gorillas have two species: the cross River Gorilla which is close relative with the western lowland Gorillas living over the Congo River basin.

It’s the most smallest of all the Gorillas with a difference of shaped head and teeth. The western Gorilla is the most genus Gorilla species. This type of ape can be grayish or brownish with a yellowish forehead.

They are distinguished from the eastern Gorillas by their lighter color and a tip on their nose. The females and males have an average height of 155cm and 135cm, they live in a group of 2 to 20 families including males, females and the young ones.
They feed on fiber diets that include stems, leaves, flowers, fruits etc. The current threat comes from Ebola virus in their population area. Other threats include poaching, habitat loss, and civil war in countries inhabiting the apes.

The western lowland Gorillas inhabit in the lowland swamps in the montane forests of central Africa. This type of gorilla covers the countries of Central Africa, Angola, Republican of Congo, Gabon, Cameroon Equatorial of Guinea and the Democratic Republican of Congo. Although it’s the smallest Gorilla species,

The western lowland Gorilla is the biggest and strongest animal on land. It has a jet black skin with hair covering the entire body and has no tail. The group travels with in a range of 3 to 18 square miles and led by one dominate silverback.

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The African great lakes consist of seven lakes  that span countries  in East, South and Central Africa. These lakes are lake Victoria, Tanganyika, Malawi, Turkana, Albert, Kivu and Edward in order of size. Put together, the lakes span ten countries which are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya,Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.  The total surface area covered by these lakes is approximately 138,447 km². The total volume of water contained in these lakes is approximately 25% of the worlds unfrozen freshwater.

 

The great lakes provide support for local and migratory bird species

Threats

The lakes face a multitude of threats that can damage the fragile great lakes ecosystems and harm the unique species and populations dependent on it. The following are some of the key threats

1. Oil drilling for example, in Lake Albert, can result in pollution of the affected lakes if not carefully managed
2. High population density and growth rates leading to increased pressure on land and water resources resulting in sedimentation, pollution(from domestic waste and agricultural inputs) and  eutrophication
3. Declining fish stocks due overfishing as a result of lack of alternative livelihood activities, and lack of enforcement of existing laws that control fishing activities
4. Invasive weeds such as the water hyacinth and Pistia
5. Introduction of invasive fish species such as the Nile perch (Lates niloticus) in Lake Victoria has led to loss of native species
6. Climate change which may lead to adverse events such as lower water levels
7. High incidences of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Malaria in neighboring communities

CONSERVATION EFFORTS

A diverse set of conservation measures are being undertaken to manage the threats to the ecosystems including:

1. Restricting fishing gear and fish sizes
2. Piloting of cage fish farming
3. Mechanical and biological control of invasive weed species
4. Steps to reduce habitat loss, degradation and pollution such as
   • planting trees
   • Promoting sustainable land use practices
   • Conservation education among local populations

CHALLENGES

Efforts to address the the threats to the great lakes ecosystems are being hampered by a number of challenges such as

1. Lack of clear policy agreements between the countries bordering the lakes on lake management and
2. Limited research agenda setting and weak linkage between research and management institutions

OPPORTUNITIES

In order to improve improve the management of the great lakes ecosystems, opportunities for improvement have  to be identified and acted upon. The following are some of the existing opportunities.

1. Formation of regional or inter-country institutions to coordinate policies and management of lake resources where these do not exist
2.  Control/Management of mining and drilling activities to prevent adverse effect on lake resources
3.  Establishing sustainable funding mechanisms for management of lake resources
4.  Proper urban planning to reduce impact on lake resources
5.  Establishing and scaling up alternative livelihood activities to improve adaptive capacity and reduce dependence on vulnerable fisheries resources.
6.  Promoting community participation in implementation of best practices to manage the lakes and riparian  resources

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Tarangire National Park portal is a non-commercial with all information from wildlife, attractions, Tarangire activities, to safari accommodation, when to go, how to get there, Tarangire Safaris & Tours, Cost of Tarangire Safari and a travel blog.

Ranking as the 6^th largest National Park in Tanzania and covering an area of 2,600 square kilometers, The Tarangire National Park is most popular for its large elephant herds and mini-wildlife migration that takes place during the dry season which sees about 250,000 animals enter the park.

Located

slightly off the popular northern Tanzania Safari Circuit, the park lies between the meadows of Masai Steppe to the south east and the lakes of the Great Rift Valley to the north and west.

Within the northern part of Tarangire is the permanent River Tarangire also known as the life-line of the park particularly in the dry season when most of the region is totally dry.

This flows northwards until it exits the park in the northwestern corner to pour into Lake Burungi. There are a number of wide swamps which dry into green plains during the dry season in the south.

During you Safari in Tarangire, You are highly recommended to stay for a couple of days especially  in the south of the park which offers a less crowded safari experience and gives you the opportunity to enjoy an authentic African feel of the Tanzania’s countryside.

Tarangire Vegetation

The permanent Tarangire River is the most dominant feature here and it’s after this river that the park was named. there are a number of large swamps that feed off some of its tributaries however, these are usually dry for most of the year but get very impassable during the rains .

The Tarangire park is usually very dry, in fact drier than the Serengeti, however its vegetation is much more green especially with lots of elephant grass, vast areas with mixed acacia woodlands and some of the wonderful ribbons of the aquatic forest not to forget the giant baobab tree that can live up to 600 years storing  between 300 and 900 liters of water.

Tarangire Wildlife Migration

Every year during the dry season from June to November Tarangire hosts a wildlife migration which is not as dramatic as the Wildebeest Migration in the Serengeti, but receives a somewhat large number of animals.

As most of this part of the country is dry, the Tarangire River remains the only source of water and consequently attracts large numbers of wildebeests, elephants, gazelles, zebras and hartebeest, buffaloes plus various predators like lions that come to drink and graze around the river banks. during the rain months of November to May.

The zebras as well as large herds of wildebeests move into the north-western direction towards the Rift Valley floor amongst the large numbers of animals that spread across the large open areas of the Masaai Steppe and dispersing all the way to Lake Manyara.

Wildlife in Tarangire National Park

Because Tarangire is manly a seasona national park, its wildlife differ depending on the season and also considering that It is part of a bigger ecosystem. As earlier mentioned, the dry season is the

best time to visit

Tarangire and you will be able to encounter various animals. This park is home to one of the largest elephant populations in Africa with several herds of up to 300 members per herd.

In addition, there are large numbers of impalas, elands, buffaloes, giraffes, Bohor reedbuck, Coke’s hartebeest, Thompson’s gazelle, the greater and lesser kudu and on rare occasions, the unusual gerenuk and fringe –eared Oryx are also seen.

A few black rhinos are also thought to be still present in this park. You will obviously see big numbers of elephants gather here as well as the wildebeests and zebras.

Among the other common animals in the Tarangire are the leopards, lions, hyenas, and cheetah that seem to be popular within the southern open areas. The wild dogs are only seen once in a while

The birds within the Tarangire are also quite many, there are over 545 species that have been identified here. The stunning yellow collared lovebirds and the shy starlings are in plenty here in addition to other species.

Activities in Tarangire National Park

Game Drives and walking tours

: The primary safari activity in this park is game driving however if you live outside the park boundaries you might be able to enjoy walking tours. and night safaris. Currently Oliver’s Camp organizes walking tours as well as fly camping safaris.

Night Game Drives

: one would wonder, are night game drives allowed in Tarangire? Well Night Game Drives are allowed in the park however, not all accommodations offer these tours. Only those that have properly established all the requirements and regulations offered by TANAPA such as Swala and Oliver’s camp are allowed to conduct these walks.

Tarangire Balloon Safaris

: Join a hot air balloon ride over the Tarangire as you soar over the treetops of the Tarangire to enjoy an exceptional perspective of wildlife like lions and ungulates right below you

Bird watching

: this is another common activity within the Tarangire during which devotees will be able to spot various bird species.

Cost of Tarangire Safari

The overall cost of a Tarangire Safari is determined by the type of accommodation you will be staying and the activities you are going to engage in.

Staying at the super luxury facilities like Chem Chem Lodge for $1,250 per person or Little Chem Chem for $1,200 per night or the Kuro Camp for $857 per night will certainly shot up your safari cost. While mid-range facilities like Tarangire River Camp and the Maramboi tent that charges will offer you a lower safari cost. For budget travelers Lake Burunge Tented Camp will be a good option.

Combining Your Tarangire Safari With Other African Destinations

You can visit Ngorongoro crater, Selous game reserve, Serengeti National Park 

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PIAN UPE WILDLIFE RESERVE

Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve

Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is one of Uganda’s largest national protected areas covering an area of about 2043sq.km north of Mount Elgon and this makes it the second-largest protected area after Murchison Falls National Park. The Park holds quite a number of wildlife species and other different bird species Ostriches being the Unique bird in the park.

Discover Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve

Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve has become of the best wildlife safari destination in Uganda. Given that it is still quite one of the newly Uganda recognized tourist destinations with raw and beautiful scenery in Uganda.

The beauty of this game reserve has stunning landscape sceneries with surrounding mountains and most of the time you will have the whole game reserve to yourself. Pina Upe is the second largest conservation area after Murchison falls national park with an area coverage of up to about 3,893 kilometres squared.

Pian Upe wildlife reserve covers an area of about 2,275 square kilometres to the north of Mount Elgon, under the Uganda wildlife Authority mandate to conserve for future generations, Pian Upe is managed by the Mountain Elgon Conservation Department.

Therefore, Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is joined to other two wildlife protected areas in the North-eastern part of Uganda namely; the Matheninko and Bokora Wildlife Reserve plus Mount Elgon national park to form the Mount Elgon Conversation Area.

Location of Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve 

Pian Upe is located in the North Eastern part of Uganda in Nakapiripiti district with a total of about 8 other districts either closely or partly covered by the stretch of the game reserve, these district including; Amudat, Moroto, Katakwi, Napak, Kween, Kumi, Bukedea, and Bulambuli.

The wildlife reserve can easily be accessed by road from Kampala capital city via Mbale to Soroti road which takes about 8 to 9 hours and about 4-5 hours from Mbale city town and 5-6 hours from Kidepo national park to Pian Upe wildlife reserve.

While in Nakapiripiti, Pian Upe can easily be accessed from the south of Chepsikunya trading Centre or north of Namalu trading centre for visitors travelling from Moroto city. The closest operational airstrip is located in Amudat airstrip.

History of Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve

Years before Pian Upe wildlife reserve was gazetted as a conservation area, the area was a famous battleground for two of Karamojong’s pastoral groups comprised of those from the North-eastern part of Uganda and the Pokot who are from Kenya, right up into Matheniko & Bokora Wildlife Reserve and into Kidepo Valley National Park, the main road leading into the reserve forms the boundary where both tribes intersect to raid one another during ruthless cattle rustling.

However, Peace has since returned to this region, and tourism introduced for the better of the communities.

In the 1958, the southern part of Pian Upe wildlife reserve was gazetted as the Debasien Animal sanctuary even when the boundaries of the wildlife reserve were still being threatened when the government established a project for an agricultural produce in the south of the Girik River.

This escalated threats on the reserve resources, hard-pressed the state to expand the area northward and rename it Pian Upe Game Reserve in 1964.

Fortunately, the Government of Uganda has expressed great interests in upgrading the Pian Upe Game Reserve to National Park position, and efforts to introduce and restore wildlife numbers in the reserve is already in the process, as well as plans to open up more areas/communities for tourism development.

Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve

How Pian Upe wildlife reserve got its name

Pian upe derives its name from its community where “Pian” refers to a clan among the Karamajong people of north-eastern Uganda while “Upe” refers to a Kalenjin speaking pastoralist community of the Karamongs who are said to have originated from the Pokot tribe in Kenya, but now settled close to the wildlife reserve in Amudat district.

“Pian” actually means “calm hearted people” while “Upe” means “enemy”, when both words are combined, you get a word “friendly enemies”.

These people are predominantly pastoralists and live a very traditional lifestyle, only being cantered around their cattle. This group is mainly found in Nakapiripirit district close to the Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve Headquarters.

Best time to visit Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve

All national parks and wildlife reserves in Africa have the best time to visit and Pian Upe wildlife reserve is not an exception.

The best time to visit Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is between the months of January to March when the vegetation is dry, you have clear views and animals gather at the water sources making it easy for game viewing.

It is also at this period when the reserve management also carries out controlled bush burning to keep the grasses short, leaving the vegetation dry and it becomes easier to view the animals around the major water sources when they gather for a drink.

Girik River which located in the southern part of the reserve is a source of water for the animals living in this semi-arid region. From the months of November to December, it’s a dry season but the vegetation is still lush making it difficult to spot animals hidden in the grass, treetops and other invisible places.

From April to October, it’s the rainy season, so the trails or the tracks are usually muddy thus the roads are even impassable due to flooding making game viewing impossible.

The tracks in Pian Upe wildlife reserve are still poorly developed so in the wet season, it can be a bit challenging, lush vegetation, bad hazel views. Visitors are recommended to travel in 4WD Vehicle; Land Cruiser most preferably in case of weather challenges.

Attractions in Pian Upe wildlife Reserve

Flora and Fauna;

Flora – Pian Upe wildlife reserve is one of the most fascinating and interesting conservation area with distinct wild-lands dominated by wooden savannah plains which are surrounded by mountains and also cut between rock-strewn ridges and kopjes, plateau, and seasonal rivers.

Pian Upe is dominated by short trees and shrubs, thatching grass, lemon grasses, bristle species, beard grasses to mention a few. The reserve plains are draped with red acacia, shrubs like the butterfly pea, desert date and bush willows

Fauna – Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is one distinguished place for harboring quite a number of rare animals found nowhere else in Uganda, such as a healthy population of Cheetahs and Uganda’s only remaining population of Roan Antelopes.

Seeing the Cheetah measures up to 80% chances thus Pian Upe wildlife reserve is the best place to see world’s fastest mammal.

Other predators found in the reserve include; the wildcats, Jackals, Spotted Hyenas, Civets, Serval Cats, the mysterious Leopards and prides of Lions are reported to periodically travel between the nearby Amudat Wildlife Conservation Area and Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve.

The reserve is also home to large herds of ungulates including the Common Eland, a small population of Zebra, Hartebeests, Günther’s Dik Dik, the popular Oribis, and the Impalas which were recently relocated here from Lake Mburo National Park.

Cape Buffalo, the Uganda Kob, Waterbuck, Blue and Common Duiker, Klipspringers and the Bohor and Mountain Reedbuck also enjoy the homely Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve.

Some of the rare animals in the reserve including; the Ververt and Patas Monkeys, the African Hare, Crested Porcupine, , Aardvarks, , Rock Hyrax, Four-toed Hedgehogs, and the Olive Baboons.

Pian Upe wildlife reserve is home to a variety of reptiles including; the common  , Geckos, Venomous puff adders, rock pythons, Savannah monitors, Chameleons and crocodiles that can be found in River Girik.

The reserve is still untouched with low numbers of visitors, this guarantees all wildlife sightings in a private, and intimate experience, dismissing crowds that can be seen in other national park.

Morning and evening game drives are the best time to see most of the animals with the dazzling sunsets and sunrises for example every morning the sun comes out behind the mountains and descends over the horizon in some of the most fascinating sunsets.

Most of the animals in Pian Upe wildlife reserve had become extinct during the era of insurgencies however; the Uganda Wildlife Authority already has plans of reintroducing most of the animal species to re-active the reserve for tourism development.

Bird watching 

Pian Upe wildlife reserve has become of the Uganda’s top bird watching destinations. The reserve offers some great birdwatching experience with a variety of different bird species found there.

The reserve’s ecosystem has attracted unique bird species making the reserve a desired birding destination in Africa.

Some of the bird species found in the reserve include; the rare Ostriches which are easily seen while in this reserve compared to Kidepo valley national park, the Karamoja Apalis which is an endemic bird found in to north-eastern part of Uganda.

Other bird species include; Superb sterlings, Green bitta, Secretary bird, Abyssinian ground hornbill, the rare shoebill stock and the Fox weaver bird that can be seen in the park’s stretch of land.

Community tours

Pian Upe wildlife reserve is located in the Karamoja region where we find the Karamojong people who are similar to the Masai of Kenya and Tanzania.

These people have a rich culture and tradition that is exciting to experience even though they are known to be hostile in the early days of their settlement. The Karamojongs are best known for their pastoral practises.

The cultural visit to one of the local Karamojong community near the reserve will offer you an exciting cultural experience on a rare cultural music, dance and drama performance by the locals most especially the famous Edonga dance.

Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve

Mountain hiking and guided nature walk

Driving through Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve introduces you to an endless flow of Savannah plains, dotted with Acacias and Sausage trees as well as rocky ridges, embraced by three mountains – Mount Napak, Mount Kadam and Mount Elgon.

When you look beyond the horizon, you will see these mountains stretching high above the sky. These mountains allow hiking opportunities for example hiking to the Napedet cave is one of the best experiences of hiking while in Pian Upe wildlife reserve.

This hike tests one’s physical fitness levels, working on health levels and granting awesome views of the reserve’s ranges.

Napedet cave is a popular ancient recreational place for the first inhabitants of this area who would gather to engage in painting before the area was gazetted. Visitors can be able to see odd paintings of Roan Antelope, Hartebeests, Baboons, as well as Giraffes which once roamed the reserve’s open plains. 

Accommodations available in Pian Upe wildlife reserve

Pian Upe wildlife reserve does not have so many of the accommodations since it is still under development.

The commonly used accommodation facility in the park is the Uganda Wildlife Bandas which are located at the park headquarters. Alternatively, someone can choose to camp around the park headquarters with own tent or hired tent from the park.

There is only one available mid-range accommodation facility called Karamoja Overland Camp with tents that are self-contained featuring en-suite facilities like showers, electricity.

Packing list for a Pian Upe Safari

Just as one needs to prepare for a gorilla trekking safari, visiting Pian Upe wildlife reserve requires adequate preparation in what to bring given its insufficient resources to host visitors. There are key things one has to bring when visiting the reserve namely;

You need comfortable light clothes of neutral colours. However, warm clothes are also advisable since the evenings and early mornings often get chilly.

Comfortable closed shoes are highly recommended especially if you are going to hike on one of the mountains when you visit Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve.

For those camping, you are advised to come with your own camping equipment like the tent and beddings, own cup, plate and other necessary daily things to use.

Insect repellent to protect you from the wild flies and safari bugs

You will want to pack some sunscreen lotion, sunglasses, and a sunhat, as this semiarid part of the country can get pretty hot.

Remember to pack your personal toiletries (lotion, toothpaste, toothbrush, bath soap, deodorant, and lip balm.

Carry gadgets that can take some decent photos, cameras, binocular for bird watching. You will want to remember this stunning landscape, and photos will help you tell your stories.

A portable external battery charger/power bank is highly recommended as the electricity can be on and off sometimes, especially in the night. Remember to carry a touch.

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