The vast grassland opens into an even more stunning mountainous landscape, sprawling from the foothills of the Elgon ranges whose towering Wagagai peak dominates the distant skyline, piercing sharply through the morning clouds as the first rays of the majestic sun illuminate the kingdom down below, setting the entire area alight with the kind of beauty and splendor that is synonymous with Uganda, accurately called The Pearl of Africa.
Hidden from plain sight by the rugged scape and overgrown bushes, a Roan Antelope, Nana and White-eared Kob, Yaddah graze side-by-side at a tiny creek shielded by the gigantic Mount Kadam in Cheetah territory. The two beasts of alluring beauty are on high alert. Mornings in this side of the land are a battle for survival. That’s when the Cheetahs love to hunt and no one wants to battle the world’s fastest animal, certainly not when you’re from an almost-extinct family of Kobs that are more famous for their stunning looks than for their lightning-fast speeds, in a jungle where staying alive is the name of the game. Yaddah is cautious. heightened by the apparent danger they know lurks behind every inch of the extensive Savannah grassland they also love to call home. Today, their instincts are not wrong.
The Kalenjin are deadly with a bow. The Karamojong are deadly. The two brothers are a force, and today they hunt. Zehd and Aki have terrorized the land, leaving behind a bloody trail tusk-less carcasses, their insatiable greed for a quick payout only matched by an unquenchable love for game meat. Today, the poachers are armed to the teeth and have their sights on the two grazing beasts a few hundred feet from their position.
Aki’s spear is ready to let fly. Zehd stretches his bow, ready to strike his target with a ferocious blow that should guarantee a hefty payday and a sumptuous meal. The two men exchange tense glances as the air grows thicker.
They are not alone. Chastened by the scorching July sun, the brownish bushes provide a perfect camouflage for his lean, spotty frame. He crouches stealthily among the trees and waits for the perfect moment to strike. Menacing. This is Kobo, and this is his kingdom. The Cheetah has the two men in its sight, but also keeps an eye on the antelope and Kob.
Perched on the roof atop the banda that works as his vantage point but also doubles as his and other guests’ accommodation most of the time, Val, the game ranger watches the entire scene unfold through the scope of his sniper rifle. He hates poachers and this morning, he’s in a particularly bad mood but he must think fast, and clearly. He takes aim and lets off two warning shots in quick succession.
All the animals disperse.
Welcome to Pian Upe. The sleeping giant.
Named after the “Pian” and “Upe” clans, two fierce and formerly-warring Karamojong and Kalenjin communities respectively, “Pian” means calm and friendly while “Upe” means enemy, the resulting “friendly enemy” connotation carrying more than just its literal meaning. The name restoring peace to a region that was formerly plagued by violence and bloodshed amongst the cattle-rustling communities.
With peace and sanity restored to the region, the Pian Upe Game Reserve now lies as an unexplored gem, gently nudging the willing traveler to venture forth and behold the stunning beauty and richness she possesses. Spanning an area of over 2,200sqkm to the North of Mt. Elgon, Pian Upe Game Reserve is the second largest conservation area in Uganda, only behind the massive Murchison Falls and covers over 8 districts including Nakapiripirit, Amudat, Kween, Napak, Katakwi, Bukedea, Bulambuli and Moroto.
Home to Uganda’s only population of Roan Antelopes, the vast Savannah grasslands of Pian Upe also boast a healthy population of Cheetahs with sightings of these delightful beasts more common than in any other area in Uganda. Other cats include lions albeit occasionally, servals, wildcats and civets, with spotted hyenas and jackals making up the predator numbers. Pian Upe’s immensely beautiful landscapes are also blessed with a myriad of ungulates including Impalas, Oribis, Günter’s Dik Dik, Hartebeests, Waterbucks, Klipspringer, Mountain Reedbuck and Cape Buffalo to name a few.
Pian Upe is as unique as it gets, boasting a presence of even rarer animals like the White-Eared Kob, Vervet and Patas monkeys, Crested Porcupine, Olive Baboons and the African Hare.
A birder’s delight, Pian Upe serves up a healthy population of rare Ostriches and Shoebill Stock, Abyssinian ground hornbill, Superb Sterling and the enchanting Karamoja Apalis. The tantalizing charm of Pian Upe’s birding experiences is mind-
blowingly cathartic and deeply rejuvenating, often setting the traveller on a deeper journey of self-reflection and consequently, personal growth.
Largely unknown and consequently, unexplored, Pian Upe is the perfect destination for those seeking to unlock the tranquil recesses of their inner man. The still quietness that fills the nights a perfect balm for the wandering mind. A quietness only occasionally interrupted by the sweet melodies of the Secretary bird as it serenades the expansive Savannah to slumber, or the deep groans of a prey that has lost it’s fight to the prowling predators.
The daring traveller camps out in the wild, sharing habitat with the beasts of the forest and the birds nesting up in the Acacia trees that litter the entire Savannah plains with their fascinating allure. The adventurer takes a hike up any of the rocky trails arising from the trio of mountains Elgon, Kadam and Napak which adorn the landscape with their majestic beauty.
A hike up the Napedet cave will reveal a rich cave-painting culture of the first inhabitants who adorned the walls with beautiful paintings of Hartebeests, Baboons, Roan Antelopes and other animals, most of which still freely roam the land. A true sight to behold. Once at the Napedet cave, the scintillating view of the ranges spreading out beneath the hills, drenched in the evening sky will leave any a traveller’s mind refreshed and renewed.
However, Pian Upe’s ravishing beauty is not without its blemishes. For one, native encroachers and poachers pose an ever-growing threat to the reserve and its species, some of which are teetering on the edge of extinction. In addition, the daunting 16-hour journey from Uganda’s capital to this virgin territory will test a traveller’s spirit to the core, but for those who dare to dream, who dare to explore the undiscovered, and who seek to venture into the unknown, they will gaze with unbridled joy at the magnificence of a barren territory, unseen and unheard of, blessed with rare species, yet tainted by the bloodshed of years gone by, but a stunning beauty nonetheless.
Thus, in conserving the unapparelled gorgeousness of Pian Upe, Uganda hasn’t only preserved the enthralling beauty of mother nature, but also unites cultures, offers a safe haven to threatened animal species and presents the world with a unique gift to explore the untainted, sleeping beauty that is Pian Upe.
A virgin land worth every drop of sweat, every penny spent. One good reason to visit Uganda.