The Matheniko Wildlife Reserve

The Matheniko Wildlife Reserve

The Matheniko Wildlife Reserve in kidepo

By exploring a little bit farther into the nearby wildlife protected areas, visitors on a tour of Uganda into Kidepo Valley National Park can maximize their safari experience in Uganda. The 1,520 km2 Matheniko Wildlife Reserve is a pristine, less-traveled, and distinctive location that lies southeast of Kidepo Valley National Park and northeast on the Ugandan map.

Matheniko Wildlife Reserve is a component of the larger Kidepo Valley Conservancy and shares a border with Kenya. Like much of the Kidepo valley, Matheniko Wildlife Reserve experiences scarce rainfall, with an average of 670 mm per year.

This results in a semi-arid climate with short bushes and shrubs, mostly composed of red acacia thorny trees, woolly caper bush (Capparis tomentosa), desert dates (Balanites aegytiacus), and butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea).

The Matheniko Wildlife Reserve is home to a variety of rare wildlife species that are able to adapt to the difficult semi-arid circumstances of high temperatures, little rainfall, prolonged periods of thirst, and dwindling amounts of vegetation for food.

Lesser kudu, roan antelope, wildcats, mountain reedbuck, Brighs’s gazelle, topi, blue duikers, serval cats, bohor reedbuck, elands, cheetah, and stripped hyena are among the uncommon but frequently seen wildlife species in Matheniko Wildlife Reserve. Other common wildlife species include buffalos, leopards, Waterbucks, jackals, Ugandan kobs, Oribis, spotted hyenas, civets, Common duikers, Olive baboons, Patas, and vervet monkeys.

A special kind of bird that can survive the humid, semi-desert climate can be found in the Matheniko Wildlife Reserve. With Matheniko serving as the northernmost point of their range, which stretches into Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Horn of Africa, some of the birds are cross-border species.

Verreaux’s Eagle, Egyptian Vulture, Ethiopian Swallow, Pygmy Falcon, Eastern Bronze-napped Pigeon, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Thick-billed Honey Guide, Hartlaub’s Turaco, Black-headed Plover, Red-billed Oxpecker, and Clapperton’s Francolin are just a few of the many wildlife species that can be easily spotted at Matheniko Wildlife Reserve in Uganda.

Despite the fact that most of the roads are made of dirt, visitors can visit Matheniko Wildlife Reserve year-round. In April, May, and November, when the rains are brief, 4WD vehicles are highly advised. It’s a really smart move to top off the air conditioning in the car whenever possible before you go, as the roads become incredibly dusty during the dry season and the temperatures stay high even during the rainy season.

Currently, the only lodging option offered by the reserve is self-catering camping, which gives visitors complete seclusion from prying eyes and unrestricted access to several wildlife species. Plans to establish various lodging choices within the reserve are currently being worked on with private developers.

One option for visitors to the Matheniko Wildlife Reserve is to spend the night in the colonial towns of Moroto and Kotido and then enter the reserve early in the morning. Both towns are safe, offer plenty of lodging alternatives, and are only a few hours’ drive from the reserve.



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