Kigezi Wildlife Reserve, covering 265 sq km as a southward annex to Queen Elizabeth National Park, extends the park’s protected habitat along the western arm of the Albertine Rift Valley, separated from Lake Edward by a narrow strip of the national park itself. Established in 1952 and managed as part of the wider Queen Elizabeth Protected Area system, Kigezi shares much of the park’s wildlife while seeing far fewer visitors.
The reserve at a glance
- 265 sq km, functioning as a southward extension of Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Established in 1952, part of the wider Queen Elizabeth Protected Area system
- Home to chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, lions, leopards, elephants, hippos and buffalo
- A portion was degazetted in 2002 following encroachment, reflecting ongoing land-use pressure
An extension of Queen Elizabeth’s wildlife
Kigezi’s wildlife closely mirrors that of neighbouring Queen Elizabeth National Park, with eastern chimpanzees, both red and black-and-white colobus, and the park’s larger predators and grazers all present within the reserve’s boundaries. Bird populations here are similarly rich to those recorded in the national park itself, reflecting the shared, continuous habitat between the two protected areas.
A buffer zone under pressure
As with several of Uganda’s smaller reserves, Kigezi functions primarily as a buffer zone protecting Queen Elizabeth National Park’s southern edge, and it has faced real challenges from habitat loss, poaching and encroachment from surrounding settled communities, including the degazetting of part of the reserve in 2002. This makes Kigezi as much a case study in the pressures facing Uganda’s protected areas as it is a wildlife destination in its own right.
Things to do
- Game drives extending a Queen Elizabeth National Park safari southward
- Birdwatching across habitat shared with the national park
- Learning about the conservation pressures facing Uganda’s buffer reserves
Practical information
- Accessed as an extension of a Queen Elizabeth National Park itinerary, in western Uganda
- Best combined with the national park rather than visited as a standalone stop
- Check current access conditions with a knowledgeable local operator given the reserve’s partial degazetting
Kigezi Wildlife Reserve extends Queen Elizabeth National Park’s wildlife for travelers interested in the region’s wider conservation landscape. Offmap Safaris can build it into your Queen Elizabeth itinerary. To start planning, visit Plan My African Safari, message us on WhatsApp at +256 701 243 304, or email [email protected]. See also our notes on health and safety and responsible travel.