Ajai Wildlife Reserve Uganda

Ajai Wildlife Reserve is located in North Eastern Uganda on the Western bank of the White Nile and was gazette in 1965 and was home to over 60 of Uganda’s 80 remaining white rhinos.  The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) funded the anti-poaching project at Ajai in 1962. In 2002, 12 square kilometers of land were cut out of the Ajai wildlife reserve to create space for human settlement and in the year 2008, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) took over the operation of Ajai where the concession went to the Uganda Wildlife Safaris Limited, a hunting and Uganda photography tour operator.

History has it that in 1937, the wildlife reserve was put under the personal protection of the powerful local chief Ajai.  In 1980, the wildlife reserve is believed to have protected one of the few remaining white rhino populations which are now extinct in the reserve. The government of the Republic of Uganda however has plans of reintroducing these white rhinos.

Wildlife Adventure in Ajai Conservation Area

The wildlife reserve is mainly dominated by woodland, swamps, and savannah plains, and different animals found in this reserve include sitatunga, hartebeest, oribi, leopards, hippos, dik-dik, bushbuck, Uganda kob, plain zebras, buffalos, primates like black and white colobus, red-tailed monkeys and vervet monkeys are also found in the reserve.

Wildlife Adventures in Uganda

Birding in Ajai Wildlife Reserve Uganda

A lot of birds can also be seen while at Ajai wildlife reserve and these include marabou stork, African fish eagles, weaver birds, and grey crowned cranes among others.  Ajai is one of the areas in Uganda where tourists can easily spot the leopard. All this wildlife can be well seen in the reserve during a game drive.

A comfortable 4Wheel drive safari vehicle is recommended for this exercise so as to make the trip a memorable one. Rhinos in the Ajai wildlife reserve in the early days became extinct due to rampant poaching in the area and also as far as South Sudan. Increased pressure from humans with the need to have land for settlement also led to the white rhino extinction as most of the land in the reserve was encroached on for agriculture and settlement by most locals.

The last remaining rhinos in the Ajai wildlife reserve were later taken to the Ziwa rhino sanctuary in Nakasongola under the management of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).

Best Time to Visit Ajai Wildlife Reserve

Ajai wildlife reserve is open to tourists all year round but the best months to visit this area is during the dry season. Because around this time, the roads are less slippery and this is usually between December to March and May to September.

Getting to Ajai Wildlife Reserve

By Road

Ajai wildlife reserve is approximately a 7hours drive from Uganda’s capital, Kampala, and from Arua town, tourists can follow Packwach road and 15 kilometers to Olevu branching 40 kilometers East to the reserve.

By Air

Chartered or scheduled flights can be arranged from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Arua airfield where you will be picked up by your Uganda safari guide and drive you to the reserve.

Uganda Wildlife Safaris Tour Adventures

Proposed Uganda Safaris Tour Holidays

1. 3 Days Bwindi Gorilla Trek.
2. 3 Days Chimp Tracking Tour
3. 3 Days Chimpanzee Tracking Tour to Kibale.
4. 3 Days Gorilla Trekking Tour to Bwindi
5. 3 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari Tour.
6. 3 Days Uganda Wildlife Tour
7. 3 Days Wildlife Tour to Uganda.
8. 3 Days Wildlife Uganda Trip to Murchison.
9. 4 Day Gorilla Trekking Safari Tour
10. 4 Days Gorilla Trekking Bwindi Forest.
11. 5 Days Gorilla Trekking Safaris Uganda Trip
12. 5 Days Murchison Falls Safari Uganda Tour.
13. 5 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking Trip
14. 6 Days Wildlife Safari Trip to Kidepo Valley.
15. 7 Days Best of Uganda Tour
16. 7 Days Uganda Rwanda Gorilla Safari.
17. 7 Days Uganda Wildlife & Gorilla Trip
18. 7 Days Wildlife & Gorilla Trekking Uganda.
19. 8 Days Uganda Mount Elgon Hiking Safari
20. 10 Days Uganda Birding & Wildlife Tour.
21. 11 Days Uganda Forest Birding Holiday Trip
22. 12 Days Wildlife Safaris Tour in Uganda.
23. 14 Days Best of Uganda Safari.
24. 14 Days Bird Watching Trip in Uganda.