When you talk of once important Conservation areas that are now not talked about, the Aswa-Lolim Game Reserve is one of the few places in the country. Gazetted in 1959, it was one of the endowed Wildlife Reserves within Uganda, located in Northern Uganda but was later de-gazetted in 1972, thus one of the main reasons few tourists know about the site yet it exists among the list of interesting tourist sites you cannot afford to miss during Uganda safaris.
It was found just North of Uganda’s most popular, oldest and largest National Park-Murchison Falls National Park (former Kabalega National Park), sharing at least 68 mile direct border as well as around 48 mile border with the Nile River in the west and acted as a migration and dispersal area for most wildlife species such as, black and white colobus monkeys, Blue duikers, Oribis, Vervet monkeys, Hippos, Buffaloes, Olive baboons, Lelwel Hartebeests, giraffes, Common duikers, Hippos, Uganda Kobs, warthogs, waterbucks and many others. It actually lies between the might Albert Nile and Northern Uganda district of Gulu, right on the western banks of the Albert Nile on the high rolling hills plundered by several Rivers such as Lolim and Aswa thus the two names that define the Game Reserve-Aswa-Lolim.
This Game Reserve covers an area of 4998 square kilometers (499800 hectares/1,235,000 acres) stretching through different counties that include Koch-Goma, Alero, Purongo and Anaka. Its landscape is characterized by light rolling grass hills with palm trees, small valleys with creeks and small forests and close to the Nile River is where you will find thick forests and expanses of papyrus swamps.
However, in 2010, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (Uganda’s Protected Areas and wildlife governing body) gave a concession to a private group known as the Aswa-Lolim Wildlife Association to manage the key wildlife migration routes within the area. Presently, the site is an assemblage of wide ranches and farms although the wild animals that live in the game Reserve are still protected by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). There is a traditional Camp with 4 en-suite tents and 6 thatched bungalows that overlook the large valley below and is just 305 kilometers (190 miles) from Kampala City.
Besides the wildlife species, birds can also be spotted and some of them include Shoebill storks (Balaeniceps rex), Piapiac (Ptilostomus afer), Heuglin’s masked wavers (ploceus heuglini), the gray-headed Oliveback (Nesocharis capistrata) and Emin shrike (Lanius gubernator) among others. With these birds, it is definitely a birder’s paradise and place to be during Uganda safaris.
Besides Aswa-Lolim, Uganda is a home to many other Wildlife Reserves that include Katonga, Bokora-corridor, Pian Upe, Matheniko, Bugungu, Karuma, Kigezi Mountain gorilla game Reserve, Ajai and Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserves as well as Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.