Bokora Game Reserve

Bokora Corridor Wildlife reserve is located in the North Eastern Uganda in the Karamoja sub region. It covers an area (2056 sq km) and is part of the wider semi-arid Karamoja Wildlife Reserves that include Matheniko and Pian Upe Wildlife Reserves.

The main physical features of Bakora Wildlife Reserve are Mount Kadam and Mount Napaka though it is mostly dominated by savannah grassland, shrubs, short trees and bushes.

The reserve harbours a variety of wildlife like Cheetahs, Bright’s gazelles, Lions, Oribis, Hartebeests, Elands, Giraffes, Spotted Hyenas, Uganda Kobs, Rothschild’s giraffes, zebras, Roan antelopes, Topis, Striped Hyenas, Reedbucks and Lasser Kudu among others.

Cultural Experiences

Tourists visit the Karamojong and the Pokot people to learn about the life and cultures of these nomadic tribes whose lives rotate around livestock.

Birding

Bokora Corridor Wildlife Reserve and Bokora game Reserve are excellent locations for birding, boasting a diverse array of bird species. The reserves provide habitats for over 300 bird species. Loporokocho swamp is one of the best spots for birding.

Bokora Game Reserve bird list

1. Vinaceous Dove Streptopelia vinacea
2. Laughing Dove Spilopelia senegalensis
3. Namaqua Dove Oena capensis
4. Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius
5. Dideric Cuckoo Chrysococcyx caprius
6. African Openbill Anastomus lamelligerus
7. Long-crested Eagle Lophaetus occipitalis
8. Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax
9. Gabar Goshawk Micronisus gabar
10. Dark Chanting-Goshawk Melierax metabates
11. Green Woodhoopoe Phoeniculus purpureus
12. African Gray Hornbill Lophoceros nasutus
13. White-throated Bee-eater Merops albicollis
14. Gray-headed Kingfisher Halcyon leucocephala
15. Woodland Kingfisher Halcyon senegalensis
16. Striped Kingfisher Halcyon chelicuti
17. Abyssinian Roller Coracias abyssinicus
18. D’Arnaud’s Barbet Trachyphonus darnaudii
19. Pygmy Falcon Polihierax semitorquatus
20. Pygmy Batis Batis perkeo
21. Brown-crowned Tchagra Tchagra australis
22. Fork-tailed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis
23. Northern Fiscal Lanius humeralis
24. Piapiac Ptilostomus afer
25. Kidepo Lark Corypha kidepoensis
26. Rattling Cisticola Cisticola chiniana
27. Wattled Starling Creatophora cinerea
28. Rüppell’s Starling Lamprotornis purpuroptera
29. Superb Starling Lamprotornis superbus
30. Silverbird Empidornis semipartitus
31. Speckle-fronted Weaver Sporopipes frontalis
32. White-browed Sparrow-Weaver Plocepasser mahali
33. Vitelline Masked-Weaver Ploceus vitellinus
34. Red-headed Quelea Quelea erythrops
35. Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea
36. Northern Red Bishop Euplectes franciscanus
37. Black-rumped Waxbill Estrilda troglodytes
38. Red-cheeked Cordonbleu Uraeginthus bengalus
39. Pin-tailed Whydah Vidua macroura
40. Shelley’s Rufous Sparrow Passer shelleyi
41. Reichenow’s Seedeater Crithagra reichenowi
42. White-browed Coucal Centropus superciliosus
43. Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird Pogoniulus chrysoconus
44. Nubian Woodpecker Campethera nubica
45. White-rumped Shrike Eurocephalus ruppelli
46. Karamoja Apalis Apalis karamojae
47. Croaking Cisticola Cisticola natalensis
48. Greater Blue-eared Starling Lamprotornis chalybaeus
49. Pied Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus
50. Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus
51. Blue-naped Mousebird Urocolius macrourus
52. Black-crowned Tchagra Tchagra senegalus
53. Tawny-flanked Prinia Prinia subflava
54. Fox’s Weaver Ploceus spekeoides
55. Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus
56. Yellow-mantled Widowbird Euplectes macroura
57. Yellow-fronted Canary Crithagra mozambica
58. Green-backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brachyura
59. Black Coucal Centropus grillii
60. Dwarf Bittern Botaurus sturmii
61. Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata
62. Malachite Kingfisher Corythornis cristatus
63. Gray-backed Fiscal Lanius excubitoroides
64. Black-winged Bishop Euplectes hordeaceus
65. Bronze Mannikin Spermestes cucullata
66. African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguimp
67. Black-billed Wood-Dove Turtur abyssinicus
68. Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
69. Striated Heron Butorides striata
70. Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala
71. Hamerkop Scopus umbretta
72. Shikra Tachyspiza badia
73. Northern Black-Flycatcher Melaenornis edolioides
74. Golden-backed Weaver Ploceus jacksoni
75. Banded Martin Neophedina cincta
76. Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea
77. White-bellied Go-away-bird Crinifer leucogaster
78. Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus
79. Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus
80. Abyssinian Scimitarbill Rhinopomastus minor
81. European Bee-eater Merops apiaster
82. Fan-tailed Raven Corvus rhipidurus
83. Yellow-bellied Eremomela Eremomela icteropygialis
84. White-billed Buffalo-Weaver Bubalornis albirostris
85. White-headed Buffalo-Weaver Dinemellia dinemelli
86. Steel-blue Whydah Vidua hypocherina
87. Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris
88. Crested Francolin Ortygornis sephaena
89. Rock Pigeon Columba livia
90. White-bellied Bustard Eupodotis senegalensis
91. Buff-crested Bustard Lophotis gindiana
92. Black-bellied Bustard Lissotis melanogaster
93. Hartlaub’s Bustard Lissotis hartlaubii
94. Klaas’s Cuckoo Chrysococcyx klaas
95. Black-headed Lapwing Vanellus tectus
96. Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotos
97. Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus
98. Black Kite Milvus migrans
99. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo
100. Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops
101. Jackson’s Hornbill Tockus jacksoni
102. Northern Red-billed Hornbill Tockus erythrorhynchus
103. Purple Roller Coracias naevius
104. Red-fronted Barbet Tricholaema diademata
105. Greater Honeyguide Indicator indicator
106. Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
107. Meyer’s Parrot Poicephalus meyeri
108. Western Black-headed Oriole Oriolus brachyrynchus
109. White-crested Helmetshrike Prionops plumatus
110. Brubru Nilaus afer
111. Flappet Lark Amirafra rufocinnamomea
112. Red-faced Crombec Sylvietta whytii
113. Gray Wren-Warbler Calamonastes simplex
114. Buff-bellied Warbler Phyllolais pulchella
115. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
116. Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus
117. Rufous Chatterer Argya rubiginosa
118. Lesser Blue-eared Starling Lamprotornis chloropterus
119. White-browed Scrub-Robin Cercotrichas leucophrys
120. Spotted Morning-Thrush Cichladusa guttata
121. Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe
122. Red-headed Weaver Anaplectes rubriceps
123. Northern Gray-headed Sparrow Passer griseus

Source: eBird

Camping

The park has no standard accommodation. Visitors to the reserve co camping to experience its wilderness on moon light. Visitors are advised to carry their own camping gear.

Best to visit Bakora

The reserve is open to tourists all year round though the best time to visit is during the dry season in the months of June-September and December –February. The roads can become difficult to use during the wet season in the months of November, May and April.