Matheniko Game Reserve,  also known as Matheniko Wildlife Reserve is situated in the conservation area of the Karamoja sub-region of northeastern Uganda. It appears to be the 5th of the most-threatened wildlife conservation protected area encountered on a Safari to Uganda.

Matheniko Game Reserve is a portion of the corridor of protected areas in the Karamoja subregion that stretches all the way from Kidepo National Park down through Bokora & Pian Upe Wildlife Reserves. North-East to Matheniko Game Reserve is the Uganda – Kenya border. This Game reserve is situated in the famous Somali – Masai environment of semi-desert grassland with part of it being shrub-land. The average rainfall that falls in the Reserve each year is estimated to be 670mltrs with much rain falling in the months of April, May and also in November.

This game reserve currently harbors a few species of wildlife though it’s not so busy compared to the rest. The most commonly sighted mammal in the reserve is the oribi, Carnivores, Jackals, Civets, Spotted hyenas, Leopards, Cheetah and Wildcats. The reserve has primates like the Vervet & Patas monkeys, Olive baboons, Ungulates and Topi. Also Cape buffalo, Common eland, Roan antelope, Blue and common duiker, Günther’s dik-dik, Klipspringer, Waterbuck, Ugandan kob, Bohor and mountain reebuck are a common feature in the reserve.

The reserve also has enormous rock pythons and smaller but venomous puff adders. Harmless water snakes are also found there. The largest lizards in Pian Upe are the Savannah monitors. Others in the reserve include the common agama as well as skinks, chameleons and geckos.

The Game reserve has nice specie of vegetation despite its location. The Uganda Wildlife Authority has put a lot of emphasis on developing the tourism infrastructure of the game reserve in the past years. A few years ago, bidders were sought in a campaign to raise funds for constructing an accommodation facility at the Game Reserve. This would boost up Uganda Safaris to this reserve