The reserve is part of the Karamoja plateau. It is bounded on the east by the Great Rift escarpment which forms the Uganda/Kenya border in this area and is interrupted in the south by spurs and extensions of higher ground. Vegetation Thorny deciduous thicket                                  
The area has been the traditional pasture during the wet season for herds migrating from southern Karamoja, particularly from the Pian-Upe plains.
Resident mammals include lion Panthera leo, leopard Panthera pardus (V), cheetah Acinonyx jubalus (V), giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis, eland Taurolragus oryx, roan antelope Hippotragus equinui, and Bright’s gazelle Nanga notatus.