Keeping The Poachers Out: Moyowosi Game Reserve, Tanzania (5-minute Video)

The Moyowosi Game Controlled Area was declared a game reserve in 1981 and covers an area of some 11,430 km². It was named after the river that flows through the Reserve. The name originated from “Muyovozi”, which means “a huge river which flows throughout the year and is difficult to cross” in the language of the Ha tribe.

The Reserve is in the Kibondo and Kakonko Districts within the Kigoma region in the western part of Tanzania and forms part of the Ugalla – Moyowosi/Kigosi-Malagarasi ecosystem. The area was declared a Ramsar Convention Site, the first to be proclaimed in Tanzania and the third largest in the world.

During the heights of the rainy season, the floodplains of the Malagarasi, Moyowosi, Nikonga, Kigosi, and Gombe rivers cover nearly 1,000,000 hectares, and the permanent swamps extend over 350,000 hectares. 

The Kigosi National Park, a one-time game reserve, forms the northern border. 

The vegetation of the Reserve is varied, with the riverine being dominated by palms and the edges of the floodplains with Acacia woodland. The higher ground is characterized by miombo woodland and open grassland. 

Ganam/EBN Safaris conservation manager Erik Nyman and his staff work closely with the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA) to protect the Reserve.