The area is an important water source for many animals and is surrounded by savanna, but is generally noted for its high concentration of primate life located in the gorge.

In the 1980s the southern area was colonised, but these people were evicted in 1990, and the land rented out to a private concessionaire called Zwilling.

Kyambura Gorge spans a distance of 11 km and links to the Kazinga Channel, which forms the northern bInfobox protected areaoundary of the reserve.

[3][4] Kyambura and QENP, together with Maramagambo Forest and Kigezi Game Reserve, all adjoin, and are referred to as the Queen Elizabeth Protected Area (QEPA), this borders Parc National des Virunga (Virunga National Park) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and together these areas completely encircle Lake Edward.

[2]: 2 Dominic Johnson classifies the bird communities of the game reserve according to thirteen habitat types.