Historically, Cyclanorbis elegans was found over a wide range, spanning from West Africa (Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo) east through Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia and Sudan.

In 2017, a lone population was found in the White Nile wetlands of South Sudan by Prof. Luca Luiselli and his team; this discovery was publicized in a 2019 paper.

[5][6] In 2021, another population was found along the same wetlands, but in northern Uganda (near the border with South Sudan); the species had not previously been recorded in this area.

[7] On the biodiversity database iNaturalist, several "research-grade" sightings—i.e., with clear photographic evidence and GPS coordinates—of C. elegans have been documented between April 2022 and May 2024;[8] the bulk of these observations took place in and around Salamat, Chad,[9] while others have occurred in West Gonja, Ghana, and Tangúieta, Benin.

[10] Bari fishermen, in South Sudan, have extensive cultural knowledge of the Nubian flapshell turtle, including natural history, lifestyle and reproductive patterns, and nesting sites, which may prove useful in future and ongoing conservation efforts of the species.