Visit Semuliki National Park, located in western Uganda. Semuliki National Park is one of the virgin destinations that cuts across Semuliki valley, western of Mountain Rwenzori an eastern extension of the vast Ituri forest and forms part of a forest continuum that stretches across the Democratic Republic Of Congo (DRC), to the Zaire River.
The Semuliki valley contains numerous features associated with central rather than eastern Africa. Existing thatched huts are shaded by West African oil palms, near the Semuliki River, which forms the international boundary as a miniature version of the Congo River.
Why Visit Semuliki National Park in Uganda
Semuliki has over 30 species of butterflies which have been identified, including 46 species of forest Swallowtails and Charaxes (75% of Uganda’s total). At least 235 species of moths have been classified as restricted. Semuliki has over 305 species of trees recorded, of which 125 species are restricted within Semuliki National park alone.
Birders must visit Semuliki National Park to discover over 441 species of birds that have been recorded. These are 40% of Uganda’s total species and 66% of the forest birds found in Uganda. There are also many birds found in this area that are normally found in the Congo region of Africa, but also some that are only found in the Albertine Western Rift, including the rare shoebill stork. This makes Semuliki the number one birding destination in Uganda.
Meet the Batwa pygmy community on your visit to Semuliki National Park. With four distinct ethnic groups living near the park, including Bwamba farmers who live along the base of the Rwenzori and the Bakonjo who cultivate the mountain slopes. Batuku cattle keepers inhabit the open plains and the Batwa pygmies, traditionally hunter-gatherers, who live on the edge of the forest.
A visit to Sempaya hot springs, Semuliki’s most famous attraction. The male spring, known as ‘Bintente’, measures 12m in diameter and is set in a lush swampy clearing. The female spring ‘Nyasimbi’, which means ‘the female ancestors’, is a boiling geyser of 103°c which spurts bubbling water and steam up to two meters high. The steam cloud here can be seen from as far as 2km away. Residents used to cook their food in these boiling pools.
More Reasons to Visit Semuliki
Chimpanzee tracking while on the chimpanzee research project or on a primates walk, which gives you a great experience to spot a number of primates. Such primates include olive baboons, chimpanzees, grey-checked and black mangabeys; red-tailed, vervet, black and white and red colobus monkeys are among those that can be seen during the chimpanzee tracking.
Get on a safari game drive which can be conducted in the park. These can include the morning game drive; afternoon game drive and night game drive, to give you total experience of this virgin land with an exceptional atmosphere.
You may also choose to enjoy a boat trip on Lake Albert, one of the most significant reason why tourists visit Semuliki National Park. A visit to guarantees an exceptional experience to encounter different aquatic life including the rare bird sightings such as the rare Shoebill stork. In Uganda, one can also encounter this special bird in Murchison Falls along the Nile Delta and in Mabamba Wetland Sanctuary.