Semuliki National Park.

Semuliki National Park is considered as one of the Africa’s most bio-diverse tropical forests and farther away lies the Toro-Semuliki Wildlife Reserve with the open savannah grassland and riverine forest. Only a few visitors come to Semuliki National Park. The park is known for its unique attractions like the bird species, Sempaya hot springs and others. There are numerous trails that take visitors through the ancient forest and the papyrus swamps for birding and to the Sempaya hot springs. Therefore, it is best to explore the park on foot. Semuliki national park is situated in the western region of Uganda and it covers an area of 220 square kilometers with 670 to 760 meters above the sea level. The park was officially recognized in 1993.

Main attractions in Semuliki National Park.

Bird species.

Semuliki National Park is a home to a large number of bird species. In fact, the park is an ideal birding refuge and the bird lovers will be delighted. There are more than 450 species of birds in Semuliki National Park which account for over 40% of the total bird species in Uganda. Some of the birds that are commonly sighted in the park include red-bellied, Red-eyed puff back, Black winged starling, Red-billed Helmet shrike, Lyre tailed Honeyguide, Ituris Batis among others.

Sempaya hot springs.

The most prominent tourist spots in Semuliki National Park are Sempaya hot springs. It is the main reason why travelers do Uganda safaris to this park as it offers an unforgettable experience that everyone is advised to try.

Animal species.

Semuliki National Park is one of the beautiful places to visit for safaris as it plays host to numerous animal species. Some of the animals that the park is home to include forest elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, crocodiles, pygmy hippopotami, leopards, bush babies, Uganda kobs, chimpanzees and waterbucks among others. There is also another destination of interest nearby called Toro-Semuliki Wildlife Reserve. This is the site of the old game reserve in Uganda that offers chimpanzee trekking as one of the activities.

Semuliki River.

Semuliki River in Semuliki National Park is the most beautiful one that measures 160 kilometers and it runs down from the Rwenzori mountains and it empties into Lake Albert and finally River Nile, the longest river. On a safari in Semuliki National Park tourists can get to see animals such as hippos, crocodiles and different kinds of bird species including the famous shoebill stork and more.

Things to do in Semuliki National Park.

Bird watching.

Semuliki National Park can be fully described as a birders’ haven and its vast quantities of species completely make bird watching an ideal activity in the park. Some of the bird species in the park that are Black-collared Lovebird, Chestnut-flanked Goshawk, Red-thighed Sparrow hawk, Red-sided Broadbill, Sassi’s Olive, African Piculet, Green-tailed Bristlebill, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Blue-headed Crested Flycatcher, and Ituris Batis, and among many others.

Visiting Sempaya Hot Spring.

The Semuliki National Park is a great place for a safari and a naturalist’s dream come true, thanks to its many attractions. The first thing you will want to do is explore the Sempaya Hot springs, an attraction that is ‘male’ springs also called Bintente which is 12 meters in diameter and located in a beautiful swampy clearing. There is also a ‘female’ spring called Nyasimbi, which means female ancestors, and has a boiling temperature of over 1030C and the bubbling water and steam can rise up to two meters. The local people used to come here for their food like matooke, eggs from the hot springs. Visiting the Sempaya hot springs is the best safari experience in Semuliki National Park.

Game drives in Toro Semuliki Game reserve.

Driving through Semuliki National Park is the most exhilarating and magical way to see the African wildlife in the park. Game drives take place in Toro Semuliki Reserve adjacent to Semuliki National Park. The reserve consists of the main tracks which mainly run through the savannah grassland of Toro Semuliki Wildlife Reserve. It is on this landscape that the tourists get to see and experience spotting the various attractive animal species in the reserve from the open safari vehicle accompanied by the presence of a very experienced safari guide. Some of the species to be seen include leopards, Uganda kobs, warthog, waterbuck, buffalo, Forest Elephants and others. Then during the night game drives is when the travelers get to spot the nocturnal animal species in the reserve like bush babies, white-tailed mongoose and others.

Cultural and community experience.

One of the coolest activities that tourists can do while visiting Semuliki National Park is to immerse themselves in the culture of the Batwa people who are the original inhabitants of the Semuliki forest area. These forest-dwellers are only surviving on the resources of the forest such as food, shelter, medicine, and tools. The Batwa people warmly welcome visitors with their traditional music and dance at the village of Ntandi. To keep a memory of this occasion, you can buy Batwa handicrafts from the cultural village or a boma built so that Batwa can demonstrate how they used to live in the forest, or even take community walks as an experience.

Nature walks and forest walks.

Semuliki National Park is an excellent place for people who love nature and the great outdoors because it has plenty of wild areas where travelers can even go on a guided walk with a forest ranger that you can learn and even see various species of birds in their natural habitat. There are different trails you can choose like the Kirumia Nature walk Trail that takes you right in the heart of the forest, and; this is the most memorable part of the trip when you get to feel and watch in the company of the most colorful bird species in the area. Alternatively, you can also go for the red monkey trail that leads you to spot some of the rare deBrazza’s monkeys by the Semuliki River.

Chimpanzee trekking in Toro-Semuliki wildlife reserve.

Chimpanzee trekking is an exciting type of safari experience in the Toro-Semuliki Wildlife Reserve’s dry forest environment; due to the fact that the chimpanzee tends to wander extensively in search of food, chimpanzee trekking presents some difficulties when tracking down the chimpanzee within the reserve; however, once you have located these amazing animals it is truly rewarding watching them in their natural setting. At the same time chimpanzee trekking is sometimes accompanied by a primates researcher conducting his/her own research while walking through the forest with the chimpanzee trekkers.