Semuliki Valley National Park is found at the base of the Albertine rift valley. It is located in the south-western region of Uganda; in Bundibugyo district covering an area of 220 kilometers squared in the only tract of lowland semi-deciduous forest in East Africa. Semuliki Valley National Park’s forest is one of the ancient forests that survived the ice age period with a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna. It is comprised of savannah grasslands, wetlands, and rivers. It was first gazetted as a game reserve in 1932 and established as a national park in 1993.
Semuliki Valley National Park is an extension of Ituri forest of the Congo basin. It’s bordered by the Rwenzori Mountains from the southwest and Lake Albert to the North. One of the advantages of visiting this park for your Uganda safari tours is the fact that it’s less crowded compared to other national parks in Uganda.
Semuliki Valley National Park is one of Uganda’s priceless gems, harboring various wildlife. It shelters 53 mammalian species. Some of the animals you can see here while on a game drive are Deffassa waterbuck, Jackson hartebeests, buffalos, elephants, civets, hippos, leopards, bush babies, pygmy antelopes, flying squirrels, waterbucks, warthogs, bushbucks, reedbucks, civets, giant forest hogs and hyenas among the rest.
Chimpanzee Trekking in Semuliki
Chimpanzee trekking is one of the activities tourists can engage in while at this park. It’s not as famous and nice as trekking chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park. Chimpanzees are humans closest relatives, sharing with a DNA of over 98%. You will observe chimpanzees for one hour after finding them in their natural habitat. You can also join researchers and scientists in the chimpanzee habituation experience which is more interesting than trekking. This, however, has to be organized on request and could involve a long procedure. During chimpanzee trekking, you will also be able to spot other primates like the Debrazza monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey, central Africa monkey, black and white colobus monkeys, and vervet monkeys among the rest.
The major tribes living around Semiliki Valley National Park are the Bamba, Batwa, Butuku and the Bakonjo tribes. All of these tribes have different and unique cultures. You can explore and learn from them as you get entertained with pure local African music and dances. You can also buy some hand made local crafts to take home for memories or as gifts to your loved ones.
Bird Watching
Semuliki Valley National Park is a birder’s paradise; endowed with over 441 species of bird. Over 46 species are of Guinea-Congo Biome and 23 are Albertine rift valley species. This park is an ideal place for bird enthusiasts. Some of the birds found here are; Abyssinian ground hornbill, the rare shoebill stork, black dwarf hornbill, red thigh sparrow, African wood owl, white-crested hornbill, lemon bellied crombec, swamp palm bulbul, red-bellied malimbe, black weaver bird, yellow-throated nicator, casqued wattled hornbill, maxwell’s black weaver, orange-cheeked waxbill, white-throated blue swallow, Chestnut-breasted Nigro finch, African Piculet, yellow-throated cuckoo, Ping ping hornbill and many others.
Sempaya Hot Springs
The Sempaya Hot Springs are two; the male and the female hot springs respectively found along the Semuliki river. The hot springs emit water ranging from 40° to 104°. This water can cook an egg in a few minutes. The springs shoot up to 2 meters off the ground.
The locals tell an interesting story of the hot springs. They say one day the Bagama women had gone to collect firewood and saw a stranger, a hairy man moving with a spear and a dog. The women ran home and told this to their husbands, who came and abducted the man; taking him to the village and later got him a wife.
One day this stranger, who got named Biteete went for hunting and never returned. The villagers only found his spear at the scene of the male hot springs without him and the dog. When the wife heard of the news she also ran to the forest never to return and her clothes were later found at female hot springs. That is how the female hot spring came to be called “Nyansimbi” and the male hot spring “Biteete”. Today the Bagama tribe still performs ritual sacrifices to the hot springs with a belief that their ancestors live there.
Other Activities
Nature walks and hikes at Semuliki Valley National Park are very thrilling. They provide dramatic views of the Ruwenzori Mountains, also known as mountains of the moon. There is a 13-kilometer trail that takes tourists through the heart of the forest for about an 8 hours round trip with encounters of wildlife, birds, butterflies and many primate species.
Sportfishing at Semuliki National Park can be done at the Semuliki River. Tourists can catch various fish species and later have them for their dinner at the respective hotels. Those interested in fishing at the great Semuliki River are advised to come with their own fishing gear.
Tourists who would like to spend an overnight in Semuliki Valley National Park can sleep in lodges like Ntoroko Safari Lodge, Toro Semuliki Hostel, Semuliki Safari Lodge, Semuliki Guest House, Rwenzori View Guest House, Mountains of the moon hotel, and many others.
Semuliki Valley National Park can be visited all year round but the best time of visiting the park is from June to September and December to February. During the wet season, some of the parts of the park get flooded and the roads become impassable. Visiting at this season will require a four-wheel drive car. Semuliki Valley National Park can be reached from Kampala, the capital of Uganda within a 4 – 5 hours drive by road via Fort portal road and 7 – 8 hours via Kasese town in western Uganda.
