Semuliki national park is an extension of the west African jungle which stretches from the equatorial guinea through Congo forming a habitat for the guinea-Congo biome species that don’t exist elsewhere in east Africa. The national park was gazette in 1993 with an area cover of 220 kilometers and renamed from bwamba forest to semliki national park.
ATTRACTIONS IN SEMULIKI NATIONAL PARK
SEMPAYA HOT SPRINGS
The national park is famous for having 2 hot springs that a ringed by the forest and palm trees as well as veiled in a cloud of steam. There are amazing local stories about the formation of the hot springs as well as the scientific explanation. There is a female and male hot spring where the male is known as Bintente which is 12 meters in diameter and the female hot spring is called Nyasimbi. The emerging water has temperatures of over 100 degrees Celsius as well as the surrounding pools.
BIRDS
Semuliki national park is a home to over 440 bird species which makes it among the best birding safari destination. Among the 131 of the 144 guinea-Congo forest biome species as well as 50 species that aren’t found anywhere else in Africa. Birds that can be spotted include swamp palm bulbul, lyre-tailed honeyguide, long-tailed hawk, piping hornbill, red-billed hornbill. Black dwarf hornbill, African piculet, blue-billed malimbe and yellow-throated nicator among others.
ANIMALS
The national park is a home to 53 mammal species and 12 species that aren’t found elsewhere. These animal species can be spotted while on game drives as well as nature walks. These include grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed monkeys, vervet monkey, blue monkey, chimpanzees, bush pigs, white-bellied duikers, hippos, buffalos and forest elephants among others.
TORO-SEMLIKI WILDLIFE RESERVE
The semuliki reserve is 2o kilometers east of the national park on the tip of Lake Albert. The reserve was gazette in 1932 and it’s among the oldest wildlife reserve in Uganda. The reserve covers an area of 442 square kilometers. While on a Uganda safari in semuliki you will head to the reserve to have the game drives and spot animals such as elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kob, waterbucks, vervet monkeys, olive baboons, black and white colobus and red-tailed monkeys among others
ACTIVITIES IN SEMULIKI NATIONAL PARK
CHIMPANZEE TREKKING
The chimpanzee trekking requires tourist to head into the park to search for the habituated chimpanzees. While on the trek, you will be able to spot other primate species such as the vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons as well as other animals such as elephants, waterbucks, buffaloes and many more. On locating the chimpanzees, you will be able to spend with them an hour as you watch them play, breastfeed, feed as you take photos and videos for memories.
VISITING THE SEMPAYA HOT SPRINGS
The national park is popular for having the sempaya hot springs that can be visited while on a Uganda safari. The hot spring has a number of myths that are attached to it. So while on a safari you can visit the hot springs and get to know more about them as well as listen to their history.
BIRDING
While on a safari in semuliki national park, you will spot bird species. The national park has over 440 birds and these include black-bellied bustards, red rumped tinker bird, widow bird, malachite kingfishers, grey heron, hornbills, swamp palm bulbul, open billed storks and crested malimbe among others.
BOAT RIDES
While on a Uganda safari in Semuliki national Park you will embark on a boat ride which is more rewarding with amazing views on Lake Albert. A number of bird species are spotted such as open-billed storks, widow bird, crested malimbe, red rumped tinker and black-bellied bustards and mammal species such as forest buffalos, hippos as they are quenching their thirst among others.
GAME DRIVES
The game drives in Semuliki national park is carried out in two shifts that is the morning and night game drives where you will spot the nocturnal such as lions, hyenas, serval cats and other carnivores within the park. Other animals include buffalos, bushbucks, elephants, bushbucks and Uganda kob among others.