WILDLIFE SAFARIS
Semuliki National park lies on a lowland between the Ituri Mountains in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda located in Ntoroko District Karugutu Sub County which it borders in the south stretching up to the northern part of the district.
Its wildlife inhabitants depend on river wassa as their main source of water which flows through it from Rwenzori Mountains and river Semuliki located in its western side both connecting to Lake Albert.
Before Semuliki National park was gazetted as a national park in 1993, it was initially a forest reserve, the park hosts a variety of wildlife including different mammal species like monkeys, Uganda kobs, buffaloes, antelopes, chimpanzees, baboon species like De Brazza’s monkey, Vervet monkey, olive baboons, guereza colobus and night primates like pattos and galagos as well as nesting over 441 bird species which is a ratio of 40 to 100 of Uganda’s bird population and a percentage of 66 of the country’s forest birds including the most unique and rare species of the extinct shoe bill.
Other attractions around the park include visiting Sempaya hot springs, birding, game drive, chimpanzee tracking, cultural visits and experiences, nature walk and forest walk, visiting river Semuliki among others.
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Among the natural features renown in Semuliki national park include the hot springs on Sempaya area located in Itojo along Bundibugyo road. So many tourists visit the hot springs to enjoy an exciting view as the water thrusts into the atmosphere with hot steam clouding the entire place that is also visible from a kilometer away.
The hot springs are divided into the male locally known Bintene as and female springs identified as Nyasimbi by the locals, the female spring can be differentiated from the male spring by the fact that it is a geyser that can boil eggs and Matoke, tourists are advised to move along with a few fresh food stuffs that they can use in the experience.
Once at the springs, experienced ranger guides are available to offer you with detailed information about the formation of the springs with two versions, the local belief and the scientific explanation, the judgment is yours onto which story to believe.
Semuliki national park has been identified as a famous birding site nesting over 441 bird species which is a ratio of 40 to 100 of Uganda’s bird population and a percentage of 66 of the country’s forest birds including the most unique and rare species of the extinct shoe bill. The fact that Semuliki is closer to Congo, you have a chance of sighting unique bird species crossing from River Zaire to Semuliki River.
You can have a glance of different bird species during your game drive, your Sempaya hot springs visit and along river Semuliki and all through the different land scapes of the park.
Possible bird sightings include: Lemon –bellied Crombec, Gabon Woodpecker, Grant’s Bluebill, Eastern Bearded Greenbuls, Forest Francolin, Chocolate backed, Goshawk, White spotted Fluff tail, Black winged starling among others.
A game drive around Semuliki is one of the best ways to explore the park’s attractions which include the top game four including Lions, buffalo, hippo, Forest elephants and Leopard, Kob, forest elephants, warthogs, antelopes among others.
To enjoy a full encounter of the game, you take the three different trails namely the red monkey trail, Sempaya trail and the Kirumia trail with plenty of wildlife including monkeys, Uganda kob, buffaloes, antelopes, chimpanzees, baboon species like De Brazza’s monkey, Vervet monkey, olive baboons, guereza colobus and night primates like pattos and galagos as well as nesting over 441 bird species which is a ratio of 40 to 100 of Uganda’s bird population and a percentage of 66 of the country’s forest birds including the most unique and rare species of the extinct shoe bill.
The game drive can be done in the morning which creates a great chance to see animals while still in their habitants before dispersing away for the day’s hunt and also in the evening time when the animals stroll through the savanna plains back to their habitants.
The day starts after your breakfast before proceeding to the starting point for Chimpanzee tracking. Attend the briefing which lasts for about 15 minutes, listen to the rules and regulations from the ranger guides.
Proceed with your trek that normally lasts for over 3 hours or more basing on when you find the chimps.
As you get closer to the chimps, you hear them hooting from a distance and this will need you to increase on your speed so that we don’t miss out the chimps because they keep moving and going deeper into the forest.
So many people can’t hide their excitement upon the first sight of the chimps as they swing from one tree to the other, showing off different poses. It is normal to be scared when you first get close to the chimps but all this is long forgotten because the chimps are so welcoming.
Spend 1 hour with the chimps as you take photos of the chimps as the ranger was give you more information about the chimps like different families in Kibale forest, mating periods, ways of living, feeding etc.
After about an hour of remarkable experience with the chimps, exit the forest to the park for your certificate.
You will find different tribes of people that have used the land around the park for human settlement and these include batuuku who rely on cattle keeping on the western side of the park, bakonjo and the bamba rely on crop farming and have invested in a few cash crops like cocoa and vanilla and moringa, and the Batwa who are hunters and forest gatherers – living the most primitive life on the slopes of mountain Rwenzori.
Support the local community by taking a visit around the park, participate in the local activities that are carried like stone quarrying, murrum extraction on the slopes of the famous Rwenzori Mountain. For a more cultural experience, you can visit the local families that are extremely polygamous, the natives will take you through their daily way of living, visit the local orphanages and schools, observe the banana brewing demonstrations, visit local hospitals and traditional medicinal healers, enjoy the traditional dance and cultural songs that promote their culture, the beautiful dressing code of the Batuuku is truly amazing.
Semuliki National park has a very rich eco system of flora and fauna that can be accessed through the different trails designed by Uganda Wildlife Authority namely the red monkey trail, Sempaya trail and the Kirumia trail with plenty of wildlife including monkeys, Uganda kob, buffaloes, antelopes, chimpanzees, baboon species like De Brazza’s monkey, Vervet monkey, olive baboons, guereza colobus and night primates like pattos and galagos as well as nesting over 441 bird species which is a ratio of 40 to 100 of Uganda’s bird population and a percentage of 66 of the country’s forest birds including the most unique and rare species of the extinct shoe bill
The walk can be done at any time of the day in accompaniment of a ranger guide for security purposes. The activity is done on foot which creates a full encounter with nature, you can come along with a walking stick for clearing the shrubs off your way, and the activity is based on your fitness and capability but it normally lasts for about 3 hours.
River Semuliki hails from the slopes of Rwenzori Mountain in Bundibugyo district – Nyahuka sub county streams along the border of Uganda and DRC into Lake Albert, stretching for 160kms long. Activities carried out along river Semuliki include sport fishing using fishing nets and trolling lures, boat ride, bird watching, The river banks offer perfect views of the crocodiles, hippos and variety of bird species and it also boasts various plant species like papyrus reeds, spear grass that is used by locals to construct grass thatched houses.
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