Semiliki National Park

Park Briefs

Semuliki National Park, ‘the birders Heaven’ was created in 1932 as a forest reserve and upgraded to national park status in 1993.  It’s located in the southern part of Uganda just along Bundibugyo Highway from Fort portal City. Semuliki N.P sprawls across the floor of the Semuliki Valley on the remote, western side of the Mt. Rwenzori. The Park is an  extension of the great Ituri Forest of the Congo Basin and forms one of Africa’s most ancient and bio-diverse forests; one of the few to survive the last ice age, 12-18,000 years ago.

During wet seasons flooding is experienced at the Large areas of this low-lying park side,which  briefly reminds us of the time when the entire valley lay at the bottom of a lake for seven million years. The meandeering Semuliki River forms the international boundary and it is a miniature version of the Congo River. The park is surrounded by 4 distinct ethnic groups which are; the Bwamba farmers live along the base of the Rwenzori, the Bakonjo cultivators on the mountain slopes, the Batuku cattle keepers inhabiting the open plains and Batwa, pygmies who are traditionally hunter gathers and live on the edge of the forest.

Both Geologically and hydrologically, the park is rich and  hosts the Country’s most powerful ‘male and female’ Hot springs that bubbles up at over 100 degrees centigrade temperature from the depths to demonstrate the powerful subterranean forces that have been shaping the rift valley during the last 14 million years.

Biologically Semuliki N.P is diverse with over 120 mammals, including several primate species such as baboons and chimpanzees, as well as elephants and antelopes, 300 species of butterflies, 235 moth species, 46 species of forest swallowtail and many scientifically important plant species. There are around 435  bird species hosted in this forest, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics,The birds checklist includes 35 Guinea-congo forest biome bird species Furthermore,another 12 species with extremely little distribution are spotted like the western bronze-naped pigeon.yellow throated cukoo.

Memorable Activities: The most memorable activities in this park include but not limited to:I nature walk to the powerful male & female hot springs, Birding where a lot of endemic species can be encountered, research based tourism, butterfly tourism, entomologists research, education trips. Community walk to neighboring Bamba, Bakonzo, batuku and Batwa villages for homestead visits,  home cultural performances, home-cooked local cuisine so forth.

Accessibility: To do all these activities, we help you to reach the park  using either road or air (to the nearby airstrip).

Accommodation: There a number of lodges from budget to high-End within a radius of 50 km.

Easiest way to explore this park (3/2 days). Its possible for visitors sleeping in Entebbe/Kampala(Uganda) to drive direct to the park and also by Air direct to Bundibugyo and then drive back shortly to the park headquarters.