Semuliki National Park is located in Bwamba County, a remote part of the Bundibugyo District, in western Uganda. It was made a national park in October 1993 and is one of Uganda’s newest national parks measuring 220km2. This was a Forest Reserve which was created in 1932 and later upgraded to national park status in 1993 and is the East Africa’s only lowland tropical rainforest is found in the park. It is one of the richest areas of floral and faunal diversity in Africa, with a variety of bird species because it is the only tract of true lowland tropical forest in East Africa, hosting 441 recorded bird species and 53 mammals. These include some of the continent’s most spectacular and sought-after birds such as; Congo Serpent Eagle, Long-tailed Hawk, Nkulengu Rail, Black-wattled Hornbill and Lyre-tailed Honey guide. Although it lies a bumpy three hours’ drive from Fort Portal, birders who take Uganda safaris, Semliki National Park will be richly rewarded with some of the very best forest birding in Uganda.
The park sprawls across the floor of the Semuliki valley and lies within the Albertine part of the western arm of the East African Rift valley. The park is located on a flat to gently undulating landform that ranges from 670 to 760 m above sea level. Semuliki National Park lies on Uganda’s border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Rwenzori Mountains in the south-east of the park, while Lake Albert is to the park’s north. The park is dominated by the easternmost extension of the great Ituri Forest of the Congo Basin. This is 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.
The park experiences an average rainfall of 1,250 mm with peaks in rainfall from March to May and from September to December. Many areas of the park experience flooding during the wet season while the temperature at the park varies from 18 to 30 °C (64 to 86 °F), with relatively small daily variations. The park borders the Semuliki and Lamia Rivers, which are watering places for many animals and park has two hot springs in a hot mineral encrusted swamp. One of the springs is Mumbuga spring – resembles a geyser by forming a 0.5 m high fountain. These hot springs attract a large number of shorebirds and they are a source of salt for many animals.
The Semliki Valley contains numerous features associated with central rather than eastern Africa. Thatched huts are shaded by West African oil palms; the Semliki River (which forms the international boundary) is a tiny version of the Congo River, the forest is home to numerous Central African wildlife species, and the local population includes a Batwa pygmy community that originated from the Ituri. As a result, this park provides a taste of Central Africa without having to leave Uganda because four distinct ethnic groups live near the park that is the Bwamba farmers live along the base of the Rwenzori while the Bakonjo cultivate the mountain slopes. Batuku cattle keepers inhabit on the open plains and Batwa pygmies, traditionally hunter gathers, live on the edge of the forest.
Semuliki National Park covers a distinct part of the ecosystem within the larger Albertine Rift ecosystem because it is located at the junction of several climatic and ecological zones, and as a result the park has a high diversity of plant and animal species and many microhabitats. Most of the plant and animal species in the park are also found in the Congo Basin forests, with many of these species reaching the eastern limit of their range in Semuliki National Park.
The vegetation of the park is predominantly medium altitude moist evergreen to semi deciduous forest. The dominant plant species in the forest is the tree Cynometra alexandri. There are also tree species of a more evergreen nature and swamp forest communities.
The forests in the park are of great socio-economic importance to the human communities that live near the park. The local people practice subsistence agriculture and use the park’s forests to supplement their livelihoods. Some of the products they obtain from the forests include fruits and vegetables, bush meat, herbal medicines, and construction materials which increases the local population per year. The high population density and declining agricultural productivity combined with an unavailability of alternative sources of income means that the local population is dependent on the park’s resources. The forest also plays an important cultural and spiritual role in local people’s lives. The forests are also the home of approximately 100 Batwa people, an indigenous community who still largely live as hunter-gatherers. Because tourism provides the Batwa people with an additional source of income, park visitors can learn more about the Batwa people’s culture and history at the park and see handmade crafts that they have produced.
Access.
Semliki National Park lies along the main fort Portal to Bundibugyo road, 52 km from Fort Portal. The ranger post at Sempaya is well signposted but the park headquarters have been moved to the village of Ntandi, a further 4.4 km along the road to Bundibugyo from Sempaya it is 10.6 km to the village of Kirumia and start of the Kirumia River trail into the forest.
Activities done while at Semuliki national park.
Wildlife experience.
The Uganda wildlife safari in Semuliki is a unique experience because it has over 63 mammal species 9 of which are diurnal forest primates such as the chimpanzee, olive baboon, blue monkey, vervet monkeys while the other are nocturnal primates which primates include Pottos and Galagos. You are also lucky if you glimpse Elephant, Bush pig, Water Chevrotain, Buffalo, Sitatunga, White-bellied Duiker or Dwarf Antelope, Beecroft’s Anomalure or Zenker’s Flying Mouse. You are far more likely to spot the lively and agile squirrels such as Fire-footed Rope or Red-legged Sun Squirrel. Little collard fruit Bat and Target Rat. 30 species of butterflies have been identified, including 46 species of forest Swallowtails and Charaxes (75% of Uganda’s total) and at least 235 species of moths have been classified as restricted. There are also 305 species of trees recorded, of which 125 species are restricted to this park alone.
Bird watching.
The area around the geothermal hot springs at Sempaya is not only very scenic but also offers some great birding. The cliffs behind the ranger post are home to the crepuscular Freckled Nightjar and these can be seen gliding around the clearing with Black-shouldered Nightjars. In the lush rainforest around here listen for the bizarre dawn and dusk duetting of the elusive Nkulengu Rail. Others common species may include; Spot-breasted Ibis, Hartlaubs’s Duck, Chestnut-flanked Goshawk, Red-thighed Sparrow hawk, Long-tailed Hawk, Forest Francolin, Nkulengu Rail, Western Bronze-napped Pigeon, Black-collared Lovebird, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Red-chested Owlet, Bates’ Nightjar, Chocolate-backed, White-bellied and African Dwarf Kingfishers, White-crested, Black Dwarf, Red-billed Dwarf, Piping and Black-wattled Hornbills, Red-ramped Tinker bird, Spotted, Lyre-tailed and Fencer’s Honeyguides, African Piculet, Gabon Woodpecker, Red-sided Broadbill and so much more.
Cultural encounters.
The Batwa hunter-gatherer’s lifestyle means they have always been dependent on Semuliki forest for food, shelter, medicine and tools, though this is beginning to change as a result of interaction with other local communities. Tourism offers an alternative source of income for the Batwa, and give them the opportunity to maintain and display their rich cultural history through music and dance performances at Ntandi. They also produce intricate handcrafts for sale. A boma, or cultural village, is currently being built so that the Batwa can demonstrate how they used to live in the forest.
Hot spring experience
The hour-long trail to the outer, “male” spring leads through a patch of forest where red-tailed monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys and black-and-white colobus monkeys are common. A tree house en route provides an aerial view. A 30-minute hike through palm forest from the main road leads to the inner, “female” spring, dominated by a boiling geyser. Eggs and matooke (green plantain) can be cooked in these boiling waters and enjoyed by hungry hikers.
Accommodation.
There is availability of accommodation inside and outside the park with an observation tower and boardwalk to view the geothermal hot springs at Sempaya. Bring all your supplies and camping equipment if you plan on spending time in the forest. Recommended campsites in the forest are at the first oxbow lake and at the second Kirumia River crossing, and outside the forest at the Sempaya ranger post. Adventure Safaris Uganda will be happy to take you to this amazing destination while on your Uganda Safari