Semuliki National Game Park (Sempaya Hot Springs) is one of the 20 national game parks in Uganda found in Budibugyo District and can be reached using two routes: Route 1 from Kampala-Fort portal via Masaka, Mbarara, and Kasese, which is 465 km and takes 7-8 hours, and Route 2 from Kampala-Fort portal via Mubende, which is 180km and takes 4-5 hours. The route takes between 2 and 3 hours on bumpy roads with stunning views of the Rwenzori ranges and Albertine Rift valley floor. It is one of the smallest and second-smallest national game parks in Uganda.
Semuliki National Game Park is considered the second-smallest national park, covering a total surface area of about 220 square kilometres after Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, located in Kisoro District and covering 34 square kilometers.
Semuliki is known as a true bird sanctuary, which means it’s a safe place for birds of 450 species. And 37 of these birds are only found in Semuliki National Game Park in the whole of East Africa, which means they do migrate from the full forest in Central Africa.
Bird watching in Semuliki National Park offers opportunities to observe various bird species, including the Black-wattled Hornbill, Congo Serpent Eagle, Purple Glossy Starling, Red-Throated Bee-eater, Long-Tailed Hawk, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, White-throated Alethe, Mountain Greenbul, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Swamp Nightjar, Chestnut-flanked Goshawk, Yellow-billed Barbet, Petits Cuckoo-shrike, Abyssinian Ground-thrush, White-tailed Robin-chat, Fire-crested Alethe, Double-toothed Barbet, Cassin’s Spinetail, Toro Olive Greenbul, Common Stonechat, Little Grey Greenbul
Semuliki also has big mammals like elephants, buffaloes, and hippos, which are not very common. The common animals we always see are monkeys. Like nine primate species of monkeys, which include chimpanzees, blue, vervet, grey-checked mangabeys, black and red-tailed monkeys, and olive baboons, as well as snakes, butterflies, trees, and plants.
Then there are the hot springs. There is a female hot spring that is very close to where you do the spring experience. The activity at Semuliki takes about an hour, visiting both the female and male hot springs.
Akena Martin
Communication Officer, GCIC – STATE HOUSE
