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Semliki National Park has a rich bio diversity tied to its establishment and conservation efforts in the region. The park was designated in the year 1932 as a forest reserve and later upgraded to national park status in 1993, since then it has been recognized for its importance in preserving the unique eco systems of the Albertine rift valley.
Semuliki national park is found in western Uganda near the border with Democratic Republic of Congo and is part of the albertine rift area known for high bio diversity and unique landscapes. The park is known and famous for tropical rain forests, unique wildlife species such as Semuliki forest chimpanzees, hot springs and various bird species. Semliki offers a rich bio diversity and is a haven for nature enthusiast and those seeking an authentic African safari adventure experience
About Semuliki National Park
Attractions in Semliki National Park.
What to do in Semliki national park.
Best Time to Visit.
Location and Getting To the park.
Where to Stay
Attractions in Semliki National Park.
Semliki national park boasts a variety of attractions that make it a captivating destination especially for nature lovers and wildlife enthusiast. Some of these attractions include,
- Semliki hot springs.
Semliki national park is home to these amazing hot springs where visitors are given chance to witness bubbling geysers and experience the therapeutic effects of the warm mineral waters. There is a male and female hot spring, and it is believed that the female hot spring waters are a blessing especially to the expectant mothers. You can as well boil food stuffs like bananas, Irish, eggs and potatoes from the female hot springs.
- Wildlife species.
Semliki national park is own for its diverse range of wildlife including chimpanzees, monkeys, elephants, waterbucks, hippos, crocodiles and buffaloes. Various bird species like shoebill stork, hornbills, turacos, and birds of prey are also found within the park. The park is home to habituated chimps where you are given chance to trek and observe these primates in their natural habitat.
- Batwa cultural people.
The Batwa people are also known as pygmies, the indigenous who traditionally lived in the forests of Semliki region. While their presence in the park has diminished due to conservation efforts and resettlements program, the Batwa remain an important aspect of the area’s history.
When you visit these people, you are able to learn about their rich cultural heritage that incudes unique music, dance and traditional practices that are closely related to the forest and their survival skills.
- Scenic Landscapes.
The varied landscapes within the park from tropical rainforests to grasslands, offer a picturesque view and a unique setting for exploration. Some of these include Semliki River, hot springs, tropical rain forests, viewpoints and grasslands.
What to do in Semliki national park.
There are various activities for visitors to enjoy, creating a well-rounded experience, these include,
- Chimpanzee trekking.
Semliki national park offers you a chance to embark on a guided trek to encounter and observe habituated chimpanzees within their natural habitat. This is a unique and rare opportunity to witness these fascinating primates up close.
- Bird watching
The park is home to over 400 bird species which makes it a significant destination for bird watchers. Bird enthusiast have the opportunity to spot a wide variety of species like the iconic shoebill stork, African grey parrots, turacos, hornbills, yellow throated cuckoo. Black dwarf hornbill, white crested hornbill and black casqued wattled hornbill.
- Game drives.
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Explore the park on a safari game drive to spot large mammals such as elephants, antelopes, buffaloes, hippos, Mona monkeys, bush babies, African civets, African elephants and pygmy scaly tailed flying squirrel.
- Boat safaris.
A boat safari on Semliki river offers a unique prospective that allows visitors to observe wildlife along the riverbanks and enjoy the scenic beauty of the surrounding areas.
- Cultural encounters
During the cultural encounters, you are able to learn about indigenous Batwa culture through cultural experiences that offer insights into their traditional music, dance and daily lie.
Best Time to Visit.
Best time to visit Semliki national park is during the dry seasons, which typically occur from months of June, September and December to February. During this period, weather is more predictable and the drier conditions make wildlife viewing and tracking chimpanzees more comfortable and less challenging.
Dry seasons are characterized with lower rainfall, and clear skies reducing the risk of muddy and slippery trails making it easy to explore the park. Additionally, wildlife tends to concentrate around water sources during this period, enhancing the chances of spotting your favorite spices.
Location and Getting To the park.
Semliki national park is located in the western part of Uganda, within the albertine rift valley, east of Mountain Rwenzori and North West of Lake Albert and the nearest town is Fort portal.
The park can be accessed by air using a domestic flight from kajjansi or Entebbe to Semliki airstrip. It can also be accessed by road which is about 4 to 5 hours of drive from Fort portal.
Where to Stay
Our Partners
Uganda Tourism Board
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Uganda Wildlife Authority
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The Buhoma Gorilla Camp
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The Bwindi Kids Charity
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What our customers Say ?
Headspun2023-07-16Unforgettable Rwanda Emerald tailored our 5 day trip to Rwanda to all our many and frequently changing requests without any fuss. Chris, our driver/guide for the duration, could not have been more helpful and professional
Nic2022-10-25Amazing holidays! Great holidays! Even my special wishes were included into the planning although time was short. Our guide and driver City Tyson Magezi was caring and responsible. We traveled for four weeks and stayed in different accommodations from hut to tent to amazing hotels.
Susanne2022-08-19Just amazing It felt so safe and comfortable and exciting to travel with emerald. Our guide was so caring, so experienced and always friendly and an a great mood. He showed us so many animals included lions and leopards. That was just amazing . We saw wonderful landscapes like waterfalls and had contact to people . No Uganda or Eastern Africa without emerald . I m deep in love with Uganda and will come back as soon as possible.
Jose Murta2022-05-13Memorable Family Trip in Uganda Fantastic Trip that exceeded our expectations! Travelled to Uganda with wife and 2 children (9 and 10y old) for 7 days. Since the start (at planning stage) got a great support from Bob (company owner) and Edmund (our guide) via WhatsApp. They tailored a program to our needs including the unforgettable mountain gorillas hike, general hikes to waterfalls, safari including boat trip to see hipos!! Edmund, our guide, always super polite and the kids enjoyed him a lot! All our hotels, meals included in the package so no hassle on this….we just paid for drinks! The only regret I have is not staying one extra day in the Mburo National Park to explore a bit more ;) Memorable trip with so much nature and a super-humble people that made the experience even more enjoyable!! Super recommend!! The whole family just feeling we need to get back to explore more ;)Dwayne B2022-05-13Great Experience With Emerald!! It was an amazing experience! My guides Lucky and Hillary made me feel as if I was family and took care of everything I needed. They were very knowledgeable as we trekked to gorillas in Bwindi and a ride a wildlife safari through Queen Elizabeth. I learned so much from them about the animals, the terrain and the surrounding people. They we also incredibly helpful in helping me find activities around Buhoma, where I stayed, all of which were great. By the time I left I knew I had made friends who I will continue to stay in touch with. Can’t wait to come back with my family!
Dávid B2022-05-12Feeding python - 9 lions on a tree - leopard vs. lion We saw all animals and extremely special situations in a short period of time, good organization and friendly guide Paul with lots of knowledge.
Rachmurta2022-05-10Unforgettable trip! We spent one week in Uganda travelling by the guidance of Gorilla Experience safari. The whole experience were definitely above our expectations. Edmand was a friendly, polite and kind guide the whole time!
Vit Siv2022-04-22Ultimately Unique Experience of Uganda! It was unbelievable unique experience, one in a life time. Everything right from arrival to minor ditals was taken care of, too service! Itinerary was compiled/tailor to our wishes and needs as well as to include as much activities as possible. Tyson was our guide. He is an amazing guide, but even better person. He did an incredible job to put this all together, and make it all happen. We managed to do everything we wanted and even more. Definitely a trip to remember!!
Emmanuel OKalany2022-01-08A rewarding experience for a family visit to queen Elizabeth National Park My family and I had an excellent guided tour to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The itinerary planning provided was good and the costing of items was realistic. The care and hospitality of the team was excellent. They were also flexible to make time adjustments brought about because of traveling with children
Gordon Y2021-06-23Trip to Kaiso Tonya Game Reserve The guide/driver was too keen to find out my interests. That way, we always had something to talk abouts. Thank you
