Attractions in Semuliki national park

The attractions in Semuliki national park are the key points that have made the protected area to be among the top safari destinations in Uganda. Semuliki national park is located in Bundibugyo district where it covers a total area of 220 sq. km.  It was established in 1932 as a forest reserve and later in 1993, it was upgraded to a national park.

There are several highlights of visiting Semuliki national park as the park harbors different wildlife species among which include 435 bird species, 53 mammals, 9 primates, and 448 butterfly species among others. Semuliki national park is also a place to find two hot springs with water that is more than 100 degrees celsius. Below are a few details about the attractions of Semuliki national park.

Attractions in Semuliki national park

Mammals

Semuliki national park is home to 53 mammals that have been so far recorded and these are some of the attractions within the area. The mammals live in different areas of the park and tourists are able to see them while carrying out a number of activities. There are no game drives within Semuliki national park there tourists who want to see the mammals normally take part in nature walk activities.

Nature walks in Semuliki national park are done using different trails and tourists are able to find some of the park animals. While walking around Semuliki national park, tourists will be able to see mammals such as leopards, elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, hippos, Uganda kobs, sitatungas, warthogs, crocodiles, and side-striped jackals among others.

Primates

Semuliki national park hosts 9 primates but the good news is that among these primates are chimpanzees. Chimpanzees are some of the most loved primates in the world because they are said to be close relatives to human beings. Chimpanzee trekking is one of the activities carried out within Semuliki national park to enable tourists to get close to mountain gorillas. Other Primates in Semuliki national park include blue monkeys, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys.

Birds

Over 435 birds are living in semuliki national park and these are major attractions. Bird watching is one of the most carried out activities in Semuliki national park. Semuliki national park is one of the best areas with birds in western Uganda and bird lovers love to carry out the activity within this park. of the 435 bird species, 23 are said to be Albertine rift endemics and not seen anywhere else in the country.

Birds of Semuliki national park include Shoe bill stork, Black-Dwarf hornbill, Congo serpent eagle, African piculet, Long-tailed Hawk, Bates nightjar, White thighed hornbill, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Dwarf honeyguide, Forbe’s plover, Rufous-sided broadbill, Hartlaub’s duck, Ross’s Turaco, Chestnut-breasted Negrofinch, Black-Dwarf hornbill, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Red-thighed Sparrow hawk, Xavier greenbul, Piping hornbill, Red rumped Tinkerbird, Capuchin babbler, Zenker’s honeyguide, Blue-headed Crested Flycatcher, Orange Cheeked waxbill, and White-tailed Hornbill.

Other bird species Maxwell’s black weaver, Northern bearded scrub robin, Purple-breasted sunbird, Great blue Turaco, Eastern-bearded Greenbuls, Pale-fronted negrofinch, Red-bellied Malimbe, Swamp palm bulbul, Fire-crested Alethe, Long-tailed hawk, Dusky nightjar, Black-throated coucal, Green-tailed bristlebill, Gabon woodpecker, Nkulengu rail, Leaf-love, White-crested hornbill, Black Dwarf Hornbill, Red-billed dwarf hornbill, Red-billed Dwarf hornbill, White-bellied kingfisher, Yellow-throated Nicator, Gabon woodpecker, Blue-billed malimbe, Yellow-throated nicator, Orange-cheeked Waxbill, Eastern-bearded greenbul, and Great white pelican among others.

Hot springs

You cannot talk about Semuliki national park and fail to talk about the hot springs. Semuliki national park has two hot springs which are all found inside the park. These hot springs are named male and female but the female one is the most popular. This is because the water at the female hot spring is too hot and the flow of water from the underground is amazing. The female hot spring has a geyser that ejects hot water up to a height of 3 meters into the air.

Tourists who want to visit the hot springs of Semuliki national park are always guided by armed ranger guides for security reasons. While at any of the hot springs, the armed ranger guides will tell you different information about these hot springs and what local people around the park say about them. Since these hot springs have too much water, tourists who have time can boil and cook eggs from there.

Butterflies

It’s true Semuliki national park is the best place to go for butterfly watching in Uganda and this is because it has the highest population of butterfly species in the whole country. Semuliki national park has a total of 448 butterfly species which have been recorded making it the best place for butterfly watching in the whole country.

Butterfly watching in Semuliki national park gives tourists an opportunity to see species such as Charaxes fulvescens, charaxes pollux, bicyclus, euphaedra alacris, euphaedra hollandi, aletis helcita, catuna crithea, bicyclus alboplagus, cymothoe Cyclades, cymothoe Cyclades, widespread forester, variable diadem, polyptychus carteri, blue monarch, andriasa contraria, forest glade nymph, soldier commodore, euphaedra rattrayi, little pansy, common glassy Acraea, biston abruptaria, savanna pathfinder, angular glider,

Common mother of pearl, blue diadem butterfly, peneleos Acraea, dark yellow forest sylph, simple orange forester, rhipidarctia crameri, small black bush brown, African leaf butterfly, common palm forester, zebra pyrale, nemetes sailer, coffee berry moth, cymothoe confusa, marcipalina umbrosa, choroclanis virescens, euphaedra eberti, pikachu moth, tailed bush brown, belenois solilucis, neuroxena ansorgei.

Mulberry hawkmoth, violet banded palla, bicyclus mollitia, amata marina, cadarena pudoraria, square winged red charaxes, haritalodes polycymalis, veined swordtail, euphaedra edwardsii, hill bush brown, fulvous hawk, mung bean moth, euriphene saphirina, gregori’s brown pansy, common blue banded forester, rhodope dotted border, boisduval’s tree nymph, common glider, lycoa Acraea to mention but a few.