How to access Semuliki national park

How to access Semuliki national park? Semuliki national park is located in western Uganda Bundibugyo district. Semuliki national park is one of the best tourist destinations in western Uganda. This national park is near Rwenzori national park and Kibale forest national park. It was gazetted in 1932 as a forest reserve and later in 1993 it was gazetted as a national park. The lowland tropical forest is home to a lot of wildlife among which include 435 bird species, 53 mammals, and 9 primates.

Semuliki national park is located about 400km from Kampala/Entebbe the main starting point of most safaris. Semuliki national park can be accessed by both air transport and road transport. Any of the means of transport used will get tourists to the park in just a single day.

Accessing Semuliki national park by road transport. Semuliki national park is situated 400km away from Kampala/Entebbe and the time taken to access the park is between 4 to 5 hours. Tourists coming from Kampala can access the park by going through Mityana, Mubende, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo, Fort Portal, and Bundibugyo where the park is located.

Accessing Semuliki national park by road transport is an experience of its own. Tourists get to see different attractions along the way which include plantations, rivers, swamps, and people among others. The roads to the park are well constructed therefore tourists will move smoothly.

Accessing Semuliki by air transport. Semuliki national park is very small and has no airstrip inside the park. The closest airstrip tourists can use is Kasese air strip which they later connect to the park using road transport. Luxury travelers can fly from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airstrip to Kasese airstrip and later drive to the park

Air transport is the quickest way to access Semuliki national park but tourists need to know that it’s quite expensive. To fly to Kasese airstrip and access Semuliki national park you can use any of the airline companies for example Aerolink Uganda, Bar Aviation Uganda, and Kampala Executive Aviation.

On your safari to Semuliki national park you don’t have to get worried about the activities you will take part in. There is a variety of activities in Semuliki national park and you choose what to do based on budget and choice. Semuliki hosts over 53 mammals, 435 bid species, 9 primates and not forgetting the hot springs.

Bird watching: Bird watching is one of the major activities tourists can be part of while in Semuliki national park. The national park is home to 435 bird species and is one of the best birding destinations we have in western Uganda. Bird watching activities led by professional guides in Semuliki national park give birders an opportunity to see more than half of the recorded birds within here.

Birds of Semuliki national park include Shoe bill stork, White-throated Blue Swallow, Crested Malimbe, White-crested hornbill, Dwarf honeyguide, Grauer’s cuckoo-shrike, Yellow-throated Nicator, Black-dwarf hornbill, Ross’s Turaco, White-crested hornbill, Northern bearded scrub robin, Gabon woodpecker, Orange Cheeked waxbill, Great blue Turaco, Capuchin babbler, yellow-throated nicator, Eastern-bearded Greenbuls, Gabon woodpecker, Chestnut-breasted Negrofinch, Capuchin Babbler, Long tailed hawk, Black-throated coucal, Red-billed Dwarf hornbill, and Hartlaub’s duck among others.

Nature walks in Semuliki National Park

Because there are no game drives in Semuliki national park, nature walks are common activities organized to enable tourists get so close to nature. Nature walks in Semuliki national park introduce you to animals, birds, wildlife, water sources, and the hot springs. Nature walks are guided activities for security reasons within Semuliki national park.

The nature walks start with a briefing and tourists are taken to different areas of the park using different trails. Some of the nature walk trails within Semuliki national park include Sempaya nature trail, red tailed monkey trail, Batwa cultural trail, and Kirumia trail among others. While moving around Semuliki national park, tourists will see lots of attractions that have been recorded there.

Hot springs. No one would love to visit Semuliki national park and leave minus seeing the hot springs unless they had never heard about them. Semuliki national park hosts two hot springs one named the female hot spring and the other named the male hot spring. These are located inside the park and with a ranger guide, tourists are able to get so close to them.

Visiting the hot springs in Semuliki national park will leave you wondering about God’s creations. These hot springs have boiling water with that of the female hot spring boiling up to 100 degrees celsius. The water at the female hot spring can boil eggs therefore if you are not in a hurry, you can cook and eat some. A visit to the hot springs will also help you to know about their formation.

Best time to go to semuliki

Tourists can go to Semuliki national park at any time of the year however the dry season is the best period to visit this park. June to September and December to February are the best months to visit the park. This is because the months are characterized by little rainfall and plenty of sunshine. The nature walk trails are dry and passable because of no rainfall and the vegetation is short with good views of most attractions within the park.