Semuliki Valley
Semuliki Valley is situated in Bundibugyo district south of Lake Albert on the borders of Uganda with DR Congo. Semuliki Valley is strategically located south of Lake Albert, and north of the snow-capped Rwenzori mountains. Semuliki Valley is part of Semuliki national park and it is found right inside the park surrounded by the lowland trop rainforest.
SemulikiValley hosts some of the attractions of Semuliki national park which include mammals, primates, butterflies, birds, hot springs, and vegetation to mention but a few. Tourists can always explore Semuliki Valley by taking part in the different activities organized in the park. Below are some of the activities tourists can engage in to discover what is in Semuliki Valley.
Things to do in Semuliki Valley
Bird watching in Semuliki Valley
While in Semuliki Valley, bird lovers can go bird watching to see some of the bird species that have been recorded within Semuliki national park. Over 435 bird species are believed to be living in Semuliki national park and most of them can be seen during bird watching activities. Bird watching is the most carried out activity within Semuliki national park due to so many Albertine endemics.
Bird watching in Semuliki Valley will give tourists an opportunity of seeing bird species such as Yellow throated cuckoo, Blue headed Coucal, white-crested hornbill, shinning blue kingfisher, Klaas’s cuckoo, grey-crowned crane, black-winged stilt, blue-throated roller, least honeyguide, bronze naped pigeon, rufous side broadbill, African wood owl, chocolate backed kingfisher, yellow-throated tinkerbird, speckled tinkerbird, golden-crowned woodpecker, African pied hornbill, common sandpiper, wood sandpiper, black billed barbet, Cameron pigeon, white bellied kingfisher, hairy breasted barbet, three-banded plover, red-rumped tinkerbird, African dwarf kingfisher, and African thrush.
Other notable bird species include Spur-winged lapwing, white spotted flufftail, white-throated blue swallow, cattle egret, ayres’s hawk-eagle, yellow-billed stork, purple-headed starling, African pygmy kingfisher, red-tailed bristlebill, white thighed hornbill, African harrier hawk, lizard buzzard, olive bellied sunbird, grey-headed kingfisher, long-crested eagle, red-tailed greenbul, blue cheeked bee-eater, African woolly necked stork, African grey parrot, mountain buzzard, black casqued hornbill, blue spotted wood dove, little bee-eater, African palm swift, Wahlberg’s eagle, rufous flycatcher thrush, green white eye, western nicator among others.
Nature walks in Semuliki Valley
Nature walks in Semuliki Valley will introduce tourists to different hidden attractions of the park. Nature walks are guided on foot by armed ranger guides who know well the different areas of the park. During nature walks, trails to use are chosen based on what tourists want to see. Nature walks within Semuliki Valley will give tourists to see mammals, primates, butterflies, hot springs, rivers, and vegetation covers among others.
Butterfly watching
Over 448 butterfly species are said to be living in Semuliki national park. Tourists who are interested in seeing butterflies can always take part in the butterfly watching activities to see more than half of the recorded species here. The activity is guided by armed ranger guides who know most areas of the park and can protect the tourists in case of dangerous animals.
Butterfly watching in Semuliki national park enables tourists to see species such as Euphaedra hollandi, Common blue banded forester, savanna pathfinder, mulberry hawkmoth, euphaedra hybrida, orange streak Acraea, euphaedra edwardsii, plain vagrant, euphaedra eberti, spiny bollworm, catuna crithea, common pathfinder, common palm forester, haritalodes polycymalis.
Bethune baker’s bush brown, aletis helcita, bicyclus alboplagus, nemetes sailer,sarothroceras banaka, coffee berry moth, variable diadem, violet banded palla, square winged red charaxes, hill bush brown, euriphene saphirina, cucumber moth, simple orange forester, common mother of pearl, amata marina, African leaf butterfly, gregori’s brown pansy, common nephele, cadarena pudoraria, rhodope dotted border, rhipidarctia crameri, fulvous hawk, and mung bean moth to mention but a few.
Visiting the hot springs
Semuliki national park is one of the few places in Uganda where tourists can find hot springs. This national park is lucky to have 2 hot springs which have been named male and female hot springs all inside the park. The female hot spring is the most visited because it has too hot water that can boil simple foods however tourists can still visit the male hot spring.
A visit to the hot springs starts with a nature walk led by armed ranger guides who protect the tourists from dangerous things in the park and show them the right ways to the hot springs. While on a tour around the hot springs, tourists get to know the different information about how they were formed scientifically and also what the locals have got to say.
The best time to visit Semuliki Valley
Tourists can visit Semuliki National Park at any time of the year however certain months are better than others. The dry season months from June to September and December to February are the best to visit Semuliki Valley because they are characterized by little or no rainfall and plenty of sunshine. During the dry season, the activities are carried out as planned because of the good weather. Vegetation is short and scattered with good views of wildlife, walking trails, and roads leading to the park are passable.
Tourists especially birders and budget travelers can visit Semuliki national park in the low season or rainy season. This happens from March to May and October to November when there is plenty of rainfall and little sunshine. During the rainy season, there are migratory birds in the park which favors the birders. Tourists should however know that the rainfall makes the walking trails muddy and slippery and the vegetation is too tall with unclear views of some wildlife.
Getting to Semuliki Valley
Tourists can access Semuliki Valley in western Uganda using road transport or air transport. The valley is found right inside Semuliki national park and getting there takes only one day. By road transport, tourists can access the area by driving from Kampala/Entebbe, then Mityana, Mubende, Kyenjojo, Fort Portal, and Bundibugyo. By air transport, the closest airstrip available is Kasese and tourists can fly from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip. From Kasese, tourists will have to drive for a few hours to Fort Portal and then Bundibugyo.
