Where is Semuliki national park located?

Where is Semuliki national park located?: Semuliki national park is located in the western part of Uganda in Bundibudyo district. Semuliki national park is a 220 km piece of land that extends on the borders of DR Congo with Uganda. This national park is located in the Albertine Rift region south of Lake Albert. Semuliki national park is also located in the north of the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountain.

Semuliki national park is located near two national parks Rwenzori and Kibale forest all in the south of the park. From Kampala/Entebbe, Semuliki national park is located 5 to 6 hours drive when tourists use road type of transport and this makes it one of the closest national parks to the main capital city.

The location of Semuliki national park favors tourists who are in Uganda to explore the western side of it. This is because Semuliki national park is located near Kibale forest national park and Mount Rwenzori national park. After exploring Semuliki national park, tourists can visit Kibale forest national park home to the highest population of chimpanzees in East Africa. Tourists can also take a visit to Mount Rwenzori national park where you meet the tallest mountain in the country.

Accessing Semuliki national park

Accessing Semuliki national park by road: Semuliki national park is located about 400 km from Kampala/Entebbe and road transport is what most travelers use to access the park. It takes 4 to 5 hours to access Semuliki national park in western Uganda and the time taken depends on the speed of the driver as well as the number of stopovers. From Kampala/Entebbe, tourists go through Mityana, Mudende, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo, Fort Portal, and Bundibudyo to the park.

Accessing Semuliki national park by air transport: There is no airstrip in Semuliki national park but tourists who want to fly can fly to the nearby airstrips. The nearest airstrip to Semuliki national park where tourists can fly is Kasese. From Kasese to Semuliki national park then takes a few hours to access the park. Flights to JKasese airstrip are organized by different airline companies among which include Aerolink Uganda, Bar Aviation, and Kampala Executive Aviation. These companies fly tourists from Kajjansi or Entebbe International Airport to Kasese where they later proceed to Semuliki national park.

What to find in Semuliki national park?

There is a lot tourists can find in Semuliki national park and among them include animals, birds, butterflies, batwa pygmies, primates, and hot springs among others.

Wild animals

In Semuliki national park, tourists can find over 53 mammals and 9 primates in the different areas of the park when they participate in different park activities. Animals found in SSemuliki national park include forest elephants, forest buffaloes, warthogs, sitatungas, leopards, Uganda kobs, hippos, side-stripped jackals, crocodiles, mangabeys, blue monkeys, de brazza’s monkeys, red colobuses, black and white colobus monkeys, and olive baboons to mention but a few

Birds in Semuliki National Park

Birds in Semuliki National Park are over 435 species and bird lovers have more chances of seeing a high population once they take part in bird watching activities. 23 of these bird species are said to be lining in the Albertine region but not anywhere else in Uganda. Different birding trails are used during bird watching activities to increase the number of bird species within the park.

Semuliki birds include Shoe bill stork, Black-Dwarf hornbill, Chestnut-bellied helmetshrike. Gabon woodpecker, Congo serpent eagle, Yellow-throated Nicator, Grant’s bluebill, Ross’s Turaco, Northern bearded scrub robin, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Grant’s bluebill, Blue-headed Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-throated nicator, White-crested hornbill, Orange Cheeked waxbill, Black-throated coucal, Spotted honeyguide, Orange-cheeked Waxbill, Red-thighed Sparrow hawk, Northern bearded scrub robin,

Bates nightjar, Chestnut owlet, White-bellied kingfisher, Purple-breasted sunbird, fiery- breasted bush-shrike, black-chinned quailfinch, Hartlaub’s duck, Red-billed Dwarf hornbill, malachite kingfisher, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Black Dwarf Hornbill, Red-bellied malimbe, Eastern-bearded greenbul, Piping Hornbill, Blue-billed malimbe, Capuchin Babbler, swamp palm bulbul, Orange-tufted sunbird to mention but a few.

Butterflies

In Semuliki national park over 448 butterfly species have been recorded and this makes it the national park with the highest population of butterflies in Uganda. Tourists who want to go butterfly watching in Uganda must always go to Semuliki national park the fact that it has a lot to offer to tourists. The butterflies within this park are seen in different areas which tourists access by using different walking trails.

Butterflies to see in Semuliki national park are Euphaedra hollandi, euphaedra rattrayi, becker’s creamy yellow glider, euphaedra alacris, choroclanis virescens, sarothroceras banaka, tailed bush brown, gregori’s brown pansy, cymothoe Cyclades, mung bean moth, forest glade nymph, veined swordtail, lycoa Acraea, andriasa contraria, euphaedra eberti, cadarena pudoraria, plain vagrant, common glassy Acraea.

Euriphene saphirina, chiasmia fulvisparsa, variegated pearl, common blue banded forester, nemetes sailer, belenois solilucis, violet banded palla, cucumber moth, dark yellow forest sylph, angular glider, savanna pathfinder, bicyclus mollitia, little pansy, mulberry hawkmoth, chirinda bush brown, euphaedra edwardsii, pikachu moth, bicyclus alboplagus, cymothoe ochreata, catuna crithea, and variable diadem among others.

When to go to Semuliki national park?

The best period to go to Semuliki national park is the dry season from June to September and December to February. This is when the park is receiving little or no rainfall and there is plenty of sunshine meaning that the weather is good. During the dry season, the walking trails are dry and easier to walk through, the vegetation is short with good views of attractions and the roads leading to the park are passable.