SEMULIKI NATIONAL PARK

Formerly known as Bwamba Forest, this 220 km² territory acquired national park status in 1993. At an altitude of around 700 m, it is home to a virtually untouched forest that is an extension of the Ituri forest that stretches across the Semliki River in the DRC. It is also home to species that are unique to the Congo Basin and found nowhere else in Uganda, such as the okapi (three individuals recorded). Despite its small size, the park boasts an extraordinary diversity of fauna: over 300 species of butterfly and 435 species of bird, many of which are endemic to the park, making it a must-see destination for birdwatchers. With around fifty representatives, the list of mammals is not the most impressive in the country, but once again, some animals are unique, such as the aquatic chevrotain (or hind-pig). Chimpanzees (not habituated) and Brazza's cercopithecines (extremely rare in Uganda) are also present, as are forest elephants, buffalo and sitatungas, while crocodiles and hippos frequent the Ntotoro and Semliki rivers. The Sempaya hot springs, however, remain the park's main attraction. Named Mumbunga ("meeting place") by the locals, the "male" (12 m in diameter) and "female" (which spits out boiling water, at around 103°C) springs were used by the natives for various purposes: washing clothes, cooking food and curative treatment (against skin rashes, epidermal mycosis, venous return or joint problems). The guided tour of the hot springs (1 h) requires only payment of the park entrance fee. Nature walks (US$40 for 2 to 6 hours) and bird watching (US$40) are also on the program. If you opt for the former, which lasts between 3 and 6 hours in the dry season and between 2 and 3 hours in the rainy season (as progress through the mud is no picnic...), expect to encounter primates (such as the guéréza colobus, the samango or the red colobus) and, of course, butterflies and birds. If you opt for bird watching, departing (ideally before 8 a.m.) from the UWA offices in Sempaya or from the Bumaga camp (2 km further south, just off the Fort Portal-Bundibugyo road), you should be aware that the guides, Alex and Moses in particular, are experienced ornithologists.