Semuliki National Park

Semuliki is a genuine outlier: an eastward extension of the Ituri forest of the Congo Basin, and therefore a lowland tropical rainforest of a type found nowhere else in East Africa.

That biogeography is the whole point for birders. Roughly 40 species on the Semuliki list occur nowhere else in the region (Congo serpent eagle, Nkulengu rail, lyre-tailed honeyguide and a long tail of Guinea-Congo forest specialities).

The Sempaya hot springs are the headline for everyone else. The female spring, Nyasimbi, throws a column of boiling water several metres into the air, and guides will cook eggs and matoke in it while you watch.

Highlights

• Sempaya hot springs, featuring the boiling geyser at Nyasimbi
• Around 40 Central African bird species unique in East Africa
• Kirumia forest trail and the Semliki River
• Batwa and Bamba community visits
• Eight primate species including grey-cheeked mangabey

Best time to visit

December–February and June–August. The Semliki valley floods in the heavy rains and some trails close.

Getting there

About two hours west of Fort Portal on the road toward Bundibugyo, over the Rwenzori foothills. Usually visited as a two-night extension from Kibale.