Semliki National Park
The 220 sq. km Semliki National Park lies in the Albertine Rift at an average altitude of around 700m, bounded to the northwest by the Semliki River, which runs along the Congolese border into Lake Albert, and to the East by the Fort portal-Bundibugyo Road. With a virgin tropical lowland rain forest, essentially an easterly extension of the vast Ituri Forest that stretches all the way from Uganda to Congo River. The terrain is quite flat, and the Rwenzori range forms a backdrop to the east.
The park has several hot springs-such as the Sempaya Hot Springs. These attract birds and animals using the salt-licks. The various habitats attract a wide variety of wildlife, including the elephants, buffaloes, leopards, civets, the pygmy antelope, giraffes, water chevrotain, hippos, crocodiles, chimpanzees, and seven other diurnal primates, grey-cheeked mangabey, olive baboon, black-and-white colobus, sitatunga and white-bellied duiker.
435 bird species have been recorded in this park. In the beautiful Borassus palm savannah and extensive grassland with scattered thorn thickets the following birds are present: Broad-billed Roller, Green Wood-hoopoe, African Grey Hornbill, African Moustached Warbler, rapacious Red-necked Falcon, Black-winged Red-Bishop, White-winged Widowbird and Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Double-toothed Barbet, Yellow-throated Leaflove, Green-backed Eremomela, Piapiac, Black-chinned Quail-Finch, Red-shouldered Cuckoo-shrike and Western Violet-backed sunbird among others.
Tourist Activities in the Park
- Game drives
- Birding
- Nature walks
