3DAY SEMILIKI WILDLIFE RESERVE EXCURSION

Overview

 This 3 day Semiliki wildlife reserve excursion takes you to one of the oldest reserves in Uganda. The reserve is also a perfect place for birding outstanding scenery and spectacular wildlife such as the elephants, buffaloes, giant forest hogs, hippos. Primates include; chimpanzees, baboons and monkeys.

Detailed itinerary of 3 day semiliki wildlife reserve excursion

Day One: Pick up and Travel to Semliki Wildlife Reserve

You will have an early morning breakfast and head westwards to the Semliki Wildlife Reserve located in the basin of the Western Rift Valley. The drive takes 6-7 hours via Fort Portal town down to the eastern part of Lake Albert. You have lunch in Fort Portal and proceed to your lodge for Dinner and overnight stay.

3 day Semiliki wildlife reserve excursion : Day Two: Chimp trekking, sempaya hot springs and bird watching in the Semliki Wildlife Reserve

You will have breakfast and head for the verdant rainforest to start Chimp trekking. Chimps are normally trekked in the early morning or in the evening because they have a tendency of hiding during the day. You will see several birds including the chestnut owlet , spotted-breasted ibis, Congo serpent eagle, black-throated coucal, chestnut-flanked goshawk, black-wattled hornbill, red-thighed sparrow hawk, red-rumped tinker bird, long-tailed hawk, Zenker’s honey guide, Nkulengu rail, Bates’s nightjar and Hartlaub’s duck.

3 day Semiliki wildlife reserve excursion:  Meet the Male and Female Hot springs.

The Bamanga people around Semliki National Park in Uganda worship and offer sacrifices at Nyasimbi and Mumbuga springs.

The Sempaya Hot Springs consist of steamy water jetting out of the ground with a strong pungent smell of hydrogen sulphide, boiling at 103 degrees Celsius.

Travelling along this escarpment from Toro Kingdom offers fascinating views. The undulating green mountain ranges offer a most beautiful sight. On the slopes, local farmers make good use of fertile agricultural land, but houses “hanging” on the precipice send a chill down one’s spine.

3 day Semiliki wildlife reserve excursion : Farther down the escarpment, the road emerges on to a gentle slope leading us into the Rift Valley. The greenery is behind us now as nature introduces us to cactus, shrubs and real heat.

It is amazing how, in a space of a few minutes, you can go from one set of climatic conditions to another.

A few meters away, the Semliki river, which rises on the mountains, meanders away to pour its water into Lake Albert.

3 day Semiliki wildlife reserve excursion: Sempaya hot springs

Finally, you are at Sempaya Hot Springs. It is located in the Semiliki National Park at the easternmost limit of the great Ituri Forest of Congo basin. The only game park in Uganda composed of lowland tropical forest teeming with wildlife. However, the hot springs are the unique feature of the park. Sempaya is the most famous hot spring in Uganda.

There are two hot springs in the park: Sempaya which locals call Nyasimbi is the female spring.

Culturally, the Bamanga people hold the spring sacred. They believe the gods are female and annually hold celebrations to appease them.

Day Three: Travel to Kampala

You will have an early game drive in the morning after which you will head back to the lodge for a late breakfast. You will set off for Kampala and arrive in the late afternoon.

End of your 3 day semiliki wildlife reserve excursion.

Inclusions

• All Meals and accommodation as per the itinerary
• All ground transportation in a comfortable 4×4 vehicle
• Park entrance fees
• Services of a full time English speaking driver/guide
• Water while on safari
• All airport pick-ups and drops
• All activities as stipulated in the itinerary

Exclusions

• Activities not mentioned in the itinerary
  Phone calls and bar bills
  Air fare
  All other Services of a personal nature
  Driver guide’s gratuity
• Optional activities