Visit Semuliki National Park, located in western Uganda. Semuliki National Park is one of the virgin destinations that cuts across Semuliki valley, western of Mountain Rwenzori an eastern extension of the vast Ituri forest and forms part of a forest continuum that stretches across the Democratic Republic Of Congo (DRC), to the Zaire River.
The Semuliki valley contains numerous features associated with central rather than eastern Africa. Existing thatched huts are shaded by West African oil palms, near the Semuliki.
River, which forms the international boundary as a miniature version of the Congo River.
Semuliki has over 30 species of butterflies which have been identified, including 46 species of forest Swallowtails and Charaxes (75% of Uganda’s total). At least 235 species of moths have been classified as restricted. Semuliki has over 305 species of trees recorded, of which 125 species are restricted within Semuliki National park alone.
More about Semuliki National Park in Uganda
Semuliki National Park is located in Bwamba County, a remote part of Bundibugyo District, in western Uganda. It was made a national park in October 1993 thus making it one of Uganda’s newest national parks.
The 194 sqkm (75 sq mi) park is East Africa’s only lowland tropical rainforest found in the park. Semuliki National Park sprawls across the floor of the Semuliki Valley on the remote, western side of the Rwenzori Mountains. So, the park is dominated by the easternmost extension of the great Ituri Forest of the Congo Basin. This is one of Africa’s most ancient and bio-diverse forests, and one of the few that survived the last ice age, 12-18,000 years ago.
Semuliki National Park Uganda experiences an average rainfall of 1,250 mm (49 in), with peaks in rainfall from March to May and from September to December. Many areas of the park experience flooding during the wet season. The temperature at the park varies from 18 to 30 °C (64 to 86 °F), with relatively small daily variations.
Four distinct ethnic groups live near the park. The Bwamba farmers live along the base of the Rwenzori while the Bakonjo cultivate the mountain slopes. The Batuku cattle keepers inhabit the open plains while the Batwa pygmies stay at Sebitoli since they were resettled out of the park forest. Even though, they still access the park resources because they’re traditionally hunters and gatherers, that’s why they live on the edge of the forest.
The Semuliki Valley contains numerous features associated with central rather than eastern Africa, such as the thatched huts that are shaded by West African oil palms. The Semuliki River, which forms the international boundary, is a miniature version of the Congo River, and the forest is home to numerous Central African wildlife species. The local population however includes the Batwa pygmy community that originated from the Ituri. As a result, this park provides a taste of Central Africa without having to leave Uganda.
While Semuliki’s species have been accumulating for over 25,000 years, the park contains evidence of even older processes. Hot springs bubble up from the depths to demonstrate the powerful subterranean forces that have been shaping the rift valley during the last 14 million years. Large areas of this low-lying park may flood during the wet season, a brief reminder of the time when the entire valley lay at the bottom of a lake for seven million years.
The area that Semuliki National Park covers is a distinct ecosystem within the larger Albertine Rift ecosystem. The park is located at the junction of several climatic and ecological zones, as a result, it has a high diversity of plant and animal species and many microhabitats. Most of the plant and animal species in the park are also found in the Congo Basin forests, with many of these species reaching the eastern limit of their range in Semuliki National Park.