Semuliki National Park

Semuliki National Park is Uganda’s oldest wildlife reserve, set in an area of 194 sqkm of outstanding scenery in the Albertine Rift Valley, on Uganda’s border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) between the ice-capped peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains on the south-west and Lake Albert on the north-east. The majority of the reserve is open acacia woodland and grassland whilst patches of gallery forest border the rivers.

Uganda kobs are commonly seen here, along with reedbuck, waterbuck, bushbuck and buffalo. Elephants are also present, and lions appear to be re-colonising the reserve from over the Congolese border, including the large-maned lions for which the reserve was once famous. The gallery forest is home to a variety of primates including chimpanzees, black-and-white colobus and red-tailed monkeys.

The park is also a bird-lover’s paradise with over 425 species, including Night Jars, African Scops Owl, and Pearl Spotted Owlet, as well as some of the Congo bird species, such as Red Breasted Sparrow Hawk, African Piculet, African Pied Hornbills, Dwarf and Pygmy Kingfishers, Honey Guide, Red Rumped Tinkerbird, Rufous Sided Broad Bill, White Bellied Heron, Black and White Casqued Hornbill, Forest Scrub Robin, Red Bellied and Blue Billed Malimbe, Swamp Palm Bulbul, White Crested Hornbill, etc.