The Size of Semuliki National Park is 220km², with an altitude of 670 – 760m above sea level. Semuliki Forest Reserve was created in 1932 and upgraded to national park status in 1993. It is the only tract of true lowland tropical forest in East Africa, hosting more than 441 bird species and 53 mammals.
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 the lake for seven million years ago.
Four distinct ethnic groups live near the park, including the Bwamba farmers who live along the base of the Rwenzori mountain ranges. The Bakonjo cultivate the mountain slopes while the Batuku cattle keepers inhabit the open plains. The Batwa pygmies, traditionally hunter-gatherers, live on the edge of the forest.
Semuliki National Park sprawls across the floor of the Semuliki Valley on the remote western side of the Rwenzori mountain. The size of Semuliki National 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; one of the few to survive the last ice age, 12,000 – 18,000 years ago.
Features and Species in Semuliki National Park
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.