Sempaya Hot Springs
Sempaya Hot Springs are the most outstanding attractions in Semiliki national park located at the edge of the great Ituri forest which borders Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the remote western side of the Rwenzori Mountain rangers in Bundibugyo district. These hot springs are main reason while travellers visit Semiliki national park while on a Uganda Safaris tours because it has an experience of a life time recommended for anyone to experience.
Semiliki national park is one of the less visited national park however, it is the best place for bird watching on Uganda Safaris tours thus the tittle “Birders Haven” and home to the largest hot springs in Uganda. The park is located across Semiliki valley, dominated by Africa’s most ancient and bio-diverse forest that is Ituri forest of the Congo Basin. The Semiliki valley contains a number of features central African catchments rather than the East African. Therefore, it is the only Uganda national park composed of primarily lowland tropical forest that is densely populated with features that have accumulated for over 25,000 years as evidenced by the existence of old processes including the Hot springs that bubble up from the depth to demonstrate the powerful subterranean forces that have been shaping the rift valley during the last 14 million years. These Hot springs are called Sempaya. Their name, “Sempaya” was derived from a Swahili phrase “Sehemu mbaya” which means “the difficult side” due to the challenges encountered during the construction of the Fort portal-Bundibugyo road along the ridges of the Rwenzori Mountain ranges thus the name Sempaya hot springs.
The Sempaya Hot springs are said to exist in tow springs that is the female hot spring and the Male hot spring both found in different locations. While scientists have a technical explanation to the origins of the hot springs, the local people of the area called the indigenous Bamaga clan who stay near the hot springs in Semiliki national park, have their own interesting story about the existence of the Sempaya hot springs.
The Male Hot springs
Although tourists find the male hot springs as tourist attractions, the local Bamaga people believe it is a sacred shrine of the male gods and they refer to the male hot springs as Mumbugu. The male hot springs are associated with wealth and sacrifices offered by men to appease the male gods in exchange of prosperity. It is believed by the Bamaga people that the springs only have a historical formation. According to Mzee Adonia Balinsanga who is the head of the Bamaga clan, says the site where we find the male hot springs is historical. It is said that there was a time Bamaga women went to fetch firewood from the forest and they saw a hairy man dressed in backcloth wielding a spear and with a dog moving in a zig-zag formation around that location. The women ran back home to tell their husbands who decided to pick and take him to their homes and subsequently got him a wife from the village. The found man was later named Biteete who continued hunting however, one time he left for hunting and never returned. After 3 days, the village men decided to look for him but they only found his spear but no traces of him and his dog. It was at this point that they assumed that the man disappeared at the same place of the springs thus the place became the Male Hot springs.
The Female hot springs
The inner female hot springs are locally referred to as Nyasimbi by the local Bamaga tribe who believe that the sacred location of their female gods is in the hot springs. It is said that when the men who went to search for Biteete after his disappearance returned home, they told his wife who was called Nyansimbi, who also ran into the forest and disappeared from the same spot where her cloths around the other springs thus the current Female hot springs. This was how the 2 springs became to be named as Female and Male hot springs and till today, the Bamaga people believe that their female ancestors live beneath the female hot springs and so do the male ancestors live beneath the Male hot springs. This is why the Bamaga people still perform annual rituals at the springs to appease their ancestor. Although the area is gazetted as a national park, they are allowed to access the springs. While on a Uganda safari tour of Semiliki national park; you will find the local people undressed in the springs to seek blessings from their ancestors. For example the female hot springs are said to helpful to the local women who go there to offer sacrifices and prayers to appease the female ancestors. They ask the female gods for fertility and the gods to grant them safe delivery.
The Sempaya hot springs are located about 30 minutes’ walk from the main road into the forest tracks of Semiliki national park. Once you are at the springs, they are breath-taking and thrilling to see steamy hot water boiling, bubbling, and jetting from the ground at about 103 degrees Celsius. The hot springs are quite too hot to the extent that tourists can boil simple foods like eggs or plantain and other food in the hot springs. Apart from visiting the Sempaya hot springs, tourists have an advantage of doing other tourist activities offered by Semiliki national park on a Uganda Safaris tours. This park has variety of attractions including the Ituri forest of the Congo basin; River Semuliki which flows through Rwenzori Mountains pouring the waters into Lake Albert, the park also has wetlands and woodland vegetation which habit various bird and wildlife species. Therefore, other activities to do while on your visit to Sempaya hot springs include;
Game viewing; Toro Semiliki wildlife reserve is part of Semiliki national park with the Savannah grasslands suitable for game viewing. There are about 53 animal species in Semiliki with animals such as the pygmy hippos, bush babies, Uganda kobs, white-tailed mongoose, Buffaloes, forest elephants, warthogs, crocodiles to mention a few. Night game drives are also doable in Semiliki national park as the park has most of the night animals like the bush babies, white-tailed mongoose and other night creatures can be spotted during nocturnal game drives. Game viewing can are best done in the morning, evening and in the night. It is $35 for a foreign non-resident to enter the park for a game drive and 10, 000 Uganda shillings for East African residents.
Birdwatching in Semiliki national park; Semiliki national park has over 400 bird species recorded in this park thus making it one of the top birding destination in Africa earning a title of “True birders Haven”. There are about 130 Guinea-Congo forests Biome species recorded in Semuliki forest. Other bird species include; the Capuchin, white-tailed/Piping hornbill, blue headed, crested flycatcher, Orange Weaver, and Red-billed Malimbe. Semuliki national park is also close to Mount Rwenzori where River Semuliki winds along the western border down to Lake Albert, surrounded by swamps where we find birds like the Papyrus Gonolek, Caruther’s Cisticola. The areas around Sempaya, River Kirumia, and Ntandi are excellent spots for birdwatching. There are provided trails that birders use to find the different bird species.
Batwa cultural tour; Visiting the Batwa community in Semiliki national park is another added experience for all tourists. The Batwa are the indigenous settlers/native forest dwellers of the area before the forest was gazetted as a national park or reserve. The pygmy Batwa people survived on hunting as a source of food, bee keeping and drew livelihood like food, tools, medicine, shelter form the Semiliki forest. Today the Batwa people are a source of attraction to tourists as it is interesting to meet the indigenous dwellers of Uganda. On visiting them, you will learn more about the way of life of the Batwa people and you will be taken through the cultural performances of their traditional dance, drama, and music. A cultural village has been set up as their homesteads.
Nature walks and hiking experiences
Even though hiking and nature walks can be done in other tourist destinations in Uganda tours, doing one in Semuliki national park is fascinating. There are 3 available trails for hiking in Semuliki national park including the Kirumia trail which runs through the forest to Semuliki river the Sempaya nature trail which leads to the hot springs and primates and the Red monkey track which leads to the park’s Eastern border where we find the rare De Brazza’s monkey.
Where to stay; There are available accommodations facilities ranging from Luxury, mid-range and budget facilities. Semuliki national park itself does not have construction accommodations for visitors the only place to stay while there is finding a hotel in Bundibugyo town or stay at one of the constructed lodges in Toro-Semuliki wildlife reserve at Semuliki Safari lodge which is a luxury lodge, Ntoronko Game lodge, Bamaga Bandas and campsite, these are provided by Uganda Wildlife Authority for backpackers with very low travel budget.
