Uganda reizen | Kibale Forest | chimpansee
While Kibale Forest allows you the opportunity to see how 12 different types of primates live in harmony, Semliki Valley, where the mountains give way to savannah landscapes, is the best place to witness an unthinkable diversity of fauna. This makes the combination of Kibale Forest and Semiliki a rich and unforgettable experience.
Besides the chimpanzees, no less than twelve different types of primates inhabit Kibale Forest National Park (760 km2), and these live in closer harmony with each other than anywhere else in the world. The trees that grow here are taller and wider than those found in the mountain forests, allowing the resident primates to conceal themselves as and when they please. The road to Kibale leads you past various Ugandan villages and a stunning view across the Western River Valley.
Travelling through a tropical rainforest in search of primates is quite unlike other safari activities (especially game drives, where the different animals are viewed from afar). You will immediately recognise the sounds you hear during a 'safari' through Kibale National Park, yet the thick vegetation often makes it difficult to spot or observe the animals. This is why we recommend following the walking trail through the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary: you will have a much better chance of seeing some of the many primates from the swamps that border the forest.
The incredible twelve different types of primates that live here in closer harmony than anywhere else in the world include: Red Colobus, Black & White Colobus, Grey-cheeked Mangabey, Red-tailed and L'Hoest's monkeys, and Galagos. The most impressive sight here is the 500 or so chimpanzees that entertain themselves among the wild fig trees.
Chimpanzee tracking and excellent (guided) evening walks are organised in the park, making this is by far the most rewarding gorilla-free forest in Uganda. The bird-life abounds here and includes hornbills and turacos, in addition - as a result of the rich flora - to many different species of butterfly.
The transition zone (between mountainous and savannah landscapes) in which Semliki Valley Wildlife Reserve and National Park lie makes this a unique location. This area thus abounds with a very wide variety of fauna, including the forest and savannah elephants that live in Semliki.
Semliki Valley Reserve (558 km²) is Uganda's oldest reserve. The uniqueness of this park is partly due to its location on the borders of East and West Africa. Lake Albert and the northern foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains form a natural border that provides a relatively safe biotope for various different wild animals. The savannah is traversed at various places by river valleys and the Western Rift Valley plunges abruptly downwards to meet Lake Albert. The varied lush landscape of richly vegetated river banks, forest and savannah provides for an abundance of fauna including lions, leopards, giraffe, and forest and savannah elephants. It's also a spectacular area for bird lovers, as their have been sightings of over 400 species of bird in Semliki Valley Wildlife Reserve.
To the south of Semliki Valley Wildlife Reserve, in the most western part of Uganda, lies the much smaller Semliki National Park (220 km2). The park is one of a network of reserves found in the Albertine Rift Valley; the other Ugandan reserves in this network are: the Rwenzori Mountains, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Kibale National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is actually a foothill of the Ituri Rainforest that expands across the Congo. Large areas of the park flood in the rainy season.
The great abundance of flora and fauna is owing to the fact that Semliki National Park lies across various climatological and ecological zones. A feast for the eyes awaits bird lovers, as more than four hundred species of bird inhabit this region, the majority of which are Congolese and thus nowhere to be found outside Uganda. But there is more: the cloud of steam that rises from the thermal springs in the park, Sempaya Hot Springs, can be viewed from a distance of 2 kilometres. And when we say 'hot', we mean it: the temperature of the springs in 1000 ?C, which is twice as hot as any other spring. The largest spring has a cross-section measuring 12 metres and the second largest spring consists of a collection of hot springs. The water in these springs smells strongly of sulphur and is said to have healing properties.
