Semliki Valley Wildlife Reserve

Previously known as the Toro Game Reserve, Semliki Valley Wildlife Reserve is the oldest protected area in Uganda. Here is where East Africa meets West.

It is unique, gifted with geographic barriers that have formed a natural haven for wildlife. Where the savannah is criss-crossed by shining river valleys, and the escarpment, the edge of the Western Rift Valley, plunges into Lake Albert.

The habitat diversity (riverine forest, woodland and savannah) within the 558km² area of the reserve supports a huge array of fauna including lion, leopard, elephant (both savannah and forest species) buffalo, and chimpanzees as well as a staggering number of birds, with over 400 having been recorded.

Semliki National Park

Situated within the remote Semliki Valley, site of the Sempaya Hot Springs and named for the river which forms the Congolese border, this 221km² area of park protects an extension of the Congo's vast Ituri Rainforest.

The park is of particular interest to birdwatchers since a high proportion of the 400 bird species recorded here, are thought to occur nowhere else in Uganda (10% are essentially Congolese species).