This trip welcomed me to Sempaya hot springs in Semliki National Park which is located in Bundibugyo district at Uganda’s international border with the Democratic republic of Congo. The National Park is part of the Great Congo Forest-the biggest forest in Africa covering six African countries like The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) The Republic of Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea. I started the journey from Kampala-Uganda’s capital and biggest city, towards the western part of the country using Mityana-Fort portal road. The first night was spent at Fort portal which is arguably the cleanest and most beautiful city in Uganda, Fort portal harbors the breathtaking views of Mount Rwenzori-the third highest mountain in Africa after Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya.
From Fort portal I embarked on my journey to Bundibugyo district which is approximately 62 kilometers from fort portal city, I passed through the lush vegetation and mountain escarpments with amazing views, the nature of the meandering roads curved through the mountain ranges kept my eyes yearning for more. I had some stop overs to take picture in the amazing terrain and while on the way i got a chance to see the Western arm of the renowned Great African Rift Valley in that region. I finally arrived at the National park in the evening and I was welcomed by the green vegetation with sounds of birds and monkeys.
The sun on the third day found me ready to have an experience at Sempaya Hot springs, while accessing the hot springs, the guide took me through a narrow route engulfed by vegetation side by side, the smell of sulfurous hit my nose, and pleasant natural sounds covered my ears, and finally my eyes glanced at the long awaited site; Sempaya Hot springs, this is the hottest hot spring in East Africa located in this National park. There are two spectacular hot springs which are a bit distant from each other-the Male and female hot springs. The female hot springs which is arguably the most stunning is the first to be visited, at this hot spring; a high volume of hot water oozes through the ground through a soft rock, which offers a breathtaking view at the site, around the main hot spring are other smaller hot water porous spots which release hot water on the ground. In this water, tourists are allowed to boil specific types of foods and consume them once they get ready such as eggs and Matooke. The water released from the hot spring forms a pool of water which flows through a stream and joins the vast waters of River Semliki.
After experiencing the female hot springs, the guide led me into a walkable distance through the forest to the Male hot springs, this hot spring is located in the most spectacular view with well-established walk ways. This is an amazing hot spring as it is a stable-small lake of extremely hot water. For this hot spring, the water does not ooze out, it looks calm and stable but yet the hottest.
The stories around the formation of these hot springs are very ear-catching! there are two versions of stories of how these hot springs were formed. The first story looks at the scientific view, where the incomplete volcanic processes release water from the underground through the hot rocks with magma which makes it reach the earth’s surface with extremely hot temperatures.
The traditional story asserts that Sempaya hot springs were formed as a result of cultural reasons, the community where the hot springs are located is occupied by the Bamba ethnic group of people whose major economic activity was once hunting. once upon a time, their traditional leader ‘Bamaga” went out hunting and never returned home, they waited for him but in vain, his wife then went out to look for him in the forest and she too never returned. The people then decided to go into the forest as a group and look for their king and queen, they then landed on the spear and bark cloth of Bamaga in one spot, and there they confirmed it’s where he had disappeared, this place was named “Bitente” which means “he has gone” and this is where the male hot springs are currently located. The people did not see any sign of the king’s wife there, so they continued on their way to look for her, in another spot, they found her spear and bark cloth which confirmed that she had also disappeared from there, this is the place where the female hot springs are currently located. Therefore, the traditional view confirms that the hot springs were formed as a result of the disappearance of their traditional leaders, and currently those two places act as cultural sites for the local people who periodically carry out cultural rituals at both sites.
It was a very intriguing experience which tickled my nerves and touched all my senses from seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting and feeling the gifts of nature. Apart from the hot springs, Semliki National park is a hot spot for birds both indigenous and migratory birds can be found in that area, therefore suitable for birdwatching tourists.