The hot springs at Sempaya are Semuliki’s most famous attraction within the park. Two main springs are set in a lush swampy clearing close to the south eastern corner of the forest. The outer spring is just a few minutes’ walk from the park office.
This is dominated by a boiling geyser 103 degrees centigrade which spurts up to 2m-high from a white, iced cake like base precipitated mineral. They have a spray shooting up 2 meters from a wide-ranging hole of about 8 meters.
The springs that boil up from the rock bottom of the earth; reveal great underground topographical forces that have for many eras ago shaped the Rift Valley. Water also bubbles in small pools in which eggs can be cooked.
The more distant inner spring is reached by a 30 minute trail that leads through beautiful palm forest before crossing the swamp on a boarder walk. This spring is a broad, steaming pool about 10m across. These marvelous hot springs are an attraction for tourists who frequently visit the place when they go for wildlife tours in the park.
As you come down the escarpment of the Western Albertine Rift Valley, you will find the views most amazing, vast savannah grasslands, forests, bordered by the Rwenzori Mountains of the Moon.
The Semliki Valley is also a virtual treasure trove for birders and those who love tracking chimpanzee. If you love primate watching safaris, you should not miss an adventure through the Semuliki Valley Forest, an extension of the vast Ituri Forest of Congo.