The Semliki Wildlife Reserve, formerly the Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve is the oldest among other reserves in Uganda formally known as the Toro Game Reserve and it was named a Reserve in 1932. It is a 545 kilometers squared sanctuary located in Western Uganda to the northeast of the Bundibugyo road extending to Ntoroko on the southern shores of Lake Albert. The leading vegetation type is open acacia-combretum woodland and grassy savanna , mixed together with patches of Borassus palm forest, significant belts of riparian woodland along the main water path as well as some extensive swamps towards Lake Albert.
Location
It is located on the rift valley floor where Lake Albert, the Rwenzori Mountains and the Kijura escarpment create backdrops.
The reserve has birding species and most of the birds are not seen in most of the national parks and reserves. You may be able to see most of these birds during your game drive. The Reserve is known to be a home to over 420 species of birds that are recorded in the area some of the birds which can be seen include the rare shoe bill stoke, Abyssinian ground horn bill, sun birds to mention but a few.
The reserve also hosts wildlife species such as antelopes, forest elephants, and different species of primates coupled with chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, Olive baboons to mention but a few, leopard, buffaloes, biggest population of Uganda Kob, water buck. Semliki wildlife Reserve is regarded as the only game reserve in the country where visitors can do a night game drive and very many species of birds can be spotted out including the white-tailed mongoose, standard night pennant winged night jars, bush babies among other species. Other attractions are the hot springs at Sempaya and the pygmy village in the nearby national park.
