The Pleasure Hotsprings at Sempaya in Semuliki National Park

The Pleasure Hotsprings at Sempaya

The way to Sempaya pleasure hotsprings is through Fort Portal, of which the road winds down into the enchanting hills to Bundibugyo, which was carved out of Kabarole in 1974 and is one of the scenic, but isolated districts positioned beyond the Rwenzori Mountains.

Getting There
The journey takes altogether 52 kilometres on tarmac, and then you would have arrived to the brewing field of natural boiling water, spewing cloudy steam above 100˚C and situated in the heart of the remote and beautiful Semuliki National Park. This protected area covers 220 square kilometres on the shores of Lake Albert which also boasts of five tribes i.e Bamba, Batuku, Babwisi, Batwa and Batooro.

Sempaya also offers a mosaic of different habitats; from tall grass woodland, acacia savanna, grassland with extensive patches of borassus to wet-lands. The Semuliki National Park is dominated by the easternmost extension of the Ituri Forest of the Congo Basin and to the west is River Semuliki which separates Uganda and DR Congo, to the south up to northeast area of the Rwenzori ranges.

How Sempaya Came to be Known
Sempaya the name was derived from the builders who spoke Swahili and it is believed that as they carried out construction on the Fort Portal to Bundibugyo road  and it is associated with a misfortune which resulted in the damage of their machinery hence the locals interpreted the bad spot as Sempaya baptizing it.

The Sempaya geysers are also steeped in a legend of the Bamaga clan, which says a man disappeared when hunting in the thick forest and was called Bamaga and the same happened to his wife which happened near the hot springs hence the male hot springs are called Bintente and female hot springs are referred to as Nyasimb which happened as a result of this misfortune.

The Cultural Connection

The Bamaga clan attributes the natural features of the hot springs which have existed for over a million years to their culture. The descendants of the two legendery Bamaga and Nyasimbi people visit the place to seek ancestral blessings and offer sacrifices during hard times.

The Geographical Interpretation
The Sempaya geysers are the hottest in Uganda and some spots vary depending on conditions.
that is when water is boiling deep down through the volcanic rocks, it can pass through cold rocks to the surface and then loose temperature and that is what causes variation around some spots, the water from the hot springs flows out where it meets a stream from Rwenzori ranges, then pours into river Semuliki.

Semuliki is the only true lowland tropical rainforest in Uganda and the park has primary and secondary forests, those forests were cleared have secondary forests with misty trees, whereas those that remained intact have primary forests with predominantly iron wood trees.

The Semuliki was earlier known as Bwamba Forest since 1903 of which the female hot springs is known as (Nyasimbi well as the male hotspring is known as (Bintente) and is found in open grass because of the enlarging of the outlet, the minerals are not deposited back to the outlet hence creating a big crater lake.

Walking to Bintente offers a stunning scenery of Rwenzori ranges and geothermal grass which offers amazing photographic opportunities and it is important to note that Bundibugyo is hot as a result of the altitude which is high and located on the western arm of the East African rift valley

What to Take When Visiting
The activities starts at 8.30am and climaxes with an Egg demonstration done to illustrate the importance of the hot springs in preparation of foods.
- Carry waterproof shoes or hire gumboots at the start point.