Expert Reviews of Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve (5 Reviews)

Large game sightings aren’t as common here as in other protected areas – nor were they in the 1920s when the area was popular with European hunters – but suffice to say I have been charged by both forest and savannah elephants in Semliki! Dwarf crocodiles have recently been sighted by guide friends. A nocturnal game drive in Semliki opened my eyes to the importance of having an expert guide. On my own, I would have seen very little; with our local experts at the wheel, we pulled over next to a big puddle to retrieve terrapins from its muddy depths. A few metres on, the spotlight picked up evidence of scat; further inspection told us that we had disturbed a leopard eating a baboon. The reserve’s 400-plus bird species kept our bird-monitoring team happy for days.

The northern boundary of the 543km² Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve is Lake Albert, a reliable place to jump in a boat in search of the shoebill. (Just close your eyes when you drive through the rather

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grotty fishing village of Ntoroko.)

If you want to get away from it all, Semliki is that place. Set in the middle of the reserve, the high-end Semliki Safari Lodge tented camp is the only place worth staying. Not only is it a great location, the owners have two decades’ experience collaborating on conservation initiatives. Future plans for Semliki include upgrading the wildlife reserve to a national park.

Expect to hear your ears pop as you zigzag down the Kijura Escarpment, the only road in/out of Semliki.