Visit Sempaya Hot Springs in Semuliki national park
Sempaya hot springs are among the tourist attractions which attract most tourists in Uganda. These Sempaya hot springs are also called Semuliki hot springs as they are found in Semuliki national park. On your safari to the Semuliki, you will have a chance to see the female and male hot springs. The rate at Sempaya hot springs boil up is more than for Kitaga hot springs.
Sempaya hot springs are found in Bwamba county of Bundibugyo district. The trailhead to Sempaya hot springs in Semuliki national park will take you through the vegetation cover where these hot springs are found, with many tourist attractions including a lot of primates like the black and white monkey, red-tailed monkeys, and green jet monkey, countless bird species, butterfly and many more. When you’re approaching the Sempaya hot springs, a strangle parget smell of hydrogen sulphuric hits the nose as a welcome to the Mother Nature geographical formation. The rate at Sempaya hot springs boiled will make you wonder how it came about.
Scientifically, these hot springs happen when water sips into the earth is heated by magma, After the earth’s surface makes the water dries above the surface, and this results into hot springs. The hot springs waters are heated by gear thermal heat from the temperature of the rocks in the earth which is increased in depth called gear thermal gradient. The water goes deep into the crakes where it gets heated and then connects with the hot rocks which forced it back up with much pressure to make bubbles, this is why such zones with hot springs are called non-volcanic areas.
The name Sempaya hot springs came from one of the road constructors of Bundibugyo road who reached here and defined the process by Swahili word says that “sehemu mbuya” which means a difficult place but for the locals, it sounded like Sempaya so that is how this area got its name.
These hot springs steam water gets out of the ground boiling at a temperature of 103 Celsius, they are surrounded by Semuliki national park vegetation, and the sempaya hot springs are said to be female and male, this is how they differentiate their roles.
The part of female hot spring is locally called Nyasimbe, many locals come for illing as they believe that there is a secret god who will manage illing upon them and also the pregnant women come here with the belief that god will ease their delivery.
The temperature at the female hot spring is high to the extent of cooking food like cassava, matooke, Irish, and eggs and get ready for eating, this is one of the most exciting activities in Semuliki national park.
The other part of the area is called male hot spring and locally known as Bitente, it is said that male hot spring was created before the Female hot spring (Nyasimbe). It has also has said that male hot springs are the husband of the Female hot spring. The story about these 2 hot springs is that they were a married couple who moved out from the forest then later Bitente imagined as a male hot spring and the wife Nyasimbe also imaged as a female hot spring and it is said that, this is the reason why female hot spring is where people cook from their materials which is not done at male hot spring.
Even today local members perform racial annual as a sign of appeasing their gods around Bitete, and they also throw coins in the water and making scarifies. But this cannot stop the tourists to explore these hot springs plus the students, tourist researchers, and also the monkey-like so much to visit this place.
Tourists visiting the Sempaya hot springs spare time and visit the nearest tourist attractions such as Kibale Forest National Park and get a chance to do chimpanzee trekking in Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park for wildlife viewing and nature walks, Toro Semuliki wildlife reserve, or visit Ngarama caves and among others.
