The month of July 2024 was an exciting adventure by Kasese Hikers Club and Fort Portal City Walkers to the wonders of Bundibugyo on the other side of Rwenzori Mountains.

Kasese Hikers Club and Fort Portal City walkers are both local tourism groups that were born out of the initiative of some enthusiastic and patriotic young travellers in the region with a particular passion for the development of the Uganda’s greatest tourism region of Rwenzori. United in the ideal of promoting local, national and regional tourism, the two groups were created to share knowledge and passion for Tourism, Fitness and Fun with the natives of the region and visitors from the rest of the world.

Through Kasese Hikers Club and Fort Portal City Walkers, business professionals and service professionals come together for the purpose of fellowship under tourism and adventure. By fellowship we mean the bonds of friendship arising through the mutual participation of members in the tourism and adventure activities.

Kasese Hikers Club and Fort Portal City Walkers have a set of values that bind all members which include; Self-satisfaction, fun, adventure, personal growth and Service. These are the ingredients that make up the winning formula for these community tourism groups.

Both tourism groups share in common some Key Principles which include:

1. Collaborating and focusing on unity
2. Introducing and welcoming new members
3. Finding the best fit between tourism, fitness and fun
4. Making community nature Destinations come alive,
5. Preserving and protecting natural resources and the regions rich cultural heritage.

The Trip to Bundibugyo with Kasese Hikers Club and Fort Portal City Walkers;

Travelling in a group bus from Kasese through Fort Portal City to the Bumaga forest in Semuliki National Park, with overnight in the wilderness, through the steep slopes of Rwenzori mountains to Ngite Waterfalls and later to Sempaya hot springs was an amazing travel, where you leave your home energetic and clean only to return when you are very tired and dirty, the real meaning of a rewarding adventure that meets your objectives of tourism, fitnes and fun.

The bus was filled with self-motivated young people, chatting, dancing, laughing and having fun throughout the journey. It was vibe after vibe. From Fort Portal city where we were joined by another group Fort Portal and Kampala based travellers, through sharp escarpments of Rwenzori mountain down to the Eastern Rift valley, we were immediately drawn to the allure of Bumaga Forest near Sempaya hot springs, nestled in the verdant Semuliki National Park.

Camping in Bumaga Forest:

Bumaga Forest became a good home for all of us, whispers of the wild were so amazing in the evening, in the night the wild was silent until early morning when birds started singing and wild animals making the wake-up calls. The night dawned with a sense of exhilaration as we embarked on a quest to explore the wonders of the wild in the worldly dance of time. The cool, damp air enveloped me as I delved into the caverns, my imagination ignited by the eerie silence and labyrinthine passages. Each turn revealed a new natural masterpiece, sculpted by the relentless hand of time. 

As the sun cast its golden rays upon the Ugandan landscape, we embarked on a journey from Bumaga Forest to the captivating Ngite falls, eager to unravel its natural wonders and immerse myself in its rich natural tapestry. No sojourn to Bundibugyo would be complete without witnessing the cascading waters of the Ngite Falls located amidst natural forest in the mountains, where nature’s artistry is on full display. First was an encounter with one of the most famous cash crops in Uganda the Cocoa, which seemed like the garden of Eden we have read in the bible. Soon the roar of the waterfall filled the air, creating a symphony of grandeur that echoed through the valleys. I stood mesmerized, my soul resonating with the sheer power and beauty of the scene.

Chanting high, we spent several hours benefiting from the natural massage of the rolling waters of the fall on a cliff of over sixty metres high. Slopping down to reach the falls after a stip climp was a challenge where one had to use the entire body, a massive physcal exercise of the time. From Ngite Falls back to Sempaya, the steaming geothermal pools beckoned me with their promise of relaxation and rejuvenation. I immersed myself in the warm embrace of the mineral-rich waters, letting the cares of the world melt away as I soaked in the tranquility of the surroundings.

The excitement coursing through my veins was akin to a symphony, each beat promising an adventure that would forever be etched in my memory. For a while we all had dreamed life in this part of the countryside, indeed this journey was a dream come true.

With hearts full of cherished memories, we bid farewell to Bundibugyo, its allure forever will etch into my mind. The enchanting countryside had unveiled its natural treasures, leaving me with a profound appreciation for Uganda’s breathtaking beauty and the wonders that awaited in every corner. As we departed, I carried with me the echoes of laughter, the symphony of nature, and the indelible mark of an unforgettable adventure.

Thank you Kasese Hikers Club, thank you Fort Portal City Walkers for this life changing experience; If more is to come, I will be the first there.

Every time I try to remember the people who motivated me on this jouney, there are common figures that keep occupying my memory; Pentagon and his best friend Sharon were so entertaining, Derick looked so funy, little did I know he was the team leader, Joy kept collecting money for drinks and there was always plenty, Tracy known as Pastor was the spiritual leader, there was a huge medical team including Judge Roney, Nancy and Anita. Mentah was in charge of security and there was the most controversal Tom. Refered to as Kampala team were Jackie and Sharon Musumba and everyone on the team were so amazing.

About Sempaya Hot Springs

Got its name from a Swahili word “Sehemu Mbaya” because it was difficult to penetrate the existing rocks during the construction of Fort Portal Bundibugyo DRC road along the ridges of Rwenzori mountains. The Bamba people could not easily mention the word Sehemu Mbaya and could simply pronounce it as “Sempaya”, hence the name of the area and later the hot springs.

The hot springs are located in Semuliki National park, found in Bwamba county, a remote part of Bundibugyo district of Western Uganda. These unique springs have hot waters and high temperatures up to above 100 degrees Celsius, the male spring is locally known as Bitente and its approximately 12 meters in width while the female is known as Nyamisanga and it gushes out water approximately 2 meters in the air.

 The formation of Sempaya hot springs.

A debate of facts between science and tradition; Scientifically the hot springs are formed when the subsurface magma heats the groundwater, creating steam and hot water, the hot, less dense water rises through fissures and cracks in the ground spreading deep towards the exceptionally hot temperatures of the earth layer and water trickling down is heated and enforced backup with much pressure to produce bubbles.

On a traditional cultural side, the two hot springs were turned from the ancestors of the Bamaga clan where a man and his wife disappeared and turned into these two hot spots of water as living ancestors still together and living among their off springs.

Bamaga People and the Hot Springs

For the Bamaga people, the hot springs are their living area to which they carry a belief that their ancestors are not dead but do live in these hot springs

It is believed Batooro women who were married to Basaiga clan went to Mungiro falls to fetch water, on their way they met a stranger dressed in a bark cloth with a dog and a spear moving around staggering like a drunkard. This stranger looked hairy in appearance and this frightened the women so they decided to rush back home to inform their husbands of what they encountered on their way to the falls.

History and belief around the hot springs

On hearing the information, the husbands did not waste time but decided to collect themselves and rush to see what they had just been told. The husbands too could not recognize the man’s identity who happened to be a stranger. The husbands then decided to take him to the neighbouring community to find out who he was

The Bamba clan later nick-named him Bakambwire meaning the unknown (stranger). The Basaiga clan later decided to adopt the stranger and renamed him Bamaga which was related to his movement style of staggering. He was later given a daughter of one elder, Nyansimbi. Bamaga stayed with Nyansimbi for a long while, giving birth to his children.

As a hunter, one morning Bamaga went hunting as usual, but did not return. After three days, this made Nyansibi worried and decided to go search for him in the neighbouring community, to trace his whereabouts. The whole community decided to go and look for him in the forest since he was a hunter. Eventually they landed on his spear on the Nyabahuku hot spring- which happens to be the present day male hot spring, with a pool of boiling water.

On seeing his bark-cloth, they knew Bamaga had died and the sons named this sport Bitente which means “he has gone”. This is how the male hot spring got its name Bitente. The sons of Bamaga decided to curry the spear, the bark cloth and the dog back home.

On hearing about the news of her husband, Nyansimbi also decided to disappear away and get lost in the forest. This called for another search by her sons in the forest which lasted for three days. On the third day, they found her back cloth at the present day female hot spring which made the female hot spring to be named Nyansimbi.

The offsprings of Bamaga uptodate form the “Bamaga Clan and the the Bamaga clan believe their male and female ancestors live in those springs.

Present day Celebrations by Bamaga people

The bamaga people that their male ancestors live at the male hot spring (Bitente) and the female ancestors do stay at the female hot spring (Nyansimbi). Because of that, they hold annual celebrations and curry out cultural lituals at the two spots. These celebrations usually include a lot of sacrifices and take place in the month of November each year. The sacrifices include money, food crops, wildlife and drinks, with a belief that the spring cures various diseases, causes fertility among women, brings good harvest, many children, peace and brings wealth.

Bamaga’s spear has been kept todate and is being used to perform various rituals within the community. Men always first make their sacrifices and celebrations at the male hot springs and later join their female counterparts at the female hot springs. Here they dance and rejoice together in harmony under one common goal, to give back to their ancestors as they seek for their different personal needs and blessings from their ancestors. However, the female counter parts are not allowed to visit the male hot springs.

The Semuliki Valley, River Semuliki and Semuliki National Park

Semuliki valley and later Semuliki national park gets its name from the meandering 140km River Semuliki (Semiliki) that hugs the Ugandan border with Congo between lakes Edward and Albert. It empties its waters into Lake Albert. Semuliki is a Luwisi word (language spoken by the Bamba) to mean, “there’s nothing there”. As legend has it, a white man asked a woman crossing the river with a basket on her head for what was in her overly elaborate, super-sized basket to which she replied “Semuliki” or “nothing is there”. And thus a river was named.

Nicely nestled between lakes Albert and Edward-in the underbelly of the Albertine rift valley- Semuliki national park is a 220 square kilometer biodiversity mecca. This biodiversity- thanks in no small part to the rich fauna and flora of the Ituri forest- coupled with the fact that the park is located in the shadows of the Rwenzori Mountains makes it a dream destination for nature and hiking enthusiasts alike. With more than 440 recorded bird species, this park that predates the ice age, is also a bird watcher’s little slice of heaven.

Semuliki was made a national park in October 1993 and is one of the Uganda’s newest national parks. It is the East Africa’s only lowland tropical rainforest of 194km2 (75 sq mi) in size.

Semuliki national park sprawls across the base of Semuliki valley on the remote western side of the Rwenzori mountain national park. The park is dominated by the easternmost extension of the great Ituri Forest of the Cong basin. This is one of the Africa’s most ancient and bio-diverse forests, one of the few to survive the last ice age, 12,000-18,000 years ago

Waterfalls near Ssempaya Hot Springs – Mungiro and Ngite Waterfalls

Little has been documented about the two waterfalls located near the Africa’s hottest springs. Mungiro waterfall is located above the sempaya hot springs and flows from Rwenzori mountains down the Bumaga forest to pour its water into the hot swamp between the male and the female hot springs

Ngite waterfalls sometimes referred to as the Nyahuka falls located far west of the Sempaya hot springs. Its waters also flow from Mount Rwenzori over a long steep rock that forms a magnificent waterfall.

My call to the entire world of adventure; if you want to see the world come to Africa, if you want to see Africa come to Uganda. If you want to know Uganda come to the Rwenzori Region. and if you want to know the Rwenzori region, get off the main road and take the unbeaten paths with Kasese Hikers and Fort Portal City Walkers. How to get there, contact Kitara Foundation for Regional Tourism, you will have that adventure experience of a life time filled with nature and cultural satisfaction.

For More about the hot springs adventure in Uganda; visit our page at https://kitararcc.com/2023/06/23/magical-hot-springs-tourism-in-uganda/