Travel advisories affecting tourism in Semuliki, Queen Elizabeth National Parks

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To date, UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) maintains a travel advisory against visiting Semuliki and Queen Elizabeth National Parks plus the surrounding areas in western Uganda. 

"FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the area immediately south-west of Kasese town- from the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at Kyabikere extending eastwards up to and including the A109 road and southwards to Queen Elizabeth National Park," the advisory reads in part.

It adds; "The provinces of DRC bordering south-west Uganda have a history of instability and violent conflict and this can flare up with little notice. FCDO advises against all travel to these DRC provinces. There is a potential for some spill-over into Uganda." 

The department, however, recognises that Uganda and DRC conduct joint military action against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel outfit operating in Eastern DR Congo.

"Ugandan troops are present on both sides of the border as part of the operations," the UK acknowledges.

Businesses affected

Meanwhile, the travel advisory by the UK foreign office distinctively pointing out the two national parks, continues to affect the tourism-related businesses in the area.

Anna Santa Drale, the managing director of Katara lodge in Rubirizi district, around Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) says, the travel advisories, especially from the UK, have led to several trip cancellations by intending travellers.

"With such travel advisories, insurance companies cannot proceed to issue travel insurance to tourists leading to cancellation of their trips to Uganda," she says. 

Similar concerns were echoed by Brian Maher, the general manager for Mweya Lake Safari Lodge located within QENP.

He intimated that some officials from the British High Commission, together with several Ugandan tourism officials and stakeholders, visited the national park on February 10, 2025, for first-hand assessment and engagement.

A source from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), which also attended the said meeting but prefers to remain anonymous, intimated that upon thorough assessment, the UK officials were convinced that the national park is generally safe for travel and tourism. 

"But a couple of months have passed without changing the advisory yet by the time they left the meeting, they had expressed contentment about the security in and around the national park," the source narrated.

Ugandan Officials appeal

UWA executive director Dr James Musinguzi raised the same concerns while speaking at the UK-Uganda investment forum in London on May 20, 2025.

Musinguzi noted that the existing travel advisories "do not reflect the prevailing peace and security in Uganda."

"Uganda has made significant progress in ensuring visitor safety across all protected areas. We believe it is time for these travel advisories to be reviewed and aligned with the current reality,” he said.

"Maintaining outdated warnings sends a wrong signal and undermines tourism recovery efforts," the UWA chief added.

He called for open engagement between the concerned countries to ensure that travel advice is factual and supports the growth of tourism as a vital contributor to livelihoods and conservation.

Musinguzi travelled with the Ugandan delegation on the inaugural Uganda Airlines direct flight to London Gatwick, which was led by works minister Gen. Katumba Wamala. Others included tourism in Uganda director at the tourism ministry Basil Ajer, Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) board chairperson Pearl Hoareau Kakooza, her deputy Ron Kawamala, as well as Explore Uganda brand officer Daniel Irunga.

The UK-Uganda Investment Forum brings together leaders from governments and businesses to explore avenues for increased trade, investment and collaboration. Musinguzi urged investors and development partners to tap into the immense opportunities within Uganda's protected areas, describing them as critical to the country's tourism growth and sustainable development.

Meanwhile, Ajer said, the authorities in Uganda and the UK agreed to have regular dialogue as one main way of dealing with the subsisting travel advisories.

Semuliki National Park

The national park harbours 220 square kilometres of rain forests. At an average altitude of 700m above the sea level, Semuliki forms an ecological continuum with the Ituri forest which extends East wards for more than 500km to the Congo River.

There are over 10 species of primates in Semuliki national park which include chimpanzees, Semliki red colobus, Dent's mona monkey, de brazza's monkey, black mangabeys, blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, Olive baboons, black and white colobus and several other species.

Other resident animals endemic to the area include Okapis, lowland Bongo which is a wide noctanal antelope species in addition to the forest elephants, leopards, unique butterflies with over 500 different species so far-sighted and hundreds of bird species.

Inside the park also, are the Sempaya hot springs which are ringed by forests and Palm trees, and veiled in the clouds of steam. The emerging water has temperatures of more than 100 degrees centigrade surrounded by very hot pools.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

The 1,978 square kilometre national park, is primarily associated with open savanna, studded in some areas with a dense cover of acacia and euphorbia trees but also embraces large areas of swamp around lake George, the extensive Maramagambo forest in the southeast and the forested Kyambura gorge. Over 95 mammal species have been recorded in QENP.

Primates within the park include chimpanzees, vervet, blue, red-tailed, black and white colobus monkeys as well as olive baboons. Carnivores include jackals, spotted hyenas, lions and leopards.

The commonest antelope species include the Uganda kob, bushbuck, topi and Defassa waterbuck. Present also, are elusive sitatunga antelopes, duikers, buffalos, elephants among several others.

Earlier protected as the Lake George and Lake Edward game reserves since the late 1920s, a visit of the late British Queen Elizabeth in the early 1950s impressed the government then, hence naming the park Queen Elizabeth National Park in 1954 in her honour. Visitors can never run short of activities such as boat cruises along the 40km stretch of Kazinga channel that connects Lake George and Edward.

According to the tourism statistical abstract, 42,545 tourists were recorded as having visited Semuliki national park in 2024 whereas 124,645 tourists visited Queen Elizabeth national park the same year.