The Ziwa rhino sanctuary is located in Nakitoma 7 kilometers off the Kampala-Gulu high way. It’s the only place in Uganda where rhinos can be found. The sanctuary was mainly opened to restore the rhino population that had been completely wiped out from the country. Initially there were about 700 rhinos in Uganda however due to high cases of poaching and insecurities all of them were lost.
After over 30 years after the last rhinos were seen in Uganda, they were once again reintroduced at Ziwa with the help of Uganda Wildlife Authority and Rhino Fund Uganda. Today the Ziwa rhino sanctuary is now a home to 15 white rhinos and their number is expected to increase with time as more conservation efforts are being ensured. The sanctuary is currently carrying out breeding as a way of ensuring an increase in the rhino population and it hopes to be reintroducing the rhinos to their initial homes especially in some of the major national parks of Uganda.
The Rhino Tracking Experience
All those going to track first head to the sanctuary’s main office where they are allocated to the guide who will be taking them through the entire tracking process. They are given gun boots and led by the guide to the major trailhead where you are told about the rhino history and briefed on how to behave while with the rhinos. All those going to track rhinos are instructed to;
- Keep a reasonable distance away from the rhinos
- Avoid making noise while near the rhinos to avoid distracting them (keeping all the phones in silence)
- Avoiding using flash photography
- Always follow the guides’ instructions and avoiding moving a way from the main tracking group
Important to note is that if one notices that the rhino has become aggressive, he or she is supposed to stand opposite a big tree where the rhino will not be able to see because of its poor sight or climb a big tree or stand behind a thicket that a rhino cannot penetrate.
After the briefing, the tourists are then directed through a trail to where the rhinos are. The rhinos are very big in size (are the second biggest land mammals after elephants) irrespective of the age. Just a four-year rhino looks big and therefore a well-grown rhino is twice the size of a young one.
Watching the rhinos relax and graze is very amazing and relaxing because rhinos are very peaceful animals that can tolerate the presence of humans as long as they do not come close to them.
Best rhino tracking experiences can be had in the morning and there are always armed rangers to protect the tourists incase the rhinos gets out of control. After having a great time with the rhinos, the tourists are directed back to the main office.
There are other major wildlife species that can be viewed while at the sanctuary and they include bushbucks, waterbucks most of which are viewed along the way to the major tracking trails. Tourists here can go for nature walks and even night walks to track some of the nocturnal animals like the leopard.
The Zziwa rhino sanctuary also has a number of bird species (over 350) including the rare shoebill stork and it’s therefore among the best birding destinations in Uganda. The sanctuary officials are very eco friendly and always work hand in hand with the local people and find ways of enabling them get incomes. One way they do that is by organizing excursion boat trips along the swamp as tourists explore the wildlife around the sanctuary and as they search for bird species that live around wetlands especially the shoebill stork.
The Zziwa rhino sanctuary offers real remarkable tourist experiences especially for the nature lovers and visiting the sanctuary for a wildlife tour can never be a regrettable idea especially spending time with the only rhinos in Uganda. You can visit the rhino sanctuary before or after your Uganda safari through Murchison Falls National Park. Currently rhino tracking costs only USD70 per person and no prior booking is required.