The Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is one of the few habitats of the Southern white rhinos in the whole of Africa and offers exceptional opportunities to its visitor to have up close encounters with these big yet tranquil animals while on foot!
The Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is a just a three hour drive approximately half way to prestigious Murchison Falls Park. The Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the establishment of the rejuvenation to the Rhino population in Uganda, which was severely poached in the early 1980 in Uganda. Today this Rhino sanctuary has 12 Rhinos and fortunately visitors are offered an opportunity to track them and have an up close view of them.
It is a very wonderful experience and the government of Uganda hopes that in the future Rhinos will be reintroduced into the different national parks like the adjacent Murchison Falls National Park. It is important to note that the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is actually NOT a zoo. The area is a protected large sanctuary in which the Rhinos can easily move freely and yet safely. The
Rhinos are protected every time (every hour) each day against poachers by security personnel as well as an electrical fence that offers further protection. Sadly poachers kill these enormous animals only to cut off just a horn which they then smuggle to different countries as far as the Far East. These horns are then ground for medical uses (which uses have not scientific significance). Therefore it is because of this brutal and selfish act that the poachers inflict on these animals that they are well safeguarded through the 24 hours of a day.
As you explore the Ziwa Sanctuary you will come close to the Rhinos while on foot. The White Rhinos (which are the type found at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary) are very large size although very gentle therefore approaching them while on foot should be no threat danger to you. A knowledgeable Ranger well trained and working with the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary will escort you through your tour and will share with you about the different way of life plus behavior of these White Rhinos.
In addition, the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary offers its guests great opportunities to take splendid photographs, and for that reason therefore, it is among the destinations you can visit while on a photographic safari in Uganda.
The Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary can done as a single day trip from the capital of Uganda – Kampala, or as part of an excursion to Murchison Falls Park, or as part of a Chimpanzee Safari to the impressive Budongo Forest.
Within this sanctuary is a restaurant plus affordable accommodation facilities and not to forget the recently finished high-class Amuka Lodge complemented with swimming pool plus beautiful self-contained luxury guest tents. The Amuka Lodge offers scrumptious cuisines and pampers its guest will they unveil the splendor of the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
Other than ‘tracking’ the southern white Rhinos additional activities you can enjoy here include;
- Birding: the sanctuary is home to more than 320 bird species so you can choose to ‘track’ the rhinos for half the day and spend the other half bird watching, or choose to spend another extra day in the sanctuary to enjoy a full day’s bird watching. Among the various bird species commonly seen within the sanctuary include the Shoebill Stork, Speckled – breasted Woodpecker, White Crested Turaco and the Giant Kingfisher.
- Nature Walks: You can opt to spend part of the day taking a nature walk through wilderness of this Rhino sanctuary encountering bushbucks, hartebeests, black & white Colobus, Grey Duikers, Ground squirrels, Oribis, Vervet monkeys, waterbucks, reedbucks, mongeese, butterflies plus a variety of insect species and reptiles like the monitor lizards.
