Ziwa Rhino sanctuary
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is currently the only place to observe southern white rhinos in Uganda. The 70 sq. km piece of land is located in Nakasongola district in Mukerenge village. Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch work hand in hand with the Uganda Wildlife Authority to protect the rhinos and different wildlife that find shelter in the protected piece of land.
Uganda used to have white and black rhinos living in Kidepo valley national park and Murchison falls national park not until 1983 when these animals were declared extinct in the country. As the country was busy in civil wars, poachers in the national parks were busy killing these animals to get their horns.
In 2002, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary was chosen to be a place to shelter rhinos because it was free from predators. In 2004, 4 rhinos were brought from Solin Ranch Kenya to the ranch and later two more rhinos were donated from Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando Florida. This brought the total number of Rhinos to six and the population has been growing since then.
From six rhinos, there are now more than 35 rhinos within the ranch and the management tries so hard to make sure that these rhinos increase in number. Ziwa is a fenced piece of land where rhinos are allowed to move freely around the park. Armed ranger guides and security guards move around the park all the time to make sure rhinos and other park animals are healthy and safe.
Activities to do in Ziwa rhino sanctuary
Rhino tracking
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the only place in Uganda where you can go rhino tracking and help conserve them at the same time. The area doesn’t have any dangerous animals and the activity is done on foot to enable tourists to get so close to these animals. It’s a guided activity where armed ranger guides move the tourists around the park making sure that they are safe.
Rhino tracking is a 2 to 3-hour activity at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary which allows tourists to get close to rhinos and have an opportunity to learn about their behaviors and also see them carry out daily activities. While carrying out rhino tracking, tourists get to see other park animals like monkeys, Uganda kobs, oribis, and birds among others.
To see the rhinos at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, you need to pay a certain amount of fee to enable you to access the park and another amount to enable you to see the rhinos. Park entrance to Ziwa rhino sanctuary is $20 for foreign non-residents and foreign residents, and UGX10,000 citizens of East African member states. Rhino tracking at Ziwa costs $30 for foreign and non-foreign residents while the tracking fee is UGX20,000 for citizens of East African member states.
Bird watching
Over 300 bird species have been recorded in Ziwa rhino sanctuary making it one of the birding destinations. Different birding trails have been constructed within the ranch to enable tourists access different areas and have chances of spotting a high number of birds. The shoebill stork is the most popular bird within the ranch and to spot them one needs to have a canoe ride on the Lugogo swamp.
Birds that can be spotted in Ziwa rhino sanctuary include woolly necked stork, white-headed barbet, dusky tit, yellow-billed stork, tawny eagle, flappet lark, steppe eagle, spur-winged goose, great egret, twany eagle, tree pipit, piapiac, red-eyed dove, long-tailed cormorant, hamerkop, crowned hornbill, black-headed heron.
African broadbill, common green hawk, red-rumped swallow, malachite kingfisher, chinspot batis, plain martin, African paradise flycatcher, curlew francolin, spotted eagle owl, African crowned eagle, black cuckoo, hadada ibis, grey woodpecker, knob bellied duck, grey crowned crane, lemon dove, and variable sunbird to mention but a few.
Shoebill stork watching
The shoebill is one of the popular birds in Uganda and one of the places to spot them is Ziwa rhino sanctuary. In Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the shoebill stork can be spotted on a canoe ride around Lugogo swamp which is found close to the sanctuary. Lugogo swamp is not only a home for the shoebill but also other park species that are recorded in Ziwa. To see the shoebill it costs $45 for foreign non-residents, $40 for foreign residents, and UGX30,000 citizens of East African member states.
Nature walks
Nature walks at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary enable tourists to get so close to nature where they meet different attractions of the sanctuary. The activity is a guided one done with armed ranger guides who make sure that the tourists are safe throughout the activity. Nature walks give tourists an opportunity to see birds, mammals, primates, birds, and vegetation to mention but a few.
How to get to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is found along the Kampala Gulu high way in Nakasongola district. The area can only be accessed by road transport which takes about 3 hours depending on the speed of the drive and nature of the roads. From Entebbe, tourists drive through Kampala, Wobulenzi, Luwero to Nakasongola where the sanctuary is located.
The best time to visit
June to September and December to February is the best time to take a visit to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. There is little rainfall and plenty of sunshine during this season which makes tourists find dry and passable walking trails, vegetation is short and scattered giving clear views of attractions, and roads to the ranch are in good condition.
Tourists can still visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in the rainy season from March to May and October to November. One should come knowing that there is plenty of rainfall within the country and this might affect the activities at the sanctuary. Walking trails are muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall with unclear views of some of the attractions, and roads to the ranch are in poor condition.
