Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

Rhino were wiped out in Uganda by the 1980s, and Ziwa was set up in 2005 as a breeding sanctuary to bring them back: a fenced area of around seventy square kilometres north of Kampala stocked with southern white rhino from Kenya and the United States. The population has grown steadily through births on site. Visitors track the animals on foot with rangers, approaching to within a short distance, which is a very different experience from a vehicle.

What you actually see

• The rhino tracking - approaching the animals on foot with rangers.
• The breeding programme - the project reintroducing rhino to Uganda since 2005.
• The shoebill trip - canoe trips in the swamp on the property for shoebill storks.
• The nature walks - guided walks and night walks in the sanctuary.

When to go

Year round; tracking runs through the day with early morning and late afternoon most comfortable. It is a standard stop on the way to Murchison Falls. Booking is advisable.

Honest expectations

The rhino are in a fenced sanctuary and closely monitored, which is not a wild encounter. The tracking walk can be long and hot depending on where the animals are. It is expensive for the time involved.

Nearby

Murchison Falls is north, and Kampala is south.