Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch

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Charlotte Beauvoisin –

Visited: July

Charlotte lives in Uganda and is a writer, blogger, volunteer and promoter of birding, conservation and responsible tourism. She writes for Fodor’s, Horizon Guides and Bradt, and runs an award-winning blog.

Track Wild Rhinos on Foot

Overall rating

4/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

Tracking rhinos on foot is rather special. Although the 70km² Ziwa has a range of accommodation, most visitors just drop in for a few hours en route to Murchison Falls National Park. It's a convenient way to break the 5-plus-hour journey from Kampala to Murchison, but the earlier you arrive at Ziwa, the more active the rhinos will be. (It's disappointing to arrive at noon and find them all snoozing!) On my last visit, however, it was the birds that really caught my attention: bare-faced go-away birds and red-billed oxpeckers hitching a ride on the rhinos.

Shoebill are easily seen from a wooden canoe across the swamp; birding trails offer the chance of seeing an impressive 350 bird species. Ziwa has seven species of antelope (and associated feline predators).

Uganda’s population of black and white rhino were decimated during the instability of the 1970s and by 1983 were extinct in Uganda. Ziwa’s 30+ white rhinos are breeding well from the six individuals reintroduced since 2005. They remain under 24-hour guard although the ultimate aim is for them to be released into the national parks. However, with international ivory poaching being such a critical issue, it’s impossible to predict if or when that reintroduction might happen. In the meantime, a stopover at Ziwa is highly recommended.

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Expert

Philip Briggs –

Visited: Multiple times

Philip is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the Bradt guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.

Track Uganda's Only Rhinos on Foot

Overall rating

3/5

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Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch is a ‘must do’ if you’re in Uganda and want to see rhinos. This is because rhinos became naturally extinct in Uganda in the 1980s and remained so until a small population was relocated to Ziwa just after the turn of the millennium. Ziwa’s introduced rhinos have bred very successfully in their new home, and the fenced ranch now contains more than 40 individuals, some of which are likely to be relocated to other parks in Uganda in the near future.

For now, however, Ziwa is the only place in Uganda where you can see rhinos. This is a totally worthwhile adventure, not least because you are permitted to do it on foot, which adds a real excitement to the experience of coming face to face with Africa’s second-largest land animal. Guided rhino trekking at Ziwa is not dauntingly expensive, and because the rhinos are kept under permanent guard, the success rate is effectively 100%.

Usefully, Ziwa is easily slotted into any itinerary that also incorporates Murchison Falls or Kidepo Valley National Park. Indeed, the sanctuary lies right alongside the main road to these popular safari destinations, both of which are home to all four other members of the Big Five.

Rhinos aside, quite a bit of other wildlife can be seen at Ziwa. Impala, bushbuck, Uganda kob and warthog all hang around the small rest camp and restaurant. Overnight visitors can also arrange a morning excursion to Lugogo Swamp to look for sitatunga antelope, shoebill and other aquatic wildlife.

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Average Expert Rating

3.5/5

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Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch

Expert Reviews (2)