​Expert Reviews – Ziwa Rhino Ranch

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Expert
Charlotte Beauvoisin   –  
Uganda UG
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

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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