Rhino trekking is a recent though an interesting wildlife adventure in Uganda, only done in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
A few decades ago, Uganda was a home to over 700 white Rhinoceros; until massive rhino poaching took the center stage and hundreds of black and white rhinos in Uganda’s wild could not survive the tragedy. Rhinos are one of Africa’s big 5 mammals and a name rhino originates from the Greek words Rhino meaning nose and “ceros” meaning horn.
The white Rhinos aren’t exactly white and neither is black actually. The word white was just merely mispronounced by the ancient Dutch settlers in South Africa from the Dutch word “wyd” meaning wide. But in actual sense the Rhinos both the black and the white are grey in color.
During civil wars and political insurgencies in Uganda in the 1970’s the number of Rhinos reduced dramatically. Currently they are only a few left in Uganda. Only two found at the Entebbe Zoo and the remaining others are under the watchful eye by the Ugandan wildlife Authority in the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary in Nakasongola along Kampala- Gulu highway just 180 km from Kampala the capital of Uganda.
By the support from Rhino fund Uganda and Uganda wildlife Authority, Ziwa sanctuary is a home to over 15 Rhinos making the place a progressive sight that is also visited by different people across the world.
The Rhino is among the big five mammals, including Elephants, Rhinos, Hippos, the buffaloes, Elephants and the lion. The Rhino is also the second largest land mammal in the whole world.
Some of the interesting facts of the white rhino are, it is a social, similarly to the Elephants and they also have small families called the “crash”. The dominant male plays the role of the father and also the protector.
One unique thing is that the Rhino mourns the death of a family member; they have a thick inches skin up to three inches. The ziwa sanctuary is the only place in Uganda that one can have an amazing experience of Rhino tracking.
Enter the territory of Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary’s rhinos on foot. Rhino Fund Uganda has well skilled and informed guides that will guide you through the bush to where the rhinos are on the day of your visit. The guides are there to keep you safe from harm so listening to the safety briefing prior to trekking is very paramount. Rhino trekking is preferred mostly as an enroute activity to the Murchison Falls national park, or cutting the long journey short to the North Eastern based Kidepo valley national park.
While at the sanctuary you will also encounter a wide range of other wildlife species including Uganda Kobs, reed bucks, Oribis, rich bucks, hippos and crocodiles.
Other activities include; Bird watching, and the famous Shoe bill canoe ride, the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is also home to over 250 bird species and is a great sport for serious birders interested in finding those rare African species. Experienced bird guides will enable you enjoy this experience.
The Rhino tracking excursion lasts for about 1-2 hours; Visit this Rhino sanctuary in Uganda and witness these critically endangered species in their natural habitat at a close range, while contributing to their conservation.
