Walking with rhinos in Uganda

“Oh, that was unexpected! I had not planned for us to see this guy.”

Our guide whispers as he quietly moves forward. We get closer and closer to what at a distance looked like a large rock, but in fact is a sleeping, male rhino. I can feel something stir in my stomach as the huge colossus blinks and rises his head in our direction. Male white rhinos can weigh up to three tons and can move at a speed of 50 km/h. To my comfort, he quickly concluded we were no risk and went back to sleep.

We have just started our walking safari at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Uganda. The only place in the country where you can see the endangered species.

The Uganda walking with rhinos experience

We are on our way back to the capital Kampala from Murchison Falls National Park when we stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. The walking rhino tracking is our last wildlife experience on our eventful two-week tour of Uganda.

After a short introduction and safety brief at the park’s head quarter, we turned our mobile phone GPS’s off and headed into the park. First by car, then by foot. A few antelopes looked at us from a distance as we walked away from the car. Apart for some birds chirping and the light sound of dried grass breaking beneath our shoes, it was completely silent. Our knowledgeable guide (whose name I unfortunately did not write down) stopped here and there to tell us about the sanctuary, the white rhinos, and how they lived. That was when we saw the sleeping bull.

Close rhino encounters

There was no guarantee, and we were told we’d be lucky if we encountered 2-3 rhinos during our walk. Unexpected or not, now we had at least seen one.

After watching the bull sleep for a while, we continued towards the crash of rhinos we were meant to visit. Yes, you read it correct. The collective noun of rhinos is a crash.

Did we bump into more of them? Absolutely. First two females, called cows, the two young bulls, and at last a cow with a 1-year-old calf. In total we encountered 7 white rhinos within an hours’ walk. 7 giants that peacefully went on with their grassing and sleeping while we stood nearby watching them.

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

Both black and white rhinos used to roam the woodlands and savannas in the Pearl of Africa, but due to political unrest in the last half of the 20th century they became extinct by poaching. As an initiative to reintroduce the native species into Uganda’s national parks, it was decided to turn the huge Ziwa cattle farm into a sanctuary for southern white rhinos in the early 2000.

After importing 4 rhinos from Kenya, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary was established in 2005. Not long after, 2 more was imported from a zoo in Orlando Florida, and in 2009 they could welcome the first calf born in Uganda for decades.

Born by an American mother and Kenyan father, what else could they name the calf but Obama?

Fast forward until today, there are now more than 30 rhinos roaming around the 70-square-metre sanctuary. The plan is to start resettling them into the national parks when they reach about 40-50. For now, they are living happy days within the park, heavily guarded 24/7.

Pouching is still a viable threat, which is why there are armed guards staying close to and moving around with each rhino group within the sanctuary. It is also the reason why all guests are asked to turn off GPS before the tracking starts and not share any content on social media while being inside the park.

Plan your Uganda walking with rhino safari

Do you wonder what you can do to help re-introducing rhinos to Uganda? Visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary! It is located approx. 3 hours’ drive from Kampala enroute Murchison Falls, and the easiest way to get here is by your own car.

Entrance to the park incl. rhino tracking by foot cost 50 USD (in 2022) for foreign adults, and most of it goes straight into the park operations.

Highly skilled and professional guides brings guests into the park for unique walking safaris with the rhinos. Before you start, the guide give a short safety brief which includes what to do if one of them charges at you. Remember, you will be only metres away from 3 tonn large beasts! Luckily, our guide reassured us that there had not been any attacks so far. As long as you do as the guide tells you to do, everything will be fine. Walk silently, no sudden movements, and keep your voice low.

Accommodation is available on site for those wanting a full experience, and there are opportunities to join nature walks and shoebill stork safaris too.

We stopped by on our was back to Kampala from Murchison Falls, and it was the perfect break from a long drive. Post-rhino tracking we enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Sanctuary’s restaurant with views to a family of wild warthogs walking around and a beautiful crested crane showing of!