Exclusive Rhino Trekking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary Uganda:

Rhino trekking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary Uganda is a deeply memorable safari activity, putting you genuinely close to some of Earth’s last remaining rhinos, the Southern White Rhino. 

Rhino tracking at Ziwa is precisely what completes a Big Five game safari in Uganda: sighting these impressive mammals in the wild is a lasting memory, and Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the only place in the entire country where it’s possible. 

Set in Nakasongola district, this sanctuary remains Uganda’s sole rhino shelter — no wild rhinos currently roam free anywhere else in the country.

Why Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary Exists

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is a rhino re-introduction initiative run jointly by Rhino Fund Uganda and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). Rhinos were first re-introduced here in 2005, decades after the species had been hunted to local extinction in Uganda, and they’re still awaiting eventual re-introduction back into the country’s national parks once population numbers allow. 

The sanctuary spans a genuinely substantial 70 square kilometers (7,000 hectares) of electric-fenced land, dominated by woodland mixed with grassland, swamp, and dense thicket — a varied habitat that supports far more wildlife than rhinos alone.

What to Expect on a Rhino Trekking Experience

Rhino trekking in Uganda offers one of the best on-foot walking experiences available on any Uganda safari, taking you directly through the wilderness in search of the sanctuary’s rhinos. 

An experienced guide leads every trek, and while rhinos are naturally the headline attraction, expect to see considerably more along the way — birdlife, other mammals, and the sanctuary’s genuinely rich ecosystem all reveal themselves as you walk.

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary currently shelters over 22 Southern White Rhinos, roaming freely across its savannah and wetland vegetation, alongside Uganda Kobs, reedbucks, oribis, bushbucks, waterbucks, Nile crocodiles, hippos, leopards, black-and-white colobus monkeys, and olive baboons. 

Birders are especially well rewarded here — the sanctuary is genuinely one of Uganda’s best birding destinations, hosting more than 350 recorded bird species. Look for the African blue flycatcher, bronze mannikin, broad-billed roller, blue-spotted dove, African black-headed oriole, booted eagle, African darter, African fish eagle, brown-throated wattle-eye, African mourning dove, and African marsh harrier, alongside African jacana, crested francolin, barred warbler, Eurasian nightjar, black-and-white shrike flycatcher, Egyptian goose, augur buzzard, African pied wagtail, martial eagle, olive sunbird, long-crested eagle, African open-billed stork, great blue turaco, greater honeyguide, green wood hoopoe, blue-cheeked bee-eater, black-headed weaver, and most sought after of all — the rare shoebill stork, one of Africa’s most striking and elusive birds. 

Our full Uganda birding safari guide covers Ziwa alongside the country’s other top birding destinations for travelers building a dedicated birdwatching itinerary.

Beyond the standard walking trek, Ziwa also offers four dedicated birding trails, plus canoe rides and a specific shoebill trek, among the most sought-after activities at the sanctuary for visitors specifically chasing a shoebill sighting.

Rhino Trekking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary: Rates and Fees

Adults on a Uganda safari to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary pay $50 for foreign non-residents, $40 for East African adult residents, and UGX 30,000 for adult Ugandan citizens. 

Children pay $25 for foreign non-residents, $20 for East African residents, and UGX 10,000 for Ugandan children. These rates are genuinely modest compared to primate trekking permits elsewhere in Uganda, making rhino trekking an accessible add-on for almost any safari itinerary.

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