Ziwa Rhino & Wildlife Ranch

The Ziwa Rhino & Wildlife Ranch offers accommodation inside the sanctuary, so you can track rhinos on foot without driving far, and add an early-morning shoebill walk.

Rooms

Options include guesthouse rooms with en-suite or shared facilities, chalets and a campsite. Amuka Lodge, also inside the sanctuary, offers more comfortable chalets and a pool.

Why we like it

• Sleep inside Uganda’s only rhino sanctuary.
• Rhino tracking and shoebill walks on the doorstep.
• A convenient stop between Kampala and Murchison.

Who it suits

Travellers breaking the journey to Murchison.

Getting there

Ziwa lies at Nakitoma, about three hours north of Kampala on the Kampala–Gulu highway, and about two hours from Murchison Falls National Park. The turn-off is signposted from the main road.

Things to do nearby

• Rhino tracking on foot with rangers.
• The shoebill walk in the swamps.
• Birding and nature walks.
• Murchison Falls, about two hours further on.

About Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

Ziwa is Uganda’s only place to see wild rhinos. Rhinos were wiped out in Uganda by the early 1980s, and the sanctuary received six southern white rhinos in 2005. Today a growing population is protected around the clock, and rangers lead visitors on foot to see them. Read rhino tracking on foot.

The sanctuary is run by Rhino Fund Uganda with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and its rangers monitor the rhinos day and night. Walks are gentle and suit most ages, so Ziwa is a favourite with families. Read about the white rhinoceros at Ziwa and plan the drive with our guide to driving times and roads on a Uganda safari. The best time for walking is the dry season, December to February and June to September, when the grass is shorter.

Planning your stay

Most travellers visit Ziwa on the way to or from Murchison Falls. Staying overnight allows rhino tracking and an early shoebill walk. See our 1-day Ziwa rhino tracking trip.