RHINO TREKKING AT THE SANCTUARY

I knew you would be back. It’s hard to resist a 2.3 tonnes hug from a rhino. And yes, a male can grow that big, let me tell you all about it.

Rhinos are still an endangered species not only in Uganda but world over. For this reason, each rhino at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is tracked and protected by dedicated rangers at all times. This makes it easy to spot several rhinos on your trek. Photography and video coverage are accepted, but sharing your GPS location is prohibited as this puts the beautiful beasts at risk of poaching. Gosh, we hate poachers!

Back to the trek, we had the choice of either a morning or an evening trek. Not only are these times cool enough for both humans and rhinos, but it’s when the rhinos feed, and that is a big part of the action. After a safety briefing at the Rhino Fund Offices, we drove off to start our adventure. The drive takes you as close as possible to the rhinos and the rest of the journey is covered on foot. I must add that the latest addition to the crash (crash – a group of rhinos) was born the day we arrived at the sanctuary.

I deserve an award for the most rhinos spotted in one day, 19 of the 32 white rhinos:

Two early in the morning right outside our cottage on our way to shoe bill trekking;
Twelve during the actual evening rhino trek;
Three on our drive back to the cottages. A mother, father and calf grazing peacefully. The father’s name is Moja and he controls 75% of the territory. Now that’s power!
Two at night during dinner time, a mother and calf. We even saw the calf breast-feed, how precious!

On the last day of my visit, I was visited by a pair of overly enthusiastic rhinos. The male chose to take a dump right by the restaurant where we were having breakfast. It stunk! But we didn’t complain, it was the final spice we needed to seal this calm or dangerous adventure. You decide;