Quick facts: Location: Nakasongola District, roughly halfway between Kampala and Murchison Falls · Size: approximately 70 square kilometres · Not part of Murchison Falls National Park itself — a separate, dedicated reserve
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is a separate, purpose-built reserve — not part of Murchison Falls National Park, though almost universally visited alongside it, since it sits directly on the main road between Kampala and the park. It exists because rhinos were hunted to local extinction in Uganda by the late 1980s; Ziwa was established to reintroduce and breed both southern white rhino and (eventually) black rhino in a protected, monitored environment, with the long-term goal of eventually releasing rhinos back into Uganda's national parks once populations and security allow it.
The sanctuary's rhino population has grown steadily since reintroduction began, with regular births adding to the herd. Because the reserve is relatively compact and rhinos are closely monitored via radio tracking, sighting rates on a tracking visit are very high — multiple rhinos, sometimes several distinct groups, in a single visit is common.
Beyond the tracking experience itself, Ziwa is also a genuinely strong birding site — over 300 species recorded — with guided walking or boat-based birding available on the sanctuary's wetlands. Some itineraries also include a canoe trip on the sanctuary's lake.
Nearly every itinerary treats Ziwa as a stop on the drive between Kampala and Murchison Falls, rather than a separate destination — it breaks up the journey naturally and adds a genuine Big Five component (rhino) that the main park itself can't offer. For the tracking experience itself — what to expect on foot, timing, tips — see the dedicated Rhino Tracking guide.
Rhino Tracking (Things to Do) · Amuka Safari Lodge · Getting There · Big Five in Murchison Falls
