Rhino volunteer travel in Uganda
| country: | Uganda |
| departures: | You can join this project at a time to suit you |
| price: | From £1155 (4 weeks) - £1695 (8 weeks) excluding flights |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Two species of rhinos once roamed the savannahs and woodlands of Uganda. Today, the rhino is gone from Uganda, wiped out by war and harsh economic conditions that led poachers to hunt it down to sell the horn. In conjunction with Rhino Fund Uganda, we are involved in providing volunteers and finances to assist in the mission to bring rhinos back to Uganda.
We aim to eventually re-introduce and re-establish populations of the Eastern Black Rhinoceros and Southern White Rhinoceros in protected areas within historical/former range, and to provide long term economic opportunities to the local and/or national economy e.g. game ranching, promotion of tourism.
Volunteers will live and work in The Ziwa Wildlife Sanctuary which is a private ranch located near Nakitoma in Nakasongola district, about 170 kms northwest of Kampala. The Sanctuary has two distinct ecosystems; wooded grassland and an open wetland or swamp grassland area where River Lugogo passes through. Animal species present are bushbuck, duiker, oribi, Uganda kob, waterbuck, reedbuck; leopard, hippo, crocodile, vervet monkeys, bush pig, a variety of bird life (including the rare Shoebill stork), snakes, and of course six southern white rhinos! Volunteers will be staying in backpackers accommodation at the staff headquarters on the sanctuary. Although relatively basic, the living / sleeping conditions are comfortable.
The general plan will be that volunteers will have a one-week program, on each of the three activities; community and education programs, wildlife programs and rhino monitoring or ranch management and construction. Activities will rotate in succession on a weekly basis to give every participant an opportunity for an all round experience with the activities and programs of the project.
A typical day at Ziwa would start with waking up at 6.30am and starting duties at 7am. Most people rest 12.30 – 2.30pm then work begins again 2:30 - 6pm. 9pm is quiet time & 10pm is lights out.
We aim to eventually re-introduce and re-establish populations of the Eastern Black Rhinoceros and Southern White Rhinoceros in protected areas within historical/former range, and to provide long term economic opportunities to the local and/or national economy e.g. game ranching, promotion of tourism.
Volunteers will live and work in The Ziwa Wildlife Sanctuary which is a private ranch located near Nakitoma in Nakasongola district, about 170 kms northwest of Kampala. The Sanctuary has two distinct ecosystems; wooded grassland and an open wetland or swamp grassland area where River Lugogo passes through. Animal species present are bushbuck, duiker, oribi, Uganda kob, waterbuck, reedbuck; leopard, hippo, crocodile, vervet monkeys, bush pig, a variety of bird life (including the rare Shoebill stork), snakes, and of course six southern white rhinos! Volunteers will be staying in backpackers accommodation at the staff headquarters on the sanctuary. Although relatively basic, the living / sleeping conditions are comfortable.
a day in the life of a volunteer
Your duties may vary according to what support is needed at the time. Most work is not hands on work with the rhinos - running a rhino sanctuary requires a great deal of physical work outdoors and sometime indoor administrative work too. So please do not be disappointed if you do not get to work hands on with the rhinos during your stay. These are wild animals and are not kept in enclosures! The general plan will be that volunteers will have a one-week program, on each of the three activities; community and education programs, wildlife programs and rhino monitoring or ranch management and construction. Activities will rotate in succession on a weekly basis to give every participant an opportunity for an all round experience with the activities and programs of the project.
A typical day at Ziwa would start with waking up at 6.30am and starting duties at 7am. Most people rest 12.30 – 2.30pm then work begins again 2:30 - 6pm. 9pm is quiet time & 10pm is lights out.
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you are looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Until the early 1980's, two species of rhinos were present in Uganda: the Eastern Black Rhino and the Northern White Rhino. All of these animals were killed by poachers during civil unrest in the 1970's and early 80’s. The last rhino in Uganda was seen in 1982.
In 1997, Rhino Fund Uganda was established as a Non Governmental Organization in Uganda and its single mission was the re-introduction of Rhinos back into Uganda. With greater stability now in protected areas and recent wildlife legislation which has enacted to ensure the protection of wildlife, Rhino Fund Uganda has created a sanctuary for the breeding of Southern White Rhino and other more common species of game. Volunteers will be able to be part of this ground breaking reintroduction programme for Rhinos in Uganda. Through educational workshops and the sanctuary’s breeding programme, volunteers will be able to see the direct effects of this conservation project on the Rhino’s population. The sanctuary employs many local people as rangers, grounds staff and also to look after volunteers and visitors. Volunteers will stay in accommodation on the sanctuary which is owned by the Rhino Fund. A large portion of the volunteers fees also go directly into the Rhino project which allows the project work to continue. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |