Rhino Viewing Platform
Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary is one of the very few TOTALLY EXCLUSIVE Rhino Viewing Platforms in Kenya.
You can now stay and sleep on a raised and secure platform overlooking a waterhole that is active all night long! The platform provides for total exclusivity and only one group can stay at a time, giving you special and private use of the platform.
The platform offers you the opportunity to stay above one of the few wildlife watering points within the Ngulia Sanctuary, where black rhinos, leopards, elephants, wild dogs, and a huge diversity of bird species frequent both day and night. You WILL have trouble sleeping, the drama of jostling rhino’s, large buffalo herds and elephants all trying to get a drink is a special experience.
Best time to visit:
Optimum times of year to visit are during the dry season (February to March and June to early October) and also the brighter the moon the better for wildlife viewing, with full moon being the best time. The recommended length of stay is 1 to 2 nights, and the maximum capacity is 6 people.
Security:
It is very important to note that you will be visiting a highly sensitive rhino sanctuary and safety of the rhino there are paramount. Your personal safety is also of great importance. To this end, the Rhino Platform is located near a KWS security base.
Other details:
- The Rhino Viewing Platform is small (6m x 6m), raised 10ft off the ground, private and has basic amenities . It has a toilet, shower and wash basin with running water.
- The platform is booked on a self-catered basis only, so you will need to bring your own food and drink.
- Please be sure to come with your own bedding, including bedrolls / mattresses, eating utensils (plates, cups, cutlery etc.), toiletries and towels.
- It can get quite chilly here at night. The use of fires and camping stoves is strictly prohibited – the wildlife must come first, and fires can cause a great risk to them and this habitat.
- Remember not to bring plastic bottles into the Park.
- We would highly recommend taking night vision lenses and if you do not have these, regular binoculars will do the trick.
- Guests must check in by 16:00 and check out by 09:00 on the day of departure.
Video Credit – Origin Safaris
Video Credit – Origin Safaris
Historically, black rhinos were found in Tsavo at densities higher than anywhere else on the planet. In 1940 there were an estimated 20,000 black rhinos in the Tsavo Conservation Area (TCA). By 1989 there were less than 20 individuals as a result of rampant poaching.
Within Tsavo West National Park, an area of 9,000km2, the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary (NRS) was established in 1986 as a fenced stronghold to enable the breeding and recovery of black rhino (Diceros bicornis michaeli) in Tsavo starting with just nine individuals. Today NRS is 90km2 and is home to over 120 rhino. The Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ) was established in 2008 as an unfenced, highly protected free-ranging area, surrounding the NRS, and 19 founder rhinos were introduced. This population has grown significantly over time , making the Tsavo rhino recovery one of the most successful and positive conservation stories in recent years.
Thanks to the intensive efforts of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), with support from Tsavo Trust, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and other conservation entities, the future is much brighter. Tsavo West NP now holds 18% of Kenya’s black rhinos, within the highly protected sanctuary.
Surrounding the Ngulia Sanctuary is the 3,000km2 IPZ that has been identified as representing the most viable area in Kenya to recover rhino numbers and help support the Kenya Government to achieve its vision of 2,000 individuals in the wild by 2050. Kenya remains one of the key strongholds for Eastern black rhino, making this population globally important. Every effort is required if we are to conserve this critically endangered species for the future.
In an effort to support “rhino activities” in the Tsavo West NP rhino areas, Tsavo Trust has partnered with the Kenya Wildlife Service by establishing a unique “Rhino Viewing Platform” at one of the main waterholes within the NRS. The aim being to offer visitors a rare and exclusive opportunity to view rhino close up with the backdrop of the prehistoric-looking Ngulia cliffs.
To book the Rhino Viewing Platform please contact Tsavo Trust
For booking enquiries contact Tsavo Trust – Tel: +254 (0) 700 604 657 | Email: reservations@tsavotrust.org
Office opening hours: Monday – Friday 9:00am to 17:00pm. Saturday and Sunday closed.
“I wonder if there is anywhere else on the planet that one can observe as many as 30 different black rhinos’ coming into water in just one night? Not to mention the multitude of other wildlife, including the other Big 5 and Small 5 members and so much more. The newly established “Rhino Viewing Platform”, situated in Tsavo West National Park’s – Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary is an incredible wildlife experience in every way.”
“Our night on the rhino platform in the Ngulia Sanctuary was absolutely magical – before the moon rose the first rhino sauntered in, along with giraffe, warthog and a shy leopard. During the night probably 30 rhinos came to drink. At dawn we woke to lion roaring and birdsong galore. A truly extraordinary experience.”