From the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, we started early in the morning to find a special bird, a huge stork, called the shoebill. It is an endangered species and very special with its shoe-sized bill and 1 to 1.5 metres tall. Simon Peter, our guide, promised us, we will find them in the swamp near the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
We had received gum boots and drove as close to the swamp as possible, before we started to hike, first on solid ground, but soon through water.
When we spotted not one, but first two and then two more of this incredible birds, we were very happy. It was fantastic to watch them in the wetland next to a river where they look out for fish.
It was one of our dreams, to be able to see this very special birds, and hopefully the interest into spotting them by many tourists will secure that more of their habitats will be protected in the future.