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Ngamba Island Chimp Sanctuary

Ngamba Island is currently home to 49 orphaned and confiscated chimps, rescued from the illegal pet and bush meat trade. Despite their initial trauma, chimps living at Ngamba have a safe and semi-natural environment in which to recover and eventually thrive over their long lives of up to 60 years.

Founded in 1998, the island offers 95 acres of natural forest where the chimps roam and forage daily. Their diet is supplemented multiple times per day much to the delight of visiting tourists who are able to observe the feeding from a viewing platform.

The chimps also have the freedom to stay in the forest at night or return to nighttime enclosures where they can build nests and receive an evening meal.

Ngamba Island provides an excellent secondary forest habitat for the chimpanzees and other wildlife species including fruit bats, spiders, fish eagles, otters, and monitor lizards.

Take a boat cruise out on Lake Victoria to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary and have a chance to view chimpanzees feeding. You will also be treated to sights of monitor lizards, birds, and photographic opportunities. We arrange both half and full day trips and our boats leave at either 9:00am or 12:45pm.

Upon arrival at the sanctuary, you will be directed to our visitor’s center where you will be introduced to the project, its history, our residents and their plight.

On each of the two types of day visits (half day and full day), you will receive a personal orientation by a chimpanzee caregiver and view a feeding of the chimpanzees (full day visitors will view 2 feedings) from the visitors’ raised platform area along the edge of the sanctuary fence.

You can enjoy our fresh lunches prepared on-site, ranging between $10- $15. Please note, packed lunches and drinks to the island are prohibited, prompted by the difficulty of controlling litter associated with the personal items.

Where to stay

Ngamba Island student camp offers sanctuary adventures for children aged 10 – 17 during school breaks. All adventures are 3 day long courses with different themes, designed to spur the understanding & appreciation of chimpanzee behavior as well as the practical skills to address conservation and other pressing global environment issues.

Campers learn from our experienced staff including the caregivers, educators and veterinarians all in simple but fun experiences. Each child will go away inspired to be a steward of their environment and ready to make a difference in the world.

Ngamba Island tented camp

This small camp comprises just four tents, all en suite, on wooden platforms with private decks overlooking Lake Victoria. The camp has been designed within strict ecological guidelines of CSWCT, with due care to the fragile nature of the environment, lighting is solar.

Each tent has splendid views across the Lake, and is well appointed, featuring a bush shower and eco-toilet. Meals are substantial with several tasty courses for dinner and local specialties such as fresh fish from the lake, when possible.