1 Day Chimpanzee Tour to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Half day trip

This is a popular one day tour from Kampala/Entebbe that offers the opportunity to see Chimpanzees in Uganda.

The Chimps are found on Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary that is located on Lake Victoria, 23 kilometers from the shores in Entebbe. The Chimps sanctuary was established with the purpose of providing a safe haven for Chimps that have been rescued from a number of circumstances such as from poachers, illegal trade, displaced by conflict, etc. On being rescued and brought to the Island the Chimps are treated, rehabilitated and then integrated with the rest of Chimps at the sanctuary. Currently there is a large community of over 40 Chimpanzees on this small Island which measures only about 100 acres. Much of this Island is covered by a rainforest that supports the Chimpanzees and other wildlife, such as birds, butterflies…

The Island is open for visitors to go see and interact with the Chimpanzees and the funds gained from the Chimpanzees tours are used for caring for the Chimps and other conservation activities.

This one day tour aims at visiting the Chimps Island during the supplementary feeding times when the sanctuary caretakers give fruits to Chimpanzees as a way of supplementing on what the Chimps eat from the forest. So during this time the Chimps come out of the forest to a clearing where the fruits are thrown. It is such an exciting time during which you get to observe interactions between the Chimps, their leadership hierarchy, their human-like gestures when asking to be given fruits, and you also get to see clearly their physical appearance. Viewing the Chimps is done from a raised platform, while Chimps are behind a wire fence that keeps the Chimps from crossing over to the un-forested area of the Island where visitors can relax, picnic, play in the sand, and even sleepover at the lodge.

There are two feeding times during the day, that is, the morning session at 11.00am and the afternoon session at 3pm. You get to chose one of them depending on which one favors your time schedule. For instance if you have an evening flight and wish to do something exciting for the earlier part of the day, then do the morning half day trip to Ngamba Island .

However you may also opt to stay at the Island for a full day and see the Chimps both times.

May I also say that this is the only Chimpanzee tour in Uganda that has no age restrictions, hence a wonderful adventure for families with kids. For other Chimp tours to the national parks have an age restriction of 15 years because they require rigorous trekking and discipline.

Trip program

The driver guide shall pick you from the hotel, either at 8.00am for the morning session OR at 12.00pm for the afternoon session. From Kampala, it is roughly 45 minutes to an hour’s drive to Entebbe, transfer to the shores to find a waiting speedboat and a representative from the Island. Get into the speed boat and set off on the 45 minutes to the Island, crossing the equator in between. You shall be warmly welcome by the island’s staff. You are briefed and taken on a short tour before getting to viewing platforms at the feeding time. This is an adventure as well as a learning experience. You shall be brought back to shores to find your driver and return to Kampala.