Trip facts
-
Private, your group only
-
Entebbe marina
-
Entebbe marina
-
Speedboat
-
None (day trip)
-
Water; lunch on request
-
1 to 5 or more
-
Level 1: Relaxed
-
All year
-
English
-
Entrance fee included
Why you will love this trip
Ngamba Island is a forested island on Lake Victoria, about 23 km and 45 to 50 minutes by speedboat from Entebbe. It is a sanctuary, not a zoo: 53 orphaned chimpanzees live here, most of them rescued as babies from the illegal pet and bushmeat trade. They can never return to the wild, so the island forest is their safe, lifelong home. Since October 1998 the sanctuary has been run by the Chimpanzee Trust, a Ugandan conservation charity.
From a raised platform you watch feeding time as the chimps come out of the forest, call to each other and catch fruit. A sanctuary guide tells you the story of each chimp and how the Trust works with schools and fishing villages around the lake to protect wild chimpanzees. Your fee helps pay for their food and care.
The boat leaves from Entebbe, close to the airport, and we can add a pickup and drop-off at your Entebbe hotel on request, so this fits easily into your first or last day in Uganda. It suits families, people short on time and anyone who wants a gentle, meaningful start to a longer safari.
Highlights
- Feeding time with rescued chimpanzees, watched from a raised platform
- A speedboat ride across open Lake Victoria
- The rescue story of each chimp, told by the sanctuary guide
- Learn how the Chimpanzee Trust works with lakeside schools and fishing villages to protect wild chimps
- Birdlife on and around the island, with more than 150 species recorded
- Leaves from Entebbe, close to the airport, with hotel pickup and drop-off included
