Ngamba Island situated on a 95 hectare of forested Island on Lake Victoria originated from a fishing village, which fostered to the establishment of the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in 1998 by a number of local and international organizations with the aim of providing a safe haven for the orphaned and rescued chimpanzees.

The chimpanzees are rescued by the Uganda wildlife Authority (UWA) from poachers and because they are unlikely to survive if reintroduced back into their natural homes, Ngamba Island is therefore used to provide safety and care to them.

Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary not only provides a safe haven for these vulnerable chimpanzees but has also created opportunities for a memorable chimp experience and a research centre about the chimps’ life.

Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary surrounded by the fresh waters of Lake Victoria is now a home to 49 chimps with 20 male chimps and 29 female chimps. Amongst these, 46 are orphaned chimpanzees and the 3 were luckily born on the Island.

Ngamba Island is now open to visitors all year around and has now become one of the must-visit adventure destinations in Uganda for those seeking a quick but satisfactory chimp experience.

It's a perfect alternative to the strenuous but more adventurous Chimpanzee tracking in the big game parks and reserves.

It is a great moment and amazing as these chimps raise their arms and make different interesting sounds to ask for food from those serving them.

As a visitor or a volunteer, if wished; you are always given a chance to first wash your hands with a hand sanitiser liquid so that you don’t contaminate the food, then finally feed these chimpanzees.

In-need for food, they always show different signs a human being shows if they are dissatisfied or if one has not got any food.

The Chimpanzees are viewed from a raised platform for easy photo shooting.

Though being wild animals these chimps have been carefully habituated for human interaction and each day they interact with humans, they even get closer to them more of brothers/sisters than cousins.

The chimps are very bright that they know their feeding times, that by 11:00am, 2:30pm and 6:00pm, they will walk close to the net where they are fed from.

If food is delayed, they tend to make some noise to the responsible people. After feeding they slowly walk back into the forest for relaxation and playing up in the trees.

At 6:00pm, the chimps at the Ngamba Island will walk slowly towards the entry point of the big cage where they spend their nights.

However, some of them might remain in the forest for the overnight. Those that manage to get back to the cage are fed with millet porridge and will show satisfaction if they are full in the tummies or will show that they want more if un-satisfied.

Ngamba Island has also got well-furnished tents for volunteers and those who wish to stay longer around on the different exercises.

Safari Package to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary
1 Day and Half day sessions at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary