Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary is a 100-acre forest refuge on Lake Victoria, home to around 50 orphaned and rescued chimpanzees who cannot be returned to the wild, most confiscated from the illegal pet and bushmeat trade. The island has its own overnight accommodation on the shoreline: four permanent cottages, ten double tents and five single tents, solar-lit with hot showers and private decks over the water. The sanctuary is run entirely by the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust, with support from the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Jane Goodall Institute.

Guests watch the chimps from raised viewing platforms during the twice-daily feedings, and overnight visitors get an early-morning session and the chance to join the enrichment programme, helping devise puzzles and challenges for the chimps. Boat rides from Entebbe's Nakiwogo Dock take under an hour, passing fishing villages and over 120 recorded bird species along the way. Every visit funds the sanctuary's 24-hour care programme and its work with Ugandan communities on chimpanzee protection.