Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Top choice


This sanctuary in Lake Victoria is home to around 50 orphaned chimps that have been rescued from elsewhere in Uganda and are being rehabilitated as much as possible on this thickly forested island. Day trips to see the residents are superb. Plan ahead and you can join the overnight experience and a forest-walk with the chimps, who'll climb all over you. It's a 50-/90-minute speedboat or motorised canoe ride from Entebbe to get here.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary

0.11 MILES

Located 23km southeast of Entebbe in Lake Victoria, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, or 'Chimp Island', is home to over 40 orphaned or rescued…

2. Uganda Wildlife Education Centre

16.4 MILES

While it functions primarily as a zoo, this centre is actually a world-class animal refuge that has benefited from international assistance in recent…

3. Entebbe Botanical Gardens

16.58 MILES

Laid out in 1898, these expansive gardens are perfect for a leisurely stroll. The highlights are its pockets of thick rainforest, which locals claim some…

4. Uganda Reptiles Village

18.1 MILES

Get up close to some of the world's deadliest snakes, including mambas, cobras, puff adders and vipers, as well as chameleons, crocs and lizards, all of…

5. Makanaga Wetlands

24.38 MILES

Makanaga Wetlands (part of the larger Mabamba Wetland System) is a good place to spot shoebills. It's roughly a 60km drive from Entebbe, accessed via…

6. 32° East Ugandan Arts Trust

25.33 MILES

This centre for Ugandan contemporary artists includes exhibit space, a library, workspace and resource centre. It is in the process of moving to a nearby…

7. Mengo Palace

28.44 MILES

Built in 1922, this small palace is the former home of the king of Buganda, though it has remained empty since 1966 when Prime Minister Milton Obote…

8. Rubaga Cathedral

28.88 MILES

This twin-towered Roman Catholic cathedral has a memorial to the Uganda Martyrs, with 22 Catholic victims (later declared saints) enshrined in the stained…