NGAMBA ISLAND

Ngamba Island is a Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT) found in the vast Lake Victoria. The sanctuary was established as a combined national and international initiative and a globally recognized collaborative conservation effort, meant to develop and implement a long-term strategy for conservation of chimpanzees and their surroundings. The island is a home to 40 orphaned chimpanzees which are taken as endangered species found in forests and 20 of which have been brought to the island since when the sanctuary opened.

This 100 acre Chimpanzee sanctuary was established in 1998 for the care, safety and welfare of entrusted animals while conserving as far as possible the ecosystem of the island. It was set up by the Born Free Foundation (UK), International Fund for Animal Welfare (USA), the Jane Goodall Institute (Germany and Uganda), The Uganda Wildlife Education Centre Trust (UWECT) and the Zoological Board of New South Wales (Australia) to offer a secure habitat to orphaned chimps whose return to their natural environment is not possible while educating the public about these animal species and the importance of conserving the fragile forest surroundings. Around 98 out of the 100 island acres are forested and separated from the visitors’ area by an electric fence.

Ngamba Island is part of the Koome Group of Islands located 23km south of Entebbe Municipality. The sanctuary is in place to take care to the captive chimpanzees, managing the sanctuary for the seized chimpanzees that cannot be taken back to the wild, intervening in helping chimps in the wild when if necessary, educate Ugandan community on chimpanzees and ecotourism and capacity building through training and building viable national, regional and international partnerships on chimpanzee conservation among others. At present, the major threats to the survival of the species are illegal poaching for "bush meat" and the petty trade as well as deforestation for agriculture and profit-making timber.

A DAY TRIP TO NGAMBA ISLAND TO SEE CHIMPAZEES
Taking a day visit to Ngamba Island, you would have the following activities;
1. Chimpanzee Feeding
2. Watch and interact with the Chimps
3. Leisure and entertainment
4. Birding
5. Botanical gardens
6. Spot butterflies and Lake Victoria
7. Visit to Uganda Wildlife Education Centre visit. Tour details

Starting the journey to Ngamba Island
After a short briefing by the trip guide, depart from Entebbe landing place at the shores of Lake Victoria and travel by boat to the island. The boat takes about 45 minutes to reach the island. When you arrive at the sanctuary, you will get a small briefing and then View the morning feeding of the chimpanzees from the visitors platform area along the end of the sanctuary fence. Seeing the chimps interrelate with each other and with their keepers is tremendously captivating. Have lunch if it is a full day trip, swim on the equator, watch the neighbouring fishing village, have birding and other wildlife experiences, sunbathe and rest. In the relatively short time you are there you will be able to see such different personalities amongst the group, with some whistling for food and others clapping.

After enjoying your stay to the sanctuary, return to Entebbe in the afternoon and have lunch first to a hotel of your choice like Windsor Lake Victoria Hotel, Botanical Beach Hotel or UWEC Picnic Lunch, Imperial Resort Beach Hotel, Lake View Hotel and many more in case it was a half-day trip. After lunch, go to Uganda Wild Life Education Centre to watch a variety of wild animals in their protected sections and this could take you an hour or a little more. From here, go to Botanical Gardens where you will see a variety of butterflies & a variety of birds and also enjoy the magnificent view of Lake Victoria. Drive back to Kampala to your hotel or home, marking the end of your one-day adventure experience.