The road up to this sanctuary is a nightmare, but they're working on making it better. And you can't drive all the way. You must park and walk the last hill. The guided tour is interesting, and the work they do here to rehabilitate chimpanzees (and prepare for release) is admirable. Our favorite part was when our guide provided us with both a visual and his imitation of a chimpanzee's vocalizations while explaining what each of them meant. Very interesting that they've learned so much about the chimps' communications. Walking around the sanctuary requires traversing uneven and rocky ground, as well as lots of steps. Definitely not handicap accessible.

We had a great time staying two nights at Tacugama in the Bruno lodge. The staff were wonderful and friendly and the food we were served was delicious and plentiful. We took the birdwatching tour with Alfred which was great - it was wonderful to tour the reservoir and forest early in the morning and see the colorful birds of Sierra Leone. Alfred's energy was infectious!

A real must visit if you find yourself in the Freetown area and you love nature. The most warm welcome from the accomodating team, stunning ecolodges and amazing work they do for the chimps. This really is a sanctuary, not a zoo. Hopefully soon the research team will accomplish their goal of finding a safe space in the country to set the chimps free again.

Sunday visit, quite short, but interesting. We spent most of the time at station 2, it was fun watching the chimpanzees playing around. Money well spent, as they are doing nice job saving those creatures.

What a gem. We had a fantastic couple of hours, and were fortunate enough to get some time with the founder Bala too. Its a well run sanctuary for the 100+ Chimpanzees there. If you visit then its great to know that you are also helping fund an extensive research programme and their education work in Sierra Leone schools on environmental protection. Tacugama are active in work to protect the National Parks too (we visited Outamba Kilimi) where we saw the impact of their work first hand.

It was an interesting tour at the chimpanzees sanctuary. Even if I had seen many of these in other countries every time I learn something new. The guide was amazing and you can see he really loves his work and the chimpanzees. I can recommend the tour at the sanctuary with one of the hikes so you can learn more about the surrounding and see the nature.

We had a lift to the sanctuary as it's about 45 minutes from Freetown. Luckily it was a 4 wheel drive as once you get up into the hills it's pretty steep! It looked like a car park was being built a bit lower down, so in future people could park and walk up more easily. We had a guided tour from the staff, and saw how the chimpanzees worked their way up to be independent and ready to release into the wild. For obvious reasons we don't interact with the chimps, but watching them come and get their lunch, and the babies at play was really special. The centre is doing important work, and a visit to support it is extremely worthwhile. Deforestation is a big problem, not only for loss of habitat but in causing devastating and dangerous mudslides. This was our first experience of the rainforest, and the whole place was so interesting. We would totally recommend a visit and tour from the knowledgeable guides.

My niece & cousins & I had a memorable visit to Tacugama last Sunday. A nature reserve & a sanctuary for rescued (abused, traumatised) chimps to be rehabilitated & re-wilded if possible in future. We were led by the very knowledgeable & excellent tour guide named Suleiman. There was so much to learn about these amazing primates. Fascinatingly we were told the great primatologist Dame Jane Goodall had visited & deciphered some of the chimp "language". However seeing the chimpanzees was the main & best reason for the visit. They are just fascinating. Beware of the teenage chimps - they, like teenagers the world over, can get quite stroppy & temperamental. Definitely Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary is A 'Must Visit' when in Freetown Sierra Leone. I came away deciding to sponsor one of the chimpanzees for a year as places like these are always in need funding.

Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary is a great way to spend a morning with family who want an alternative to Freetown’s beaches. You must phone in advance of visiting the sanctuary and the tours are scheduled to coincide with the Chimpanzee’s morning and afternoon feeding times.   The entrance to the sanctuary is very steep. Unless you have a robust four wheel drive vehicle, it is recommended to leave your car at the bottom of the hill. After the turn off from the main road you should walk up the path that climbs alongside the makeshift road. The walk is uphill and a little slippy and takes around seven to ten minutes to ascend. It must be said if anyone in your family has mobility issues, you must think twice about doing this tour. There is a lot of walking, climbing stairs and standing on uneven terrain, so consider these issues if you have very young or older members of your party.   The tour guide is exceptionally knowledgeable. There will be trivia about Chimpanzees that will keep you interested throughout the 60/90minute tour.   There is a nursery playground observation area where you can view the chimpanzees being fed. Their antics will amuse the younger group members especially during feeding time. The chimpanzees are segregated from visitors. All the chimpanzees are rescued with the aim of being rehabilitated into the wild. So there is no interaction between the public and the chimpanzees, and it is discouraged as these chimpanzees have not always had positive interactions with humans and it’s the sanctuary’s responsibility to manage the welfare of these animals.   For the more mature chimpanzees there is another viewing area which is more wild and natural but it makes spotting chimpanzees harder. At the end of the tour you are invited to visit the shop, which has a few t shirts and hand fans – though the hand fans can be bought in Freetown cheaper. There is a spiral staircase that climbs 30 metres up to a lookout point. Here you can see the rainforest canopy but not much else.   In conclusion the sanctuary is another facet to an interesting experience in Freetown.

Must do from Freetown. The chimpanzee sanctuary does amazing work and guides are super friendly and knowledgeable! They also organize various hikes and other activities to do within the national park which are absolutely worth checking out. Thank you to our guide emmanuel, who was able to answer every question and articulate the importance of the work thats being done there. If youre in Freetown, check it out!