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I simply don't know where to begin - as this was truly the highlight of my trip in Uganda. I spoke with my Uganda based tour operator Nature Track www.naturetrack-expeditions.com and said I was passionate about chimpanzess. Careful for what you wish for... my excellent driver and guide Tom, dropped me at the launch site for a 45 minute boat ride across Lake Victoria to Ngamba Island. I was greeted like a VIP and escorted to my self contained - eco friendly tent. It overlooked a little stream - filled with birds of all kinds. I selected both the caretaker and integration programmes - worth every single penny! The day began with watching the 44 resident chimps being fed, followed by me preparing their food and porridge and then walking the forest in the morning with Barron on my back! Two days is a must - to get to know the staff, the chimps and to enjoy the homemade food. Had I known what kind of joy this visit would have been - I would have stayed one week! This you can not miss!
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Date of stay: September 2011
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Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip:Â All tents are beautiful!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was the last part of our trip and we couldn´t have hoped for a better end of the holiday. Ngamba island is just a little piece of heaven in lake victoria. After arrival and check in we loved walking around and taking photo´s of the hundreds of waever birds, storks, monitor lizards etc.
The tents are just excelent and the staff of the tents (wild frontiers) as well the staff of the chimpansee sanctuary is great. The food is also very good and tasty. The tents are also very good maintained.
We loved the chimp walk in the forest where we took seven chimps out and played with them. A absolute higlite of our trip. Severel chimps jumped on our back and let us walk them into the forest. If you visit Ngamba island it is better to stay overnight. You can enjoy the feeding more then once and the experience of close contact with the chimps is a "must" do experience. If you will visit the Ngamba island as a day visitor you will just arrive by boat, look for the feeding and return back to mainland again and you will not have the best experience with chimps ever. Just do it.
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Date of stay: February 2011
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This place is a fantastic experience for a number of reasons: firstly the incredible time with the beautiful chimpanzees, secondly the location, and thirdly the wonderful staff. I was there alone and stayed in the beautiful safari tent which has a great bed, shower and toilet - all eco friendly. The tented cabin has a spacious desk overlooking the small lake, so you can sit and watch the birdlife. There isnt much to do once the chimpanzees go to sleep, so definitely take a book to relax and read. There was only 1 other couple staying there when i was there, and they chose to eat at their cabin. So i had dinner in the dining area with the company of the lovely staff which was such a special experience. And then a few of us sat around the campfire and chatted about Uganda and the way of life. It is a marvellous thing they are doing to save the chimpanzee and you can tell the staff all love the chimps. It was a privelege to spend time with the chimpanzees and also the wonderful people who are helping them. I highly recommend this place for an overnight stay
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Date of stay: October 2011
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Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My Partner and I stayed overnight at Ngamba Island Tented Camp in June 2012 so we could take part in the forest walk and caregiver for a day program which we booked through Safari 365 and were well taken care of from the beginning of our stay right to the end.
Our tent was called Mika which overlooked the Lake filled with abundant wildlife. When we first arrived we were greeted by the wonderful people that worked there, they carried our bags up to our permanent tent which was huge and had a chemical toilet to be used during the night only (there were compost toilets to use that were shared during the day) and a bucket shower which they would carry the hot water up to you when you wanted your shower (just have to advise them beforehand what time you would like to have your shower so they can bring it up)
The meals were absolutely brilliant and were brought up to our tent so we could enjoy on our massive verandah watching the wildlife and numerous monitor lizards.
Our dinner meal was served to us by candlelight on the picnic table near the entrance so we could watch the sun go down. We met the chef who cooked our beautiful meal then after dinner we had a camp fire and sat around and chatted with the workers.
The entire experience at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary was absolutely amazing and the people that work there are so kind and are very lovely people.
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Date of stay: June 2012
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I visited Ngamba Island just for a day trip and I cannot wait to return for the overnight experience. It is well-run and an amazing opportunity to see chimpanzees. The staff are committed, engaging, attentive and knowledgeable. The food was great and the entire experience was phenomenal. Highly recommend. I traveled solo but our group included two children -- I would say it's great for families, probably kids over 4. The boat trip can be a bit choppy which was fine for me but people who are bothered by it might do well to check the weather first. It is also important to note that some of the experiences require medical clearances so some advance planning may be required.
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Date of stay: May 2015Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was like visiting Oz. The difference was apparent from the moment we approached the island and saw the busy village weaver birds. Soon we say the monitor lizards. Staying overnight one hears frogs making noises that sound almost chromatic. the tents were luxurious, but be prepared to use glorified outhouses or a very rudimentary non-flushing toilet (if you stay overnight--for tent use only at night). you get a sense of the power and primitiveness of chimps here that you will probably never get outside of the wild. They are loud, uninhibited, and little other noise distracts from them. I highly recommend the forest walk, but fulfilling the requirments for this can be a hassle. The staff were quite helpful and the meals reasonably good.
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Date of stay: October 2011
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Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip:Â not applicable.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed here for one night in July. The tents were spacious and comfortable with twin beds and a large balcony and chairs overlooking the lake. They have bucket showers (with hot water to order) and chemical toilets for night-time use. There are shared communal composting toilets for use during the day (they are clean and don't smell). The food was ok - we found it a bit too salty for our taste. There is free tea and coffee on tap throughout the day. Charging of laptops/cameras etc. can be done in the office.
Of course the real reason to come here is the chimps. We did the chimp walk and it was simply amazing. I gave one of the chimps a piggy back through the forest and the feeling of having two chimpanzee arms round my neck and being wrapped in a great big chimpanzee hug is one of the highlights of my life. Yes it is expensive and yes you need a very long list of innoculations but this is an experience you just can't get anywhere else.
Be aware that if you stay here overnight there is not a lot to do. When the chimps aren't being fed they all dissapear back into the forest. The chimp feedings tend to last for around half an hour or so. The section of the island that is allocated to humans is tiny (as it should be). There are lots of birds and monitor lizards around that you can photograph, but it is hot here, so you will probably only want to spend half an hour or so doing this at a time before you retreat to the shade to cool down. Make sure you bring a good book!
If you don't do the chimp walk I imagine this place would feel like a glorified zoo (even though it isn't and does incredibly valuable work) and I wouldn't recommend spending the night here. However, doing the chimp walk makes it amazing and an experience that I would definitely recommend.
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Date of stay: July 2011
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ngamba Island was one of the highlights of our Uganda trip. We stayed one night at the island, including the caregiver for a day program. The interaction with the chimps is really amazing. The staff is very friendly and makes you feel really welcome. Unfortunately we could not do the nightwalk as one (somewhat aggressive) chimp did not come back to camp at the end of the day. As an alternative, we were offered to hang out with a couple of juvenile chimps but had to pay USD 400 per person extra which we were not willing to do.
The tents are great. Good bed, toilet, hot shower and an amazing view over Lake Victoria. The food is very good too.
We would really recommend this place when visiting Uganda!
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Date of stay: September 2016Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I’ve visited Ngamba a number of times and every time it gets better. The forest is fabulous - surely the densest and most protected outside the National Parks.
I loved the boat trip from Entebbe - that crosses the Equator! We got a lovely welcome on the island, 45 minutes later. We had decided to stay overnight at the camp and booked the caregiver package, which gives you behind-the-scenes access.
Everyone who visits the island has a talk about chimpanzees, their habitats, and the many threats to their survival. You are then taken up to the viewing platform when chimpanzees are given a variety of fruits. The animals come out of the forest at a given time to meet you. You will love this experience!
There’s a lot more to a stay at Ngamba Island than seeing the chimpanzees. The birdlife is fantastic and staff are very knowledgeable, about all the island’s inhabitants: the chimpanzees, the birds, bats, the monitor lizards, the trees - and much more besides.
We stayed in the tented camp. 2 single beds per tent, ensuite bathroom with hot water shower and flushing chemical toilets, beautiful wooden floor. Very nicely decorated, perfectly clean. The tented camp is well lit and you have your own verandah overlooking the lake. There are only a small number of fixed tents, but it is possible to bring your own tent as well.
You really can’t beat sleeping on the edge of Lake Victoria the sound of the water lulling you to sleep. It’s incredibly relaxing. The food is excellent. Compliments to the chef Samuel. For best value for money, stay more than one night and/or arrange your travel so you are sharing a boat with other people. We only stayed one night, I would definitely recommend staying longer.
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Date of stay: January 2016
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Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Â For best value for money, stay more than one night and/or arrange your travel so you are sharing...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aside from the experience with the chimps we also loved the tent camp in & of itself. The permanent tents are very nice with comfortable beds and an attached bathroom. They sit right on the edge of the lake and you can hear the water lapping and the frogs and birds chattering away. Very cool!
The main area has comfy sofas and a dining area where we had our meals. The food was wonderful. The staff was super friendly and took such good care of us. In between watching the chimp feedings and doing the forest walk we hung out in the main area or around a bonfire that they built for us in the evening watching birds and the very shy monitor lizards.
The work that they're doing with the chimps is wonderful and to be able to participate in a small way and spend time walking with them in the forest and give them piggy-back rides was an experience we'll never forget.
The cost of the stay and forest walk was not cheap but it was going towards such a good cause it was no problem to justify. The shots you have to get before going might be a hassle to some but we had most of them already and only had to make sure our measles/mumps was still in effect since we got them as children (and my husband found his was NOT so it was a really good thing to learn and get re-vaccinated not just for this trip but in general).
It was an incredible experience and the accommodations were lovely. I'd highly recommend for anyone who loves chimps.
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Date of stay: February 2013
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Ngamba Island area.
LOCATION
UgandaCentral RegionNgamba Island
NUMBER OF ROOMS
4
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