What to do at Ngamba Island
What to do at Ngamba Island
What to do at Ngamba Island. Ngamba Island is on Lake Victoria, and it is famous for the population of traumatized chimpanzees that dwell on it. Ngamba spans an area of about 100 acres and it is an isolated island in the largest lake in Africa, Lake Victoria. The Island is at a distance of about 24km from Entebbe and you can only reach it by boat. The boat from Entebbe takes about 30 minutes to reach the island. Alternatively, you can use a canoe to reach Ngamba Island. However, it takes more minutes than the boat ride, about 90 minutes. The location of Ngamba, in proximity to the equator, is the factor determining the growth of lustrous trees on which the chimpanzees love to play during the day.
This chimpanzee sanctuary is a non-profit conservation project. The Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT) coordinates and manages the island. It is a merger of several organizations that committed themselves to upholding the welfare of wild animals and other wildlife species. You can choose to visit this Island at any time of the year. Thus, it is always open throughout the year. The trips to Ngamba Island are mainly one-day excursions. However, some visitors can stay overnight since the island has luxury tents.
The weather on the Island helps in the ripening of fruits on which the chimpanzees feed. The chimpanzees can move around the island during the day. This allows them to go through the healing process from the traumas and also to enjoy their freedom in the new world. Even though the experience at Ngamba Island cannot be compared to visiting the chimps from the natural forests, the moment with the orphan is such a rewarding time. Also, the work at Ngamba Island of rescuing the chimpanzees from the poachers and traders is remarkable. It is a pillar in the conservation of chimpanzees, not only in Uganda but the entire African continent.
Activities at Ngamba Island
Besides the main chimpanzee activities at Ngamba Island, there are also other interesting activities. You can engage in them to have a full primate experience during your visit to this peaceful primate sanctuary at Ngamba.
Forest Walks
The guests who choose to stay overnight at Ngamba Island do forest walks. The opportunity to walk through the forest offers you a chance to see a lot of juvenile chimpanzees. The forest walks are also an opportunity for you to see other wildlife on the island. This includes birds, rats, mice, lizards, and snakes among other creatures.
Ngamba forest Walks
Chimpanzee caregiving
Being a Chimpanzee caregiver for a day is another activity to engage in during your visit to Ngamba Chimpanzee Island. The chimpanzee caregiving opportunity for a day can be such a rewarding moment. It involves taking care of the chimpanzees by giving them medical help. You can also do research and monitor the development of the chimpanzee, and feed the chimpanzees among other interesting stuff. The whole day of taking care of the chimpanzees is an opportunity to learn more about the orphan chimpanzee.
Chimpanzee caregiving
Infant Chimpanzee Integration
The infant chimpanzee integration program is another interesting activity to do at Ngamba Island. It aims to initiate the young rescued chimpanzees into the social system at Ngamba Island. The integration does not take one day. However, you can enjoy training the young chimpanzees on how to cope with the natural forest life at Ngamba Island. The integration period depends on several factors including age, sex, and level of trauma, among others.
Chimpanzee viewing
You can also enjoy viewing the chimpanzee from a raised platform. This is the main activity tourists do daily on this Island. Chimpanzee viewing offers an opportunity to see the primates at a closer look. You can also take clear and close photos to add to your primates’ gallery. Watching the chimpanzees feed enlightens us about how great the chimpanzees relate to humans in the ways they socialize.
Accommodation on the island
On the Island, there are no large accommodation facilities like the safari lodges in the national parks. However, the management of Ngamba Island provides small cottages for a few guests who might request to sleep over. Few guests can stay on the island. The Island is quite a large area and it accommodates about 48 orphaned chimpanzees from different rescue points throughout the country.
The Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT) founded the Island. Tighter with the help from the government of Uganda through the rescue team deployed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Ngamba Island has managed to live its purpose of caring for the orphaned and rescued chimpanzees. It has also improved to be one of the best chimpanzee sanctuaries in Uganda and other parts of Africa.
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