Chimpanzees

It’s a rare privilege to set foot on Rubondo Island. Bar a handful of park wardens, wildlife researchers and camp staff, the island is uninhabited by humans and has been set aside as a refuge for threatened chimpanzees.

Rubondo Island Camp

RUBONDO ISLAND LIES in the southwest corner of Lake Victoria in Northern Tanzania and is blanketed in pristine equatorial forest – the ideal sanctuary for 16 rescued chimpanzees to be reintroduced into the wild.

Professor Bernhard Grzimek of the Frankfurt Zoological Society initiated this project in the 1960s, and over a four year period released the chimpanzees rescued from European zoos onto the island in four cohorts. The animals had no rehabilitation or pre-release training but after just one year on Rubondo, they had reverted successfully to a truly wild state characteristic of chimpanzees born and raised in the wild.

The latest project on the island is the habituation of the increasing population of more than 30 chimpanzees to the presence of humans. This involves trekking out early each morning to find where the chimpanzees have spent the night and then slowly introducing them to the presence of humans in a non-threatening way. This takes considerable time and patience but is yielding excellent results and more frequent sightings as the chimpanzees become less shy and secretive.

Asilia Africa’s Rubondo Island Camp is the only lodge on Rubondo Island, the largest island national park in Africa. From its idyllic lakefront location to the eco-friendly design of the eight waterfront chalets, the camp offers unrivalled access to this unique destination. Here, elephant roam wild, shy sitatungas jump from bush to bush, colourful birds and butterflies abound amongst lush indigenous foliage, and the waters teem with hippo, crocodile, and the iconic Nile perch.

Being a part of the chimpanzee habituation on Rubondo Island is a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience in a one-of-a-kind location, and is the ideal complement to a classic Serengeti safari.