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Wildlife Safaris in Tacugama
A patch of rainforest in the Western Area Peninsula National Park about a 40-minute drive from central Freetown, home to Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, where rescued western chimpanzees live in forested enclosures and visitors walk the hillside trails to see them.
Why here
Tacugama is the best place in West Africa to stand a few metres from wild-born western chimpanzees, the critically endangered subspecies that is Sierra Leone's national animal. The sanctuary sits in a fold of the Western Area Peninsula rainforest, rescued chimps living in large forested enclosures on the hillside, and guided tours are timed to the feeding routines so you reliably see the groups up close. The forest around the enclosures is itself worth the trip, loud with birds and framed by the granite peaks above Freetown, and the two to four hour guided forest walks lead on to villages, waterfalls and viewpoints over the peninsula. Founded in 1988 by Bala and Sharmila Amarasekaran after they took in an orphaned chimp, Tacugama now cares for around a hundred animals and runs the country's chimpanzee conservation and reintroduction work. You can stay the night in one of six eco-lodges tucked into the trees and wake to the calls of the troop. For a first encounter with great apes that funds their protection, this is the reason to come to Sierra Leone.
Best months
The sanctuary runs several guided tours a day, timed to the chimps' feeding routine, so plan your visit around a scheduled slot rather than dropping in. The dry season from November to May gives the easiest forest trails and driest viewing; the May to October rains bring heavy downpours and slick paths but a greener forest and fewer visitors. Mornings are cooler for the walk in. The chimps are in forested enclosures, not free-ranging, so sightings are close and reliable in any month.
Getting there & around
Tacugama is about 40 minutes by road from central Freetown, the last stretch on a rough forest track that needs a sturdy vehicle or a sanctuary transfer, especially in the rains. Day visits must be booked ahead through the sanctuary, and tours run to a fixed daily schedule tied to feeding times. To go deeper, book one of the six eco-lodges and add a guided forest walk of two to four hours. Bring closed shoes, water and insect repellent, and follow the primate-health rules on distance and masks.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (1)
Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary
OutfitterTacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary was founded in 1988 by Bala and Sharmila Amarasekaran and sits in the Western Area Peninsula rainforest about 40 minutes from Freetown. It cares for around a hundred rescued western chimpanzees and runs Sierra Leone's chimp conservation, research and reintroduction work with partners including the Jane Goodall Institute and the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation. Daily guided tours are timed to feeding, and six forest eco-lodges host overnight guests.