Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Where To Go Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Located just a 40-minute drive from the Freetown city centre, Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary is tucked away in the dense forests of the Western Area Forest Reserve.

This 100-acre sanctuary for rescued and rehabilitated orphaned chimpanzees is much more than a sanctuary, however, as visitors will come to discover when they embark on one of the four one-hour daily guided tours – 10h30, 12h00, 14h30, and 16h00 (by appointment only).

Guests will learn all about the sanctuary’s founder, Bala Amarasekaran, who abandoned his career as an accountant to establish the sanctuary in 1995, as well as the work being done in community outreach to secure the future of the chimpanzee in Sierra Leone.

To know more about Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary visit their website: https://www.tacugama.com

Getting There and Around

From Freetown, head to Regent and then up Congo Dam Access Road where a dirt road and then steep hill only accessible by 4WD will lead up the mountain. There is also a walking trail from the bottom of the hill to reach Tacugama.

Top Attractions

Sanctuary Tour

Join one of the four daily guided tours where you’ll discover the journey that these rescued chimpanzees go through when they arrive at the sanctuary, from their arrival in the nursery to their release in the larger reserve.

Stay in the eco-lodge

Stay overnight in one of the beautiful self-catering eco-lodges set deep within the lush forest. These forest retreats range from traditional roundhouses to treehouse lodges, accommodating between two and four guests, including en-suite bathrooms and balconies or patios that look on to the indigenous forest.