Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage

Chimfunshi began in 1983 when a farming couple took in a wounded chimpanzee brought by a game ranger, and it grew into a sanctuary holding well over a hundred chimpanzees across large forested enclosures, most of them confiscated from the bushmeat and pet trades in countries to the north. Zambia has no wild chimpanzees, which means none can be released here. Visitors watch feeding from raised walkways and an education centre explains the trade the animals came out of.

What you actually see

• The forested enclosures - large fenced blocks of miombo woodland the groups live in.
• The feeding platforms - the raised walkways visitors watch from.
• The rescue stories - animals confiscated from the bushmeat and pet trades.
• The education centre - the display explaining the trade and the sanctuary's work.

When to go

May to October is dry and the roads are easy. The rains from November make the last stretch difficult. Feeding times set the visiting schedule.

Honest expectations

Contact with the chimpanzees is not permitted and viewing is from a distance. The last stretch of road is rough. Zambia has no wild chimpanzee population, so these animals cannot be released.

Nearby

Chingola is southeast, and Lake Kashiba is further southeast.