Lwiro Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Lwiro Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Lwiro Chimpanzee Sanctuary is located near Kahuzi Biega National Park in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is a rehabilitation center for chimpanzees and monkeys. Lwiro Chimpanzee Sanctuary is located in Bukavu and was established in 2003 as a rehabilitation center for chimpanzee orphans. Additionally, the sanctuary was started by two Congolese institutions: The Institute for Nature Conservation and the National Centre for Research in Natural Science.

Furthermore, Lwiro Chimpanzee Sanctuary is the only place in the Kivu region where chimpanzees and other monkey species are conserved. It gives these primates a second life and also protects them from human conflict.

Since its establishment, there have been about 83 chimpanzees and 105 monkeys at Lwiro Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Other wildlife is also found in this sanctuary like parrots, turtles, and a porcupine. The major purpose of this facility is to care for and rehabilitate wildlife from the illegal trade. The rescued wildlife is usually from the Kahuzi Biega National Park and Virunga National Park.

Some of the monkey species in this sanctuary include olive baboons, yellow baboons, owl face monkeys, L’hoests monkeys, blue monkeys, black crested mangabeys, Patas monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, Mona monkeys, Allen’s swamp monkeys, Brazza monkeys, and many others.

After the rehabilitation process, these monkeys are later reintroduced to protected areas like the Virunga National Park and Kahuzi Biega National Park. This chimpanzee sanctuary was first recognized as a World Heritage Site in 1997. Currently, it has a team of about 48 workers who look after the primates. Some of the activities that travelers engage in include; conservation education, community engagement, great ape medicine training, and many others.

Tourist activities at Lwiro Chimpanzee Sanctuary

While on a Congo safari to Lwiro Sanctuary, there are multiple activities that you can engage in and some of these activities include;

Lowland gorilla trekking

This lowland gorilla trekking is done in the Kahuzi Biega National Park which is near the sanctuary. This activity offers a close encounter with the lowland gorillas. Encountering these lowland gorillas, there are several habituated gorilla families that travelers can encounter on their safaris. The habituation process takes about 2 years for the gorillas to get used to the human presence. Travelers to see these gorillas are supposed to have acquired the gorilla trekking permit which costs 400 USD.

Hiking

Since the sanctuary is near the Kahuzi Biega National Park, 2 ranges include Mount Kahuzi and Biega which travelers on their safaris engage in for the hike. All these mountains, there hiking can be for one day each.

Accommodation near Lwiro Chimpanzee Sanctuary?

On a safari to this sanctuary, tourists stay at one of these accommodation facilities in Bukavu. They include the Lakeside Hotel, Exodus Bukavu, Coco Lodge, and many others.