Though a bit out of the way (the reason for that being obvious, given this is an animal sanctuary), the visit to Chimp Eden was a wonderful experience. It's of course sad when you learn why the chimps need the sanctuary in the first place, but the tour was informative and the chimps are entertaining. True preservation, with a hands-off, natural approach, Chimp Eden is a good way to spend an informative hour.

Arriving at the Jane Goodall Institute Chimp Eden,to a welcoming Tanya with her lovely Irish accent and Odette with her buckets of yummy chimp treats,our tour fee paid and some time to kill we had some lunch in our car admiring the view before our small group started the tour. Tanya was incredible , her love and passion for each chimp shining through her as she chatted , knowledgeable, telling us every detail of every rescued chimp in the sanctuary. She explained their stories, abuse, fears, loves, mischief, love of life and each other. The opportunity to get up close and experience the communication between these beautiful animals was incredible . It is heartbreaking listening to how some of them have been treated by human beings. Had a few lovely laughs at Cozy as he played Tarzan throwing a few stones , ducking as he smiled at us beating his chest. Stamping my foot as he copied my behaviour with a big cheesy grin. Nina had a sadness about her that touched my soul. 4 year old Baby Amari the youngest SA born too cute to ignore as she played havoc with our hearts and the troop with her cute little face, white fluffy rear and no care attitude . Watching Joào the oldest wise old man at 76 years of age teaching the young how to behave was very special reminded me of a very wise old man . The respect, love and hugs shared by the troop brought tears to my eyes and a massive lump to my throat. I am incredibly grateful that Chimp Eden has created a safe haven for these beautiful chimps teaching humanity about these gentle loving misused almost human animals . These beautiful creatures care and look after each other with kindness and love that we as humans could learn so much from. They apologize when they offend, hurt when they fight and teach each other the ways of life no questions asked. Total acceptance. When they stare at you and connect it is like looking at the humans soul.

When we notified the operator during the booking call that we would all be wearing masks except for our autistic three-year-old who can't tolerate face covering, we were told we could not visit. As he did not have a cold or show any symptoms and we could not possibly leave him behind, we were more than willing to comply with all standard check-in precautions including temperature checks, sanitizing and keeping a safe distance but sadly we had to cancel our booking because of a pathetic lack of inclusivity. We appreciate that the chimps health must come first but there are ways to ensure adequate safety measures without seeming insensitive to the plight of those who are differently-abled.