Wild Chimpanzee Expedition - West Africa
Journey into West Africa’s pristine rainforest to spot the critically endangered western chimp.
The Journey
Travel across Ivory Coast to Taï National Park - the last home of the unique West African Chimpanzee.
Trip highlights
Experience a critically endangered habitat: the fast disappearing West African rainforest.
Come face to face with the world’s most endangered chimp sub-species.
Live side-by-side with conservationists in our off-grid jungle camp.
Make a tangible contribution to a critically endangered ecosystem and its rare and iconic habitats.
Enjoy a small group experience of no more than 6 guests.
Ivory Coast is one of the safest countries in Africa, and has a rainforest that is home to a multitude of red list threatened species, such as pygmy hippos, leopards and chimpanzees; it is a truly wild and remote habitat.
Come with us as we travel deep into the forest and base ourselves alongside eco-guides and researchers who you’ll work with as you explore and experience this unique environment. Working closely with the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, we will have access to habituated troops of mangabey's, colobus monkeys, and the iconic chimpanzee.
Whilst at your jungle base camp, you will experience the jungle by day, and by night. You will be well looked after by camp staff who will provide delicious regional meals and basic, but comfortable jungle accommodation.
We will spend part of the week searching for troops of wild chimps, with the week culminating in a visit to a fully habituated wild chimp group where you’ll have fantastic photography opportunities and the ability to be close to one of the planet’s most iconic species.
Bringing together conservation and expeditions.
Itinerary
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Day 01
Arrive in Abidjan. Hotel available from 2pm and dinner provided. You’ll meet everyone on the expedition and get briefed on the journey ahead. We’ll conduct kit checks and safety briefs.
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Day 02
You’ll travel 600km to Taï, a small village on the frontier of the park. We’ll stay overnight and have a traditional dinner made locally.
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Day 03
You'll enter one of the last areas of primary rainforest in West Africa. Porters will help you transport your luggage, and we will walk for 2-3 hours to reach our base camp. On arrival, you'll settle into your home for the week, learn more about the park and begin exploring.
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Day 4 & 5
Working with the park's eco-guides, you'll begin to explore the forest, seeing habituated managbey's, colobus monkeys, and a plethora of other wildlife. We'll show you everything the forest has to offer and you'll spend several mornings tracking wild groups of chimps.
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Day 6 & 7
We will leave our first jungle camp behind and travel south by 4x4 to a second site. Here we'll work to track a fully habituated troop of chimpanzees with as many as sixty individuals. Along your journey you'll likely see evidence of other wildlife in this forest, like elephants, jaguars and pygmy hippos too.
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Day 8
After an epic adventure, we'll depart the jungle to Taï village where we'll check-in to our hotel and visit a nearby village for a traditional cultural show and dinner. A wonderful way to end an intensive week of jungle exploration.
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Day 9
We'll depart for Abidjan early in the morning, arriving early evening. You will have another night in a hotel and dinner provided.
What to Expect
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Wildlife
Your chances of seeing groups of wild habituated chimps, mangabeys and red colobus is very high. We work with talented eco-guides who track these groups on a daily basis for scientific research. Very occasionally these groups may move beyond our reach to forage, but this is rare.
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Accommodation
In Taï you can expect a comfortable private room in a local hotel, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the village.
Our jungle camp is well established with large safari-style tents and comfortable communal areas. There is no electricity on site, but you will be provided with all the comforts of running water and private bathrooms. If we are fully booked, solo-travellers will be paired with another person in a twin room.
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Food
In camp, food will be prepared by our on-site chefs. They will provide you with delicious Ivorian and West African dishes. Veggies and vegans catered for, however, meat is an essential part of West African cuisine. If you are a flexible veggie or vegan, we recommend you take this approach to make the most of the food on offer. Vegans in particular can expect a lack of variety on the expedition itself, but also in major cities and towns.
Nonetheless, whatever your preferences, you will be well fed!
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Fitness
You don’t have to be super fit to enjoy this expedition, but you will need to be able to trek through the jungle for up to 5 hours at a time (with breaks).
You’ll be exposed to high humidity and temperatures throughout the day, with temperatures relenting during the evening.
Due to the expedition’s remoteness, you will need to be free of any medical concerns that require regular medical attention.
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Transport
You’ll be in a mixture of transport from regular taxis to rugged 4x4s and minibuses. Abidijan to Taï is a long journey, taking around 9hrs. We will make it as comfortable as possible with a spacious vehicle and regular breaks to stretch your legs.
There is no option to drive to our jungle camp site due to its remoteness. We will be trekking by foot for the duration of our time in the jungle.
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LGBTQ+
We want everyone to enjoy our expeditions no matter who you are and how you identify yourself.
There are a number of up-to-date resources on LGBTQ+ rights and lived experiences in West Africa for information. We don’t want anyone feeling like their enjoyment will be affected by how they identify. We’d be happy to have a discussion if you have any concerns, just get in touch.
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Solo travellers
Many of our guests travel with us solo and often find they meet wonderful like-minded people on our expeditions.
If you’re travelling solo, please take note of the accommodation info. We are often unable to offer single person supplements on our trips due to the in-camp set-ups we operate. We will always try and accommodate same-sex sharing wherever possible. If you have any concerns feel free to talk to us!
Meet the team
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Becca & Chris
With years of experience between them in the region, Becca and Chris provide guests with extraordinary experiences in this beautiful destination. You can learn more about them here: About Us
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Donald
Following in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps, Donald has spent his life working in the jungle of Taï National Park. His intimate knowledge of the landscape and passion for conservation has led him to his role as field guide and scientist with the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation.
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Charlotte
Born in Liberia, Charlotte’s passion for the natural world has led her to a lifetime of commitment to Taï’s diverse wildlife. A competent jungle navigator and an exceptional survivalist, she spends much of her time deep in the jungle monitoring wildlife numbers and activity.
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Yolande
A wonderful chef with ample experience cooking for international tourists, Yolande brings her home-cooked Ivoirian dishes along with Western influences to ensure every guest is catered for.
Departure Dates & Prices
This expedition runs on request. Please get in touch.
20% deposit required to secure booking. Full payment required no less than 60 days before departure.
Prices excludes flights, travel insurance, personal expenses, tips for staff and any costs outside the expedition dates.
Maximum number of guests: 6.
Collaborating with Wild Chimpanzee Foundation
The Wild Chimpanzee Foundation’s mission is to enhance the survival of the remaining wild chimpanzee populations and their habitat, thereby participating in saving the behavioural diversity of this fascinating species.
Frequently Asked Questions
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For our Côte d’Ivoire expeditions, you’ll be able to check into your hotel by around 2pm on the first day of the expedition. We’ll aim to have dinner as a team that evening and go over kit and safety briefs.
Generally you can depart anytime after 8pm on the last day of the expedition. However, a single night in a hotel is provided for you in Abidjan, so most people will fly the following day in case of transport delays.
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You will be provided with all accommodation, food and transport from the evening of the first day of the expedition, until breakfast on day 10. Note this excludes airport transfers which can be arranged at an additional fee.
Exclusions: airport transfers, visa costs, flights, personal expenses like drinks other than water, tips for local staff, any costs outside the expedition dates.
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It is your responsibility to check entry requirements. Most passports require a tourist visa which can be applied for online and is quite straight forward. Please read the requirements carefully. We can provide you with a letter of invitation where needed.
Please ensure you also check vaccination and COVID-19 information carefully before departure as these can be subject to change.
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You are required to have travel insurance covering you for the duration of the expedition and for all the activities you will be undertaking.
You will be asked to provide your insurance information before departure. Anyone without appropriate travel insurance will not be allowed to depart on the expedition.
We strongly recommend that you take out cancellation and curtailment insurance (including Covid-19 cancellation) as part of your cover as soon as you have booked one of our expeditions to protect against cancellations.
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Our expeditions are remote so we need to make sure the trip is appropriate for you.
Upon booking, you will receive a medical form from us which needs to be completed fully and honestly. We review all medical forms thoroughly to ensure the expedition is suitable for you. Please ensure you're completely honest when completing the form. It doesn't necessarily follow that you cannot join us if you have a medical issue, but it may mean adapting elements of the expedition for you, or ensuring we have appropriate medical supplies on site.
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You can take a look at the full expedition kit list here:
www.wildexpeditions.info/ivory-coast-kit-list
We’re always happy to provide further advice and recommendations.
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You don’t need to be super fit to join our expeditions!
You will need to be comfortable in transport for long periods of time as our locations are very remote.
You will need to be comfortable with high humidity combined with high temperatures for long periods of time. The jungle environment offers little break during the day from these conditions. Generally though, evenings are much cooler and offer a comfortable break from the higher temperatures of the day.
You need to be comfortable trekking in dense forest for up to 5 hours at a time. You will be provided with plenty of breaks and water.
Due to the expedition’s remoteness, you will need to be free of any medical concerns that require regular medical attention.
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Tips for local staff are completely at your discretion. All our staff are paid fairly for their work.
Giving tips at the end of your trip is a wonderful way of showing your gratitude for their hard work. If you plan to give tips, we can provide guidance on this, just get in touch.
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We have a wealth of experience photographing and filming in our destinations. We’re currently developing a blog to give advice specific to Côte d’Ivoire - check back here soon for more info!
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You will be offline for the majority of the expedition. You will have wifi in your hotel in Abidjan, but it may be slow. You can buy a sim card and data in the airport and this should provide some connection on the way to the park and in the village of Taï, but in the park you will not be able to get signal.
We will hold a sat phone for the duration of the expedition. This is strictly for emergency use only.
If you have any further questions, please contact us
Enquire Now
Drop us a line, we’re happy to answer any questions you have.