Chimfunshi Visitors Compound

By the time we reached the visitors compound at Chimfunshi, we were pretty exhausted, especially Judith, who had been gripping the wheel for over eight hours. It would be dark soon, and we still had to prepare our own dinner, so our host, Alfred, quickly showed us around.

We had one of a half dozen cement block "cottages" in the compound, and the furnishings were sparse: two cots and a nightstand. But there were overhead lights and screens on the windows.

The bathroom was a "long drop" outhouse out back. There was a shower room, but unfortunately the hot water heater was dismantled for repair. ("Next week," Albert promised, as if that would make a difference to us.) For cooking, there was a stove in a cement shelter, and for a sink and dishes, we could go into a nearby trailer. There was a covered patio in the center for eating and hanging out.

Okay, so it wasn't the Ritz, but we weren't there for luxury. And the next day, we would have a chimpanzee experience that would be a lifetime highlight.

We hauled out the ice chest and a bottle of wine, and soon we were having a rousing game of Bananagrams by flashlight. We were the only guests in the compound those two nights, so we got lots of personal attention from our hosts -- Alfred (who works at the Chimpanzee Project and lives at the visitors compound) and Innocent (the Chimfunshi manager).

We found the Visitors Compound a quiet, peaceful place to stay, but often it is bustling with visitors. The Chimfunshi Visitors Compound includes an education center, and it hosts field trips or camps for schoolchildren. In fact, that's how Judith found out about the place. Her daughter, Zenzi, attended a week-long school outing at Chimfunshi.