This is a sanctuary for rescued chimpanzees, which have survived everything from the bush-meat trade to being traumatised for entertainment in circuses, beach resorts and nightclubs. You can see the primates in a semi-wild environment and learn about their behaviour and plight. Entry is on a one-hour guided tour.

It's 15km south of town.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Lowveld National Botanical Garden

8.78 MILES

North of the city centre, this 2-sq-km botanical garden (established 1969) is home to tropical African rainforest and is a nice place for a stroll among…

2. Painted Stone Garden

13.3 MILES

These rocks at the entrance to town are painted in the style of 'outsider' artist Nukain Mabuza, who turned his humble labourer's accommodation on a…

3. Barberton History and Mining Museum

15.14 MILES

In the old Transvaal Hotel (1882), this treasure trove of local history exhibits a hotchpotch of items from weaponry and greenstone samples to some fool's…

4. Barberton Museum

15.23 MILES

The town museum has interesting exhibits on local history, culture and geology, including a great black-and-white photo display of Barberton through the…

5. Blockhouse

15.26 MILES

The British built this overgrown corrugated-iron and wood fortification in 1901.

6. Belhaven House

15.31 MILES

This beautifully restored prefab house, built between 1899 and 1904, shows the lifestyle of the privileged in the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras…

7. Fernlea House

15.35 MILES

In a beautiful wooded location, this 1890s house was built for founding matriarch Emily Lee, 'mother of Barberton'. A one-room exhibition covers the…

8. Stopforth House

15.41 MILES

At the top of the town, with incredible views from its wraparound stoep, this house was built in 1886 and reconstructed in 1892. It shows the life of a…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "south-africa/nelspruit-mbombela/attractions/chimp-eden/a/poi-sig/1121116/1315350",
      "position": "superzone"
    }