Chimp Eden Hotel & Sanctuary in Nelspruit - Mpumalanga, South Africa: Review

Chimp Eden Boutique Hotel is a five star boutique hotel located in the Umhloti Nature Reserve, just south of Nelspruit in Mpumalanga South Africa. About a 3 1/2 hour drive from Johannesburg, Chimp Eden is easy to get to and is near Kruger National Park and other areas that are nice for sightseeing if you have your own car.

Chimp Eden Boutique Hotel has only 13 suites and overlooks the nature reserve with giraffe, kudu, warthogs and impala. There is also a leopard which is rarely seen, so consider yourself lucky if you see it! The room rate, about $160 USD in July 2009, includes a full breakfast or breakfast buffet and tour of the Jane Goodall Chimpanzee sanctuary. The rooms are spacious, some with a sitting area and bedroom up in a loft, plus a very large bathroom. All have a balcony, but only a few have a view of the chimpanzees and the de Kaap Valley mountains. The heating is limited with small electric heaters, so when it's cool, be sure to have warm clothes. The rooms also have a hairdryer, robes and television. Chimp Eden Boutique hotel offers free parking with the added bonus of walking outside in the mornings to find the chimpanzees enjoying breakfast and grooming in the sun. The dining area has a fireplace and the bar overlooks the de Kaap Valley Mountains and the pool. There is a game room with pool table and nice common area with a fireplace. There are enough areas to enjoy and relax regardless of the weather! Having called to advise the Chimp Eden Boutique Hotel of a delayed flight, accommodations were made for staff to be available to welcome us at 11:30 pm! All of the staff was wonderful during the many questions prior to our arrival, on our very late arrival and during the stay!

Dinner is available at Chimp Eden Boutique Hotel and for about $25 USD in July 2009 is well worth it. Robert, our server, came to our room to take our dinner order ahead of time. Arriving in the dining room, a nice fire was lit and service was prompt. Soup was served with fresh bread and really hit the spot on a cold night! Carpaccio was the other option for a starter, but soup was a much better choice on a chilly night in July! Our main course was beef fillet with roasted potatoes and peas, which was delicious! Dessert was a chocolate cake with a vanilla pudding that was warm and rich!

Chimp Eden is a member of the Jane Goodall Institute and tours of the sanctuary are included and offered at least twice a day, primarily during feeding time. Tours are also available to the public. The sanctuary is home to chimpanzees rescued primarily from Angola and Sudan as seen on Animal Planet's Escape to Chimp Eden. The tour takes you through an education center information and pictures of primates (primarily chimpanzees). There are also episodes of Escape to Chimp Eden playing so you can watch rescues of your favorite chimp. The guided tour begins at the infant enclosure where you learn the basics of the sanctuary and also about some of the chimpanzees in that enclosure. During the tour you can see the chimps featured during episodes of Escape to Chimp Eden and hear their stories and successes from the guide. Although the sanctuary is very similar to a zoo, tours are limited to reduce the amount of human interaction. The enclosures are also large enough that the chimps can stay out of view if they choose. Chimps are put into their sleeping areas around 3:00 in the afternoon to prevent poachers from breaking into the enclosures and stealing the chimps to again be subjected to many of the conditions they have been rescued from. There are also web cameras throughout the camp and if you 'adopt' one of the chimps you will be given an access code to view your chimp.

A car is recommended for your visit the Chimp Eden. Hazyview, about an hour drive north of Nelspruit has several nice outdoor restaurant that are reasonably priced with good food. Perry's Brew-house has a large patio, with good food and beer, but they were out of several ingredients for some of the standard meals. Dullstroom is also a nice place to stop for a bite to eat on your way back to Johannesburg, with several restaurants and shops.

Visiting Chimp Eden Boutique Hotel and the Chimpanzee sanctuary is relaxing and a wonderful experience, but if a visit to Kruger and the surrounding areas are not in your plan, 2-3 nights is enough.