Chimpanzee

Summary
There are a small number of locations where habituated chimpanzees may be viewed. Habituated groups are typically visited with small groups of tourist and your time with the chimps will be limited to approximately one hour per day. There are also a number of less touristed areas where the chimps are in the process of being habituated or are encountered but seen briefly and heard more often since they are not habituated, these sites tend to be in West and Central African countries.

Video of a 3 Year Old Chimpanzee at Mahale National Park in Tanzania.
I took this video during my May 2009 Tanzania Safari

Best Places
There are currently three habituated areas that deliver the best chimp observation opportunities, Mahale National Park and Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania, along with Kibale National Park in Uganda. These are places with sightings virtually every day and with habituated chimps that continue with their activities in the company of human observers.

Other Areas of Note
Uganda has a number of additional locations where it is possible to view chimps, with Semliki and Kyambura Gorge two of the best after Kibale, however, the levels of habituation and reliability of sightings are far below the listed Best Places. Likewise, in Rwanda they are in the process of habituating chimps in Nyungwe National Park which is an exciting development. At this point chimp sightings are often fleeting and high in the trees, however, the park is excellent for other primate sightings as well. In Gabon chimps are frequently heard and often sighted while on forest walks but they are not habituated and most sightings will be fleeting at best.

Something Extra
Visit Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Uganda, this is a rescue center where confiscated/rescued chimps are cared for. Currently it is possible to walk with chimps and young ones will ride on your back! This may change according to age make up of the chimps but it is a remarkable experience. A more wild extra is to visit Semliki and go into the field with a chimpanzee researcher as you help to habituate a group and learn directly from a field scientist.