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Opening Times
Open daily throughout the year:
10:30am until dusk
Admission Prices
Adults: | £6.50 |
Children (3 - 14): | £3.95 |
Seniors: | £5.00 |
Family (2+2): | £20.00 |
Family (2+3): | £22.50 |
Registered disabled adults: | £5.00 |
Carers: | £5.00 |
Annual tickets and group rates also available, see official website for details | |
Description
Located in the beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park, 14 miles north of Swansea, and originally a Welsh hill farm, the Wales Ape and Monkey Sanctuary (formerly Cefn-yr-Erw Primate Sanctuary) provides a home for unwanted (and sometimes previously abused or mistreated) animals of many types, but particularly primates. Visitors are very welcome; indeed, the sanctuary depends upon donations and visitors' entrance fees for its survival.
The sanctuary has several families of Chimpanzees, of various ages, together with four troops of Baboons, and a small number of other primates such as Gibbons, Capuchins, Spider Monkeys, Marmosets, and Lemurs. The sanctuary also has a pair of Eastern Timber Wolves that started their lives as pets, but were donated to the sanctuary when their owner could no longer cope with them.
Official Website
(Opens in separate window)
Facilities
Attractions
Animal Collections
Mammals
Note: The animal pictures on this page are merely representative of this type of attraction; they do not mean that the animals can be found at this specific attraction.
Star Animals
Chimpanzees, Baboons, Wolves
Special Attractions
Walking with Wolves and Keeper for a Day experiences (at extra cost - see official website for details)
Other Attractions
Rooms available for bed and breakfast, see official website for details
How To Get There:
By Car
The Wales Ape and Monkey Sanctuary is located near the village of Abercrave (Abercraf on OS maps), on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park and about 14 miles north-east of Swansea in South Wales.
From Cardiff and M4 east:
If travelling from east of Cardiff, leave the M4 at junction 32, and turn right onto the A470.
Follow the A470 north to, and past, Merthyr Tydfil, to its junction with the A465 (Heads of the Valleys Road). Turn left at the roundabout, then follow the A465 west towards Neath and Swansea for about 10 miles to Glynneath (Glynedd). At the bottom of a long hill, curving left and downwards, leave the A465 and take the A4109 into Glynneath, across the crossroads (B4242), and up the long hill towards Abercrave (Abercraf). Follow this road for about 4 miles, and fork right onto the A4221 towards Abercrave. After about a further 1.5 miles, the road will start to dip down towards Abercrave. About 0.5 miles down the hill, turn right, then immediately left into the entrance road to the sanctuary.
From Neath:
Follow the A4109 north-east and north through Crynant and Seven Sisters / Blaendulais. Then, about 1 mile beyond Seven Sisters, turn left onto unclassified road towards Coelbren and Abercrave (Abercraf). Continue along this road for about a mile, then turn left at crossroads onto the A4221 towards Abercrave.
Alternatively, continue on the A4109 to its junction with the A4221, just past Dyffryn Cellwen, then turn left and left again to `double back' onto the A4221 towards Abercrave.
In both cases, continue along the A4221 to where it dips downhill towards Abercrave (as described above from Cardiff), then about 0.5 mile down the hill, turn right, then immediately left into the entrance road to the sanctuary.
From Swansea:
Follow the A4067 north-east past Pontardawe and Ystalyfera to Abercrave (Abercraf). Turn right here onto the A4221 towards Glynneath (Glynedd). After just over a further mile, turn left at the sign `Coelbren 1.5 miles'. Then turn immediately left again into the entrance road to the sanctuary.
From Carmarthen:
Follow the A48 east to where it becomes the M4, then either: continue onto the M4, follow it to junction 45 (A4067, Swansea), then turn left onto the A4067 and continue as described above (from Swansea); or turn left (1st exit) at the roundabout onto the A483 towards Ammanford. Continue into Ammanford, then turn right onto the A474 towards Glanaman and Pontardawe. Continue through Glanaman and on to the outskirts of Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen. At the railway overbridge, turn left onto the A4069 towards Brynamman and Llandovery. In the centre of Bynamman, turn right onto the A4068 towards Ystalyfera. At the outskirts of Ystalyfera, turn left at the large roundabout onto the A4067 towards Abercrave (Abercraf). Continue on the A4067 into Abercrave, turn right onto the A4221, and continue to the sanctuary as described above (from Swansea).
From Brecon:
Follow the A40 west towards Llandovery. At Sennybridge, fork left onto the A 4067, and follow it south-west towards Swansea, to Abercrave (Abercraf). Turn left and left again onto the A4221 towards Glynneath, then continue to the sanctuary as described above (from Swansea).
By Public Transport
By bus:
Hourly bus service from Swansea to Abercrave.
Long distance bus services run to Swansea and Neath from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff.
By rail:
Direct trains run from London Paddington to Neath and Swansea. From Manchester and Birmingham, change at Cardiff. Then use the bus service above from Swansea, or take a taxi from Neath station (approx. 14 miles). Taxis can be booked in advance from A&M Taxis in Pontardawe (01792 830241/830552).
Data on this page last updated: May 30 2012
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