Tour Overview
Dive deep into fascinating topics with our experts and enjoy fun behind-the-scenes activities in our new and improved Wild Workshops! We will rotate between themes depending on the time of year, so details are below on which workshops we’re offering right now. Each Wild Workshop theme will come with its own specialized program, but we can guarantee that every Wild Workshop will be full of interesting facts, engaging activities, and of course, lots of lemur viewing. Keep reading below to learn more about our program themes and how you can schedule!
Seasonally dependent: Unlike many of our other tours, this tour is specially designed to be offered during our off-season. We plan to offer this tour on weekends throughout November – March, so you can get your lemur fix during the colder months, too!
Timing: This two-hour tour will be offered on select Saturday and Sunday afternoons from November – March (see Making a Reservation below for full details).
Age requirements: Participants must be at least 10 years old for most Wild Workshops, but some topics may have additional age requirements, so please read descriptions carefully. All participants must sign a legal release waiver, and participants age 10-17 must have that waiver co-signed by a legal guardian. Additionally, participants age 10-15 must be accompanied by a legal guardian. Please note that legal guardian will be included as a paying participant in the total tour cost. Tour participants age 16-17 can attend the tour with another legal adult, not necessarily a legal guardian.
Physical requirements: We require all guests on this tour to wear closed-toe shoes. This two-hour tour can be accessible, but advance notice of any mobility needs or aids is extremely helpful to us in planning our activities and behind-the-scenes locations. We ask that any guest who will be using a wheelchair or other mobility aids please contact us in advance so we can best accommodate everyone’s needs for a fantastic tour experience. We unfortunately cannot allow a service animal on this tour since we will be going behind the scenes into the housing areas for endangered animals.
Allergy warning: Participants on this tour are very likely to come in contact with peanut and other nut products. Please email us at primate@duke.edu before registering if you have a nut allergy so that we can discuss whether we can accommodate you safely.
Current Themes
All About Aye-ayes (Thursday evenings October 31 – December 5)
This brand new program focuses on the Duke Lemur Center’s most unique residents – aye-ayes! Whether you think they’re cute or creepy (or both!), these iconic lemurs are absolutely fascinating. Our All About Aye-ayes Wild Workshop will detail everything there is to know about these amazing and elusive animals, and how we care for and learn from the largest population of aye-ayes in North America. Most importantly, you’ll get to see some of our resident aye-ayes enjoying tasty treats that you made for them during your visit! Please note that we will devote all of our time to the aye-ayes, so they will be the only species we see during this program. This evening program will be offered on Thursday evenings 6:00 PM – 8:00PM starting on October 31 and running through December 5.
Enrichment (weekends November – March)
Our Enrichment Wild Workshop is all about the most fun part of caring for the incredible lemurs who call the Duke Lemur Center home. You’ll learn about why enrichment is so crucial for lemur well-being while you make fun treats and toys for the lemurs. Then, you’ll go on a special visit to see our lemur residents (including the elusive aye-ayes!) enjoying your creations. This fun-filled Wild Workshop theme will be offered 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM on weekends November – March, but check the link below for specific availability.
Love and Lemurs (select February weekends)
Did you know that lemurs have wildly different reproductive strategies than their other primate relatives like monkeys, apes, and us? Have you ever wondered how lemurs choose their mates, how many infants a lemur can have, or why the DLC participates in a conservation breeding program? Find out the answers to those questions and so much more during this in-depth Wild Workshop all about lemur reproduction! This workshop will include fascinating and overt discussions of primate sexuality and reproductive behaviors, so registration is limited to guests who are 18 or older. This Wild Workshop theme will be offered 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM on select weekends in February.
Reservations Essential
You must have a prepaid tour reservation to see the lemurs. In order to keep the endangered primates that call the DLC home safe and healthy, we regret that we cannot accommodate any walk-in visitors in any capacity.
All tour reservations can now be made online! Please continue reading below to learn more about our new registration system.
Cost
Per person: $75 + tax
Please note that this will NOT be a private tour, and your group may include multiple other parties, depending on the size of your party (up to 10 individuals on a tour together).
Because tour and scheduling options are limited at this time, we have made our 75-minute virtual tour video series available FREE to everyone around the world.
Making a Reservation
Wild Workshops will only be available during our Off-Season – please see the descriptions above for the typical days and times of each workshop theme, or the link below to see specific availability.
CLICK HERE to register for 2024 Wild Workshops
We cannot offer a waitlist for tour dates that are sold out, but you are welcome to check back on this page to see if we are able to open up more spots in the future.
When will ticket sales go live? We typically open tour registration two months in advance. Check back here closer to our Off-Season for more details (around September or October).
Refunds and Cancellations
All tour registration fees are non-refundable, but you may reschedule to another date if we receive at least 48 hours’ notice.*
If you or any person in your group are experiencing any COVID symptoms, please notify us immediately, and we will work with you to reschedule or cancel your tour. COVID-related symptoms include any of the following: temperature over 100°F, atypical headache, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, cough, sore throat, muscle or body aches, runny nose (aside from typical seasonal allergies), change in taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. This applies to guests who have been vaccinated as well as those who have not.
*If you need to cancel your tour due to illness and are not able to reschedule, we will make an exception to this policy and refund your tour registration fee.
Know before You Go
We have a small gift shop with many unique items available for purchase.
This tour will mostly take place indoors, but we still recommend dressing in layers for the weather since we will walk outside between buildings. If we encounter severe weather that prevents us from offering the tour safely, we will work with you to reschedule or refund your tour as needed.
Wearing a face mask is now optional for all visitors to the Duke Lemur Center, except those experiencing cold or flu symptoms.
Vistor FAQ
All visitors must have a reservation in order to visit the DLC—this includes the grounds and the gift shop, as well as any tour. A prepaid tour reservation is required to see the lemurs. To learn more about onsite tour options and how to reserve your space, please visit our tours homepage.
Gift shop: If you would like to make a reservation to shop in our gift shop separately from a scheduled tour, please contact us at primate@duke.edu. Alternatively, you are welcome to order gift shop merchandise for curbside pick-up or shop online.
The Duke Lemur Center is located in Duke Forest, less than 10 minutes from Duke’s West Campus. For our GPS address and directions to the Duke Lemur Center, please click here.
Nope! As cuddly as the animals may appear, our lemurs are wild animals. For the safety of the lemurs and our guests, no visitors are allowed any physical contact with the animals. However, we do welcome flash-free photography—the lemurs can be quite photogenic! (See the "Frequently Asked Questions" tab below for the best tours for photos.)
Do I need to schedule ahead to visit the DLC and see the lemurs? Yes, all tours are by appointment only. Please visit our tours homepage to make your reservation.
What is your weather policy? Tours will go on rain or shine with the exception of threats of lighting in the forecast. Please dress accordingly.
Do I get to touch a lemur on the tour? Nope! As cuddly as the animals may appear, our lemurs are wild animals. For the safety of our animals and our guests, no visitors are allowed any physical contact with the animals. However, we do welcome flash-free photography – the lemurs can be quite photogenic!
I have a scheduled tour, but notice restricted access signs on Lemur Lane. If you have a scheduled tour or gift shop visit, please follow Lemur Lane past the restricted access signs until you reach our parking lot.
Can I take pictures during my tour? Yes, of course! Lemurs are extremely photogenic, and we encourage taking photos for personal enjoyment and to share online! Note, though, that photography is permitted only for noncommercial use and that photos should not be sold, reproduced, transferred, distributed, or otherwise commercially exploited in any way UNLESS the photographer has received permission from the Lemur Center and the Duke University Office of News and Communications. We also cannot allow professional photographers (or guests more generally) to set up tripods/monopods or alternate lighting. If you have questions, please reach out to us and we’ll be happy to clarify further.
Which tour is best for photos? Our Walking with Lemurs premium tour provides the best photo opportunities of our lemurs. Photos are still possible on our General Tour, but be advised that the lemurs will be in their indoor/outdoor housing areas (not free-roaming in the forest) and must be photographed through mesh wire. See the "Enclosures" section below to learn more about how the DLC's lemurs are housed.
Do lemurs make good pets? No. The Duke Lemur Center is against all trade in pet primates, and against the holding of any prosimian—lemurs as well as lorises, bush babies, and pottos—as a pet. There are many reasons lemurs should never be kept as pets, and this also is one of many reasons the DLC does NOT allow guests to touch our animals and why our staff do not touch the lemurs and lorises except when necessary for caring for the animal. This helps us avoid interactions and imagery in media that could promote the idea of lemurs as pets. Lemurs may be habituated to us, but in reality they are undomesticated, wild animals.
Our tours are exclusively outdoors. Please dress accordingly for weather.
Rainy days: Tours will go out rain or shine provided there is no lightning or thunder in the immediate area. Umbrellas are welcome. If you would like to reschedule your visit due to weather, please call (919) 401-7240.
Hot days: There are shaded areas along path, but some sections are in direct sunlight—so we highly recommend that you bring sun protection (hats, sunscreen, light long sleeves, and/or umbrellas). Water bottles are welcome and encouraged on the General Tour but cannot be brought into the forest on the Walking with Lemurs Premium Tour. In the interest of health and safety, we will not be offering access to any water fountains or selling any bottled water, so please be sure to bring your own.
Cold days: The lemurs are allowed outside access anytime the weather is 45 degrees or above. This does not guarantee that the lemurs will choose to be outside, however, as they always have access to indoor heated areas of their enclosures as well.
On cold or rainy days, some of our lemurs will choose to stay cozy in their indoor enclosures. While this is healthiest and best for the individual lemur, it does make it more difficult sometimes to see them on general tours! As we are first and foremost an educational, not entertainment, facility we will never “force” our lemurs to come out into public view. Our guides will do their best to show you as many species as possible and will share information about each lemur even if he or she isn’t visible on the tour path that day. We strive to provide a fabulous and educational experience for all visitors within the constraints of working with live animals.
We also stock an array of unique and highly giftable merchandise, perfect for lemur lovers young and old! Products range from cuddly lemur stuffies (including a sifaka and an aye-aye made exclusively for us!) to apparel, paintings by lemurs, and native Malagasy products.
If you would like to make a reservation to shop in our gift shop separately from a scheduled tour, please contact us at primate@duke.edu.
To purchase online or to arrange curbside pick-up, please visit our merchandise homepage.
The DLC has two types of enclosures: 1. Natural Habitat Enclosures (NHEs) and 2. Indoor Enclosures with Outdoor Yards. On Walking with Lemurs tours, guests will see lemurs in their NHEs. Our General Tours focus exclusively on the indoor/outdoor enclosures.
Our indoor/outdoor housing areas are specially constructed for the physical and mental health of our lemurs. Each family group of lemurs is housed within a large set of interconnected enclosures and has multiple indoor rooms available to them (heated and cooled, depending on season), which are connected to multiple outdoor yards. For example, a family of 4 lemurs has access to at least 4 ‘sets’ of indoor/outdoor areas, totaling 8 individual enclosures. Different doorways lead into and out of these areas, creating ample space for natural movement and play and giving the animals privacy — away from each other, or away from public view — whenever they desire it. These spaces also help facilitate lemur research (all non-invasive) and care by allowing us to temporarily close off individual rooms within each family’s set of enclosures. This flexibility is brilliant for managing breeding groups and especially new moms and infants, as infant survival rates are significantly higher when mother and baby are separated from the group for a few days and gradually reintroduced when the infant is less vulnerable. Wire fencing between enclosures allows these lemurs to be separate and safe, while also maintaining visual and olfactory contact with the rest of their family.
To keep our lemurs physically and mentally engaged, the indoor/outdoor enclosures are re-branched and re-furnished often to give them new layouts to explore, and special and varied enrichment activities are provided daily. These help promote natural behavior like foraging and promote not just physical health but also mental stimulation and all other aspects of the well-being of the lemurs under our care.
What will you see on each type of tour? Guests on our General Tours see only the outdoor areas of these enclosures. In warmer weather, a large number of our lemurs get to free-range in large forested Natural Habitat Enclosures while also retaining access to their indoor/outdoor enclosures. Guests can see lemurs in their NHEs on the Walking with Lemurs tour.
Wheelchairs, Canes, and Walkers
The DLC's paved tour path (used for the General Tour) and gift shop are ADA accessible. You are welcome to bring wheelchairs, canes, and/or walkers for these tours, although the presence of any novel object, especially wheelchairs, may occasionally affect lemur behavior and result in lemurs choosing not to cooperate as nicely on tours.
If you or a member of your group will be using a wheelchair, cane, or walker on your tour, please let the staff at Lemur Landing know when making your tour reservation.
Above, guests wander the summer tour path during an open house. The summer path is gently sloped, with brick pavers.
Service Dogs
We welcome service dogs on our General Tours, which are along the paved tour path described above.
Guests with medical restrictions or special needs, such as the need to be accompanied by a Service Dog on a tour, must let the staff at Lemur Landing know when making the reservation. Please be aware that, like all novel objects, the presence of a Service Dog may affect lemur behavior. If you have questions, please call us at (919) 401-7240 - we'll be happy to help!
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, a Service Animal is “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.” Therapy dogs, emotional support dogs and companion dogs are not Service Animals as defined by the ADA. Because the DLC houses endangered primates, we cannot allow pets onsite.
If you have allergies, please be aware that the DLC keeps peanuts, peanut butter, and tree nuts onsite for lemur food and training rewards. If you are allergic to nuts, please tell the staff at Lemur Landing when booking your tour. Some tour types are more conducive to coming into contact with nuts than other tour types are.
For the safety of our lemurs and because the Duke Lemur Center has no pet accommodations such as dog-walking areas, we cannot allow pet animals anywhere on the DLC grounds – even inside your vehicle. For our lemurs’ health and safety and for your pet’s, please leave your pup at home. After your visit to the DLC, we recommend picking up your pooch taking him to one of these dog-friendly Durham destinations instead!
For a list of hotels and inns, restaurants and coffee shops, and fun things to do in Durham, please visit the Discover Durham website and the Durham Destination Guide.
For more places to visit on Duke's campus, check out these recommendations. The Duke Lemur Center is approximately 2.5 miles from Duke Chapel and Cameron Indoor Stadium, and approximately 3.5 miles from Duke Gardens and the Nasher Museum of Art.
Questions?
Please call the Lemur Landing front desk at (919) 401-7240 or email primate@duke.edu. We’ll be happy to help!
