Mahale Mountains National Park, set on the shores of Lake Tanganyika is truly breathtaking! One of only two protected areas in country for Chimpanzees, the park is home to over 1,000 individuals, and due to the parks size and remoteness the Chimpanzees flourish here in Mahale. This really is one of the very best places in the world to see these amazing creatures.
Mahale has no roads and little infrastructure, so the only way to access the park is by air and then by boat across the lake. The lakeshore here is fringed with fine, white-powder sand and the mountains, full of streams and lush vegetation, make for an imposing and stunning backdrop.
The highlight of any trip to this 1,600 square kilometre park is trekking the Chimpanzees at close quarters. August to October is the best time to do this with the Chimps normally being close to the shore and the paths at their driest. Additionally here fish, kayak, butterfly and bird watch, or simply relax on the beautiful beach. Put simply Mahale is truly a stunning place to visit!
Much like Katavi, Mahale being remote is not cheap to get to and thus we recommend 3-4 nights in the park, taking in Chimpanzees and various other experiences. Really if you are coming this far you should combine Mahale with a similar amount of time in the Katavi. In fact, as a week long experience the combination of stunning safari in Katavi and Chimpanzee trekking and relaxing at Mahale, makes for one of the very best weeks you could have anywhere on the continent!
With only a couple of hundred visitors between the two parks each year, these are experiences not many people ever have the privilege of boasting about! Mahale, like Katavi, also has two beach lodge accommodations, the unique Greystoke, and the beautiful setting at Kungwe.
