01
Overview
Forested mountains dropping into the second-deepest lake in the world, with no road in.
Mahale is remote in a way that the northern parks are not. You fly in, and you arrive by boat along the shore. There are no roads and no vehicles inside the park — everything is done on foot or by water.
The reason to go is a habituated chimpanzee community that has been studied since the 1960s. Trekking is uphill, humid and sometimes long, and the hour you get with them at the end is close and unforgettable.
Wildlife
- Chimpanzee
- Red colobus
- Blue monkey
- Bushbuck
What you actually see
The M-group chimpanzees
One of the longest-studied wild chimpanzee communities anywhere.
Lake Tanganyika
Nearly 1,500 metres deep, holding hundreds of endemic cichlid species.
Forest that runs to the water
The mountains rise straight from the shore — there is almost no flat ground.
Very few other people
A handful of camps serve the whole park.
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How it works
Uphill, in forest, for as long as it takes
Trackers go ahead at dawn. You follow when they radio a location, which may be twenty minutes away or three hours. Reasonable fitness is genuinely required.
The trek
One hour with the group, then out
Time with the chimpanzees is capped and masks are worn — they share enough of our biology to catch what we carry.
The hour
Afternoons on Tanganyika
Swimming, kayaking and snorkelling over cichlids in water that is startlingly clear.
The lake
03
Where to stay
Beach camp on Lake Tanganyika, Mahale
Chosen for your month and your budget.
The kind of place and the area are fixed by the route. The property itself is chosen for your dates and budget, and named in your quote.
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Getting there
Getting there
By light aircraft, on fixed days, then by boat along Lake Tanganyika. There are no roads.
Combine with
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Trips that reach Mahale
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Best time to go
Best months · Jun–Oct
The dry season
Animals gather along the rivers and the bush thins out — the classic months for the south.
The green season
Hot, lush and very good for birds. Some tracks become hard going.
The long rains
Many camps in the south close. Ask before planning these months.
07
Practical
08
More places to go
Arusha
Where every northern safari begins, and a park most people skip.
Gombe Stream
The smallest park, and where primate research began.
Ruaha National Park
The largest park in the country, and very few vehicles.
