Mahale Mountains National Park.
Welcome to the Mahale Mountains National Park, a well-kept secret on the western edge of Tanzania, where mountains drop into the lake, forests themselves are filled with life, and each day is filled with discovery. It is not a typical Tanzania safari. It is something more wild, closer, and fulfilling. If you prefer wildlife, culture or an untouched landscape, Mahale will give you a chapter that you can never forget in your Tanzania tours.
Imagine you are in an obscure rainforest of Tanzania where you can hear the noisy birds, rustling leaves and the hooting chimps in the backdrop. Chimps suddenly swing into view, a family of chimps, expressive, wild and free. And the glitter of the waters on Lake Tanganyika in front of you glows on the horizon, calling and waiting to be splashed into.
What is so special about Mahale Mountains National Park?
Chimpanzee tracking
Mahale Mountains National Park is the land of a vibrant population of wild chimpanzees. The park is home to approximately 800 chimpanzees, and there is one of these groups, the Mimikire community, which was habituated to humans with decades of close research and protection work.
Chimp trekking in this place does not happen to be a walk in the woods. It is a whole-body experience. You will be hiking through a steep and humid forest, following professional trackers who are like reading the forest as an interpreter, scattered branches, calls at a distance, and fresh dung to ultimately get you to a face-to-face encounter.
When you discover them, you have a condition of infinite reward. The chimps are groomed with other chimps, dispute, snuggle together, and even have a tantrum. It is something that makes one watch them and be spookily familiar, yet very touching. It was that type of encounter with nature, wildlife that you never forget.
Lake Tanganyika
Once you are through with your trek, the clear cobalt-blue waters of Lake Tanganyika will be the cherry on top of having a relaxing time. It is the second oldest, deepest and largest freshwater lake in the world and the richest with regard to its biological properties. It is home to more than 350 fish species, many of which are unique in the world.
Enjoying the lake or simply floating under the sun to get the benefit of its many health-related attributes is as essential an experience in Mahale as the red colobus, the chimps or the setting in the lake itself. The wild, back-to-basics white sand beaches of the park give the impression of a lost island.
They can also organise fishing trips, whereby locals will introduce you to fishing and how to fish for tilapia or even giant Nile perch.
Trails and Trails Hikes
The dramatic Mahale Mountains lie directly on the edge of the lake, and they are lined with thick rainforest and montane forest. Adventurous visitors can make hiking to the high point of the park- Mount Nkungwe (2462 meters) their ultimate target.
The track to the summit then cuts through a series of different ecological zones, including lowland forest complete with birds and butterflies, then further up, some bamboo and grassland. It is usually a tough hike that consumes a whole day or even more, but the payback is priceless; the magnificence of the lake scenery and the top of the fogged mountains, as well as that feeling that you are on the roof of western Tanzania.
Birdwatching and Other Wildlife
As much as chimpanzees steal the show, there are numerous other wild residents in Mahale. Red colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, bush pigs and even shy leopards slinking their way through the undergrowth may be seen. The park also harbours small numbers of warthogs, lions and elephants.
Bird enthusiasts will have an orgasm. Mahale has more than 300 different species of birds-including the colourful Livingstone turaco, to the strikingly proud crowned eagle. Take your binoculars and be ready- there is a surprise around every corner.
Local Culture
Batongwe and Holoholo Tribes
Mahale was the home of such indigenous tribes as the Batongwe and Holoholo tribes long before it became a national park. These groups are people who had existed in harmony with the forest ecosystem, making use of fishing, small-scale farming and a strong connection with the land spiritually.
The park was built in the 1980s, displacing them, but their memory is still evident in oral and traditional memories, as well as in some cultural exchanges where the interested travellers can see them on their tour and travel.
You can also find on the spot the local guides or storytellers who narrate folk stories, medicinal plants and ancient rituals that resonate well with the ecosystem of Mahale.
Heritage of Nature Conservation and Science
Besides being a wildlife sanctuary, Mahale National Park is a world-renowned chimpanzee research centre. Japanese scientists started researching the primates in the park in the 1960s, and this relationship has lasted decades up to today.
It is a special history that makes the chimpanzees here among the best-studied chimpanzees in the world, with Mahale being an outstanding destination for eco-travellers who are keen on real-life experiences in the course of tours and safaris in Tanzania.
Travel Tips
The best time to visit Mahale National Park
Dry Season (June to October): It is the right season to track chimpanzees. Trails are drier and easier to go through, as well as chimp activity is bigger. The visibility of wildlife also improves because foliage gets reduced.
Green Season (November to April): The views become green and verdant. It is an excellent season for watching birds, taking pictures and enjoying relaxing around the lake. But don’t forget that you can have rain and muddy trails, and the closure of the trail.
Getting there
To visit Mahale is not effortless, and this is what makes it magic. It is remote, so it guarantees a crowd-free free exclusive experience.
Air: The most direct is by charter flight, and it is either out of Arusha in Tanzania or Dar es Salaam or Kigoma to Kangwena Airstrip at the edge of the park. Thereafter about a twenty-minute boat ride takes you into Mahale.
On Boat: To those with more time, there are boats such as MV Liemba, which criss-cross Lake Tanganyika and this is a more adventurous way.
What to pack
Moisture-wicking, lightweight clothes for the hot, humid forest hikes
Protection, Insecticide, long-sleeved shirt and trousers
Two to three bikinis, a towel and flip-flops to the beach
A pair of good binoculars and a camera with a zoom lens
Conclusion
Mahale Mountains National Park is not a park for everybody. It is not the hurried tourist or destination check-listing. It is the kind of place visitors want to explore more, to touch the pulse of Africa, where everything is wild and nature is quite authentic. Whether it is the terrifying cries of a chimpanzee in the primordial forest or the barefoot walk on the beach, this is the type of adventure that you remember even long after you are back home.
