Mahale Mountain’s National Park is one of the National Parks in Tanzania along the shores of Lake Tanganyika in the Kigoma Region. Named after the Mahale Mountains range that is within its borders, the park has several unusual characteristics.
First, it is one of only two protected areas for chimpanzees in the country. The chimpanzee population in Mahale Mountains National Park is the largest known and due to its size and remoteness, the chimpanzees flourish. It is also the only place where chimpanzees and lions co-exist.
Another unusual feature of the park is that it is one of the very few in Africa that must be experienced by foot. There are no roads or other infrastructure within the park boundaries, and the only way in and out of the park is via boat on the lake.
The Mahale mountains were traditionally inhabited by the Batongwe and Holoholo people, with populations in 1987 of 22,000 and 12,500 respectively.
When the Mahale Mountains Wildlife Research Center was established in 1979 these people were expelled from the mountains to make way for the park, which opened in 1985.
The people had been highly attuned to the natural environment, living with virtually no impact on the ecology.
Popular Safaris in Tanzania
The hike to reach the Mahale chimpanzees can vary from a leisurely wander of 20 minutes to a more strenuous hike lasting up to three hours.
Towards the end of the dry season (August to October) Mahale’s chimp safaris are at their easiest, as the forest paths are at their driest and least slippery, and the chimps are usually at their closest to the shore.
Walking boots, long trousers, and a small backpack (for cameras and binoculars) are always wise for safaris to see the chimpanzees.
We can’t guarantee sightings of the chimps in the Mahale Mountains, but it’s normal to see chimpanzees on most days; you’d be exceedingly unlucky to stay here for several days and not find them.
More usually, you’ll be able to sit and watch them foraging, grooming, tussling, bickering, and taking care of their young. Sitting in the forest, watching chimpanzees getting on with their daily lives is an unforgettable animal encounter, and that is what makes the chimp safaris in Mahale so amazing.
Things to do in Mahale National Park in Tanzania
- Tracking chimpanzee.
- Snorkeling
- Camping safaris.
- Forest walks.
- Kayaking.
- Fishing.
- Hiking up Mount Nkungwe.
- Birdwatching