Set deep
in the
heart of
the
African
interior,
inaccessible
by road
and only
100km
(60
miles)
south of
where
Stanley
uttered
that
immortal
greeting
“Doctor
Livingstone,
I
presume”,
is a
scene
reminiscent
of an
Indian
Ocean
island
beach
idyll.
Silky
white
coves
hem in
the
azure
waters
of Lake
Tanganyika,
overshadowed
by a
chain of
wild,
jungle-draped
peaks
towering
almost
2km
above
the
shore:
the
remote
and
mysterious
Mahale
Mountains.
Mahale
Mountains
is home
to some
of
Africa’s
last
remaining
wild
chimpanzees:
a
population
of
roughly
800
(only 60
individuals
forming
what is
known as
"M
group"),
habituated
to human
visitors
by a
Japanese
research
project
founded
in the
1960s.
Tracking
the
chimps
of
Mahale
is a
magical
experience.
The
guide's
eyes
pick out
last
night's
nests -
shadowy
clumps
high in
a
gallery
of trees
crowding
the sky.
Scraps
of
half-eaten
fruit
and
fresh
dung
become
valuable
clues,
leading
deeper
into the
forest.
Butterflies
flit in
the
dappled
sunlight.
Then
suddenly
you are
in their
midst:
preening
each
other's
glossy
coats in
concentrated
huddles,
squabbling
noisily,
or
bounding
into the
trees to
swing
effortlessly
between
the
vines.
The area
is also
known as
Nkungwe,
after
the
park's
largest
mountain,
held
sacred
by the
local
Tongwe
people,
and at
2,460
metres
(8,069
ft) the
highest
of the
six
prominent
points
that
make up
the
Mahale
Range.
And
while
chimpanzees
are the
star
attraction,
the
slopes
support
a
diverse
forest
fauna,
including
readily
observed
troops
of red
colobus,
red-tailed
and blue
monkeys,
and a
kaleidoscopic
array of
colourful
forest
birds.
You can
trace
the
Tongwe
people's
ancient
pilgrimage
to the
mountain
spirits,
hiking
through
the
montane
rainforest
belt –
home to
an
endemic
race of
Angola
colobus
monkey -
to high
grassy
ridges
chequered
with
alpine
bamboo.
Then
bathe in
the
impossibly
clear
waters
of the
world’s
longest,
second-deepest
and
least-polluted
freshwater
lake –
harbouring
an
estimated
1,000
fish
species
- before
returning
as you
came, by
boat.
Size:
1,613 sq
km (623
sq
miles).
Location:
Western
Tanzania,
bordering
Lake
Tanganyika.
Getting
there
Charter
flight
from
Arusha,
Dar or
Kigoma.
Charter
private
or
national
park
motorboat
from
Kigoma,
three to
four
hours.
Weekly
steamer
from
Kigoma,
seven
hours,
then
hire a
local
fishing
boat or
arrange
with
park HQ
for
pickup
in park
boat,
another
one or
two
hours.
What to
do
Chimp
tracking
(allow
two
days);
hiking;
camping
safaris;
snorkelling;
fish for
your
dinner.
When to
go
Dry
season
(May-October)
best for
forest
walks
although
no
problem
in the
light
rains of
October/November.
Accommodation
More
info on
accommodation
