Mahale Mountains National Park
The Mahale Mountains, famous for its large chimpanzee population that is well acclimatized to human contact, is located in western Tanzania on the dramatic shores of Lake Tanganyika. The forested slopes of the Mahale Mountains are overwhelming and the park area of 1,613 square kms (1,005 square miles), extends to the sandy beaches of Lake Tanganyika. Although only accessible by a light aircraft due to its remote location, the up close sighting of the endangered chimpanzees of this park, in their natural habitat, is a lifetime adventure.
The habitat combines rain forest, grasslands, alpine bamboo and woodland and apart from the chimps, also hosts other species of primate, including black and white collobus, red collobus and red-tailed monkeys. Activities here include tracking endangered chimpanzees and walking in the forest, swimming in the waterfalls and the lake and drifting on a dhow.
The best time to visit is between May and October