1613 km²
Size
18-30°C
Temperature
773 m at the lake to 2,462 m on Nkungwe
Altitude
Forested lakeshore, wet and dry seasons, humid
Climate
Mahale is chimpanzee forest falling into Lake Tanganyika: no road in, a boat along the beach, and treks that start from camp when the trackers call.
The Mimikere (M) group is the usual habituated community. You hike until you find them, you get your hour, and you walk back, sometimes soaked. Rules are strict: distance, masks when required, no visit if you are ill. That is the point of doing this well.
The lake is Rift deep and clear. Snorkel off the beach after the chimp day. There are no vehicles. Luggage goes by boat. Combine with Katavi or fly from Arusha if western Tanzania is the trip, not an afterthought. Gombe is smaller, Jane Goodall famous, and usually reached from Kigoma rather than this beach.
Three nights is the minimum that respects the airfare. Two treks gives you a second chance if the first morning the group was high on the ridge.
Things to See & Do
Getting There
Flight
Light aircraft to Mahale airstrip, then a boat along the lake to camp. Connections often run via Katavi or Arusha.
Boat
The lake transfer is part of the arrival, not a tourist extra. In big weather the boat waits. There is no road alternati...
Wildlife you can see here
All 3 speciesPrimates
Chimpanzee
Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii
Our closest living relative, found in the forests of western Tanzania.
Mahale Mountains, Gombe Stream
Fish
Lake Tanganyika Cichlids
Cichlidae
Hundreds of colourful, endemic fish, found nowhere else than the world's deepest African lake.
Mahale Mountains, Gombe Stream
Raptors
African Fish Eagle
Haliaeetus vocifer
A white-headed eagle whose ringing call is the sound of the African waterway.
Nyerere, Serengeti +5 more
Best Time to Visit
FAQs
How hard is the trek?
Some days are a sweaty hour. Some days are four hours of steep forest. We need you honest about fitness and knees.
Can children trek?
Park rules on minimum age exist and camps enforce them. We do not treat Mahale as a family starter safari. Use Tarangire for that.
Best months?
Dry season, roughly May to October, when the chimps are more often lower in the forest. Peak rains make the paths grim and some camps close.
Add Lake Manyara National Park to Your Safari
The route is ours to design — you just pick the places that call you.
Prefer to talk? Call +255 754 123 456