Wildlife Safari 8-Day Chimpanzee Safari: Gombe Stream & Mahale Mountains
Dar Es Salaam · Kigoma (2) · Gombe Stream (2) · Mahale Mountains (2)
Explore Destination · Tanzania
Mahale Mountains
Mahale chimpanzee trekking: wild chimpanzees on forested mountains that rise straight from the white-sand shore of Lake Tanganyika.
- CountryTanzania
- Best timeJune to October
- Trips1 sample trip
- Destinations nearbyMahale Mountain National Park, Katavi National Park
Mahale chimpanzee trekking: what to know
Mahale Mountains National Park covers 1,613 km² of forested mountains rising straight from the white-sand shore of Lake Tanganyika. No road reaches it. You arrive by boat, sleep in a camp on the beach, and walk into the forest each morning. It is one of the most remote places you can visit in Tanzania.
What to know before you go
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The Mahale chimpanzees
Mahale holds roughly 800 to 1,000 chimpanzees, one of the largest protected populations in Africa. One community, known as M group, has been studied by Japanese researchers since 1965 and is fully habituated. Trackers go out early to find them. The walk can be twenty minutes or three hours, through thick forest on steep ground. Visitors then spend one hour with the chimps, often at very close range, wearing a face mask to protect them from infection.
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Lake and mountain
Afternoons are for the lake: swimming and snorkelling among bright cichlid fish, kayaking, or a sunset trip on a wooden dhow. The forest also has red colobus, red-tailed and blue monkeys, and the range rises to Mount Nkungwe at 2,462 m, which can be climbed on a multi-day trek.
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Getting to Mahale
Shared light-aircraft flights operate from Arusha and from Katavi and Ruaha on set days, landing at an airstrip north of the park, from where a boat takes about an hour and a half to the camps. Mahale is commonly paired with Katavi National Park.
When to visit Mahale Mountains
June to October. The forest is dry and the chimpanzees come down towards the lakeshore, so treks are shorter. Camps generally close from March to May, when the rain is heaviest.
Where It Is
Mahale Mountains and the other places we travel to nearby.
Mahale Mountains
Trips that include Mahale Mountains
Sample itineraries. Every trip is private, so we change the days, lodges and pace to suit you.
Wildlife Safari Plan Your Safari to Mahale Mountains
Our team in Arusha answers in English, French, German and Spanish.
Questions about Mahale Mountains
Is Mahale or Gombe better for chimpanzees?
Both give excellent sightings. Gombe is smaller, cheaper to reach and has the Jane Goodall history. Mahale is larger and wilder, with beach camps, and costs considerably more to get to.
How do you get to Mahale Mountains?
By scheduled light aircraft to the Mahale airstrip, followed by a boat transfer along the lake. It is also possible by boat from Kigoma, which takes most of a day.
How fit do you need to be for Mahale chimp trekking?
Reasonably fit. The forest is steep and humid and treks can last several hours. In the dry season the chimps are usually closer to camp.
Shall we plan your trip?
Tell us your dates and what you would like to see. A specialist in Arusha sends a route and a clear proposal within 24 hours.
Plan this trip
