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Mahale Mountains National Park is located in Southwestern Tanzania and is also most popular as Mahale National Park. Mahale lies in the remotest part of Tanzania on the shores of the scenic Lake Tanganyika. The park boats distinct combination of forest, lake scenery, and mountains. Mahale National Park is one of the top places in Tanzania where chimpanzees and other primates live. Since the 1960s, most scientists including Jane Goodall have flocked in the charming Mahale Park for many reasons. The park also offers the best walking safari experiences to nature enthusiasts with desire to experience something unique.
Mahale Mountains
Mahale National Park is set in the forested Mahale Mountains in western Tanzania just along the scenic Lake Tanganyika shores. The mountainous peninsula offers great views of the turquoise waters of the lake and surrounding areas. Mahale Mountains are a chain of 6 small summits and the highest being Mt Nkungwe (2462m).
A section of Mahale features a stunning savanna area. Overall, Mahale National Park covers 1613 sq. km. What is unusual though about Mahale is that no road cross via the park. It is perfectly explored on walking safaris.
The Mahale Mountain summits also feature the widest diversity of landscapes. The mountain summit landscapes feature flat tropical forest, savanna, alpine meadows, montane forest, and bamboo forest. Diversity of habitats offer refuge to the park’s distinct floral and faunal species.
Mahale Mountains National Park was officially established in 1985. The primary reason for its creation was to ensure protection of the wild chimpanzees plus other species and their habitats.
Wildlife species
The diverse species of wildlife to expect to explore on Tanzania tour in Mahale National Park include chimpanzees, giraffes, baboons, red tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, buffaloes, antelopes (bushbucks), zebras, and elephants. The park also shelters some of the finest predators including hyenas, leopards, lions, and jackals. The nocturnal species include the mongoose, smart civets, and more. At the coast of Lake Tanganyika, don’t miss to encounter hippos, water cobras, terrapins, and Nile crocodiles. Over 250 species of cichlid fish and 80% of non-cichlid fish species also exist in Lake Tanganyika.
Bird species
About 400 species of birds call Mahale National Park their home. The checklist of birds to spot on a safari in Mahale National Park include the giant kingfishers, palm-nut vultures, crested guineafowl, vieillot’s black weavers, African fish eagle, trumpeter hornbill, Ross’s turacos, crested malimbe, blue-cheeked bee-eaters, bamboo warblers, crowned eagle, Stuhlmann’s starling, Livingstone’s turacos, scaly francolin, Bocage’s Akalat, red-capped robin chat, white-browed robin chat, miombo bearded scrub robin, southern black flycatchers, and white-browed scrub robin.
The park also protects birds such as the red-winged starling, Sharpe’s starling, Amethyst starling, Orange thrush, wattled starling, African yellow white-eye, African hill babblers, mountain thrush babbler, brown thrush babbler, slender-billed greenbul, Shelley’s greenbul, yellow-streaked greenbul, common bulbul, Cabanis’s greenbul, little greenbul, white-headed saw-wing, black saw-wing, barn swallow, rock martin, great reed warblers, sedge warblers, lesser swamp warblers, and common reed warblers.
Mahale is home to birds like the western nicator, eastern nicator, buff-throated apalis, red-faced cisticola, trilling cisticola, tawny-flanked prinia, short-winged cisticola, singing cisticola, grey waxbill, black and white manikin, yellow-bellied waxbill, green backed twinspot, bronze manninkin, Magpie manikin, African paradise flycatchers, olive bellied sunbird, amethyst sunbird, green-headed sunbird, miombo double-collared sunbird and regal sunbird.
Additional species of birds to explore in Mahale include the Eastern double-collared sunbird, beautiful sunbird, square-tailed drongo, tropical boubou, slate-colored boubou, fork-tailed drongo, kingfishers, broad-billed rollers, grey kestrel, red-necked falcon, African hobby, Pel’s fishing owl, African barred owlet, southern ground hornbill, common ringed plovers, black-winged stilt, African wattled lapwing, dwarf bittern, Madagascar pond heron, purple heron, black heron, cattle egret, striated heron, goliath heron, African harrier hawks, osprey, and more.
What to do in Mahale National Park
At Mahale National Park, visitors can engage in a number of activities including chimpanzee watching, boat trips, birding, kayaking, and others.
Chimpanzee tracking
About 700 to 1000 chimpanzees are confined in the jungles of Mahale National Park. A trek to see chimpanzee communities in Mahale starts with a careful inspection of the area and finding their traces where they had a night the previous day. The trek takes about 2-3 hours which includes an hour for you to observe how chimpanzees live, behave in their habitat and also taking photos.
Birding
Bird watching is one of the key safari highlights in Mahale. A birding excursion in Mahale allows you to embark on a journey to search for birds such as the crested guinea fowl, crowned eagle, bamboo warblers, scaly francolin, palm-nut vulture, trumpeter hornbill, bee-eaters, lapwings, and others.
Hiking/climbing
If you enjoy climbing adventures, then you have every reason to be in Mahale National Park. Expect to explore the Mahale Mountain ranges including Mt. Nkungwe (2462m). A round hike through the mountain can last for 2-3 days and you can be enjoying views of the surrounding. Anyone interested in hiking Mt. Nkungwe should be physically fit and ensure that you have camping equipment.
Sport fishing
Anglers on a tour in Mahale can have the best of sport fishing along the shores of Lake Tanganyika. Sport fishing excursion is done from 7:00 am and 5:00pm with an expert available to guide you. You also need a fishing permit to be allowed to engage in the sport fishing experience.
The best time to travel to Mahale Mountains National Park
Mahale National Park is open for exploration all year round. But the ideal time to get there is around the dry season which runs from June to November. It is around this period when the park’s trails are safe and drier thus guaranteeing smooth walking through the jungle as you search for chimpanzees.
Where to stay on a safari in Mahale National Park
Guests on safari in Mahale Mountains National Park can spend a night in the budget, midrange, and luxury lodges. The available places for you to spend a night include Greystoke Mahale Camp, Kungwe Beach Lodge, Mbali Mbali Lodge, Mahale Mango Bandas, and more.
Getting there
Mahale Mountains National Park can be accessed by speed boat from Kigoma which takes about 5 hours. Or take a flight to Mahale airstrip. Considering the nature of the park, road transportation is a bit challenging.
