Mahale Chimpanzee Safari

Chimp Tracking in the Mahale Mountains From Arusha back to Arusha

Set deep in the heart of Western Tanzania, inaccessible by road, is the Mahale Mountains National Park. Just 100 km south of where Stanley uttered that immortal greeting “Doctor Livingstone, I presume,” is a scene reminiscent of an Indian Ocean island beach idyll where silky white beaches hem in the azure waters of Lake Tanganyika. A chain of wild, jungle-draped peaks towers almost 2 km above the shore: the remote and mysterious Mahale Mountains. Here is the home of some of Africa’s last remaining wild chimpanzees.
 

The Chimpanzees of Mahale

There is a population of roughly 800 chimpanzees, with about 60 individuals forming what is known as “M group” who were 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.

Mahale Mountains & Lake Tanganyika

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. 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 the highest of the six prominent points that make up the Mahale Range.

Scheduled Departures and Operating Period

This Mahale Chimp Safari holiday departs every Wednesday throughout the year (subject to availability) except during the long rains of March to Mid-April when lodges in Mahale close. This itinerary operates on a private departure basis with a minimum of 2 people enjoying an exclusive Chimpanzee Safari experience.

Months of Operation

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Safari Holiday Highlights

Mahale Chimp Safari Holiday - Brief Itinerary

View route map of Mahale Chimp Safari 

Responsible Tour Operating in Tanzania

 Specialist Tanzania works in close partnership with several locally owned and managed companies in Tanzania. We feel this approach has a more direct benefit on the local distribution of income from tourism. We support and fully endorse the recruitment and training of local guides, local group tour managers, drivers and representation staff. With our guiding principle of employing local people wherever possible our guests see a direct benefit in the improved local knowledge of our local team, whether that be knowledge of flora, fauna, history or just general Tanzanian life. Through this approach we can also maximise the amount of your tourism revenue that is delivered directly into the heart of the local economy.

 Specialist Tanzania is also determined to do what we can to help minimise any negative impacts on the environmental, wildlife and cultural welfare of Tanzania through promoting responsible visitor behaviour; promoting waste reduction; facilitating cultural exchange between guests and local communities; supporting local businesses, goods and services; encouraging guests to eat local foods rather than imported foods; encouraging the conservation of natural resources like electricity and water; and promoting the importance of protecting the local environment and nature.

» Read our full responsible travel policy