Mahale National Park An untouched paradise just waiting to be explored! Mahale Mountains National Park is 128kms South of Kigoma on a peninsula that juts out into the Lake. Extending over 1,613km2, making it 30 times larger than Gombe. It is in brief a much larger version of Gombe and is considered to be Tanzania’s loveliest National Park. The terrain is mostly rugged and hilly, dominated by the Mahale mountains chain with its highest peak at 2,462 m above sea level. The combination of the Lake and the mountain chain together with the presence of sufficient humidity throughout the year are responsible for creating a very peculiar kind of vegetation- an island of Montane forest in a sea of Miombo with narrow strips of riverine forest. The Park is mainly famous for housing some of the last remaining wild Chimpanzees in the world. There are between 700 to 1,000 Chimpanzees in Mahale divided into different communities. The habituated Mimikere community studied by the Japanese since 1965 presently has about 80 Chimpanzees and its territory is close to our Nkungwe Tented Camp. Mahale National Park lies 120 kilometers south of Kigoma on a peninsula that cuts in to Lake Tanganyika. The park is dominated by the Mahale mountain chain running from northwest across the park. The highest peak is 2462 meters above sea level. Accessibility and Facilities Visitors to Mahale must start from the town of Kigoma. There is a small guest house near Kasiha Village and a luxury tented camp only open during the dry season of May to October. Visitors my also stay at hotels in Kigoma town. |
