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Mahale Mountains National Park

Located on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, Mahale Mountains National Park is one of Tanzania’s two protected areas for chimpanzees. The other protected area is the Gombe National Park, located near the Mahale mountains. Both Mahale Mountains and Gombe National Parks have contributed to the current healthy population of chimpanzees in Tanzania. At Mahale Mountains National Park, the chimpanzee research project was conducted by Japanese anthropologists Kinji Imanishi and Junichiro Itani.

Compared to Gombe, Mahale Mountains National Park has a larger concentration of eastern chimpanzees, an endangered subspecies of common chimpanzees found in countries such as Tanzania, the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic.

Mahale Mountains National Park is only accessible via boat. WIth no infrastructure or roads within the park, visitors have to walk on foot to explore the forests and their wildlife. The Mahale mountains offer rich habitats, including rainforests, woodlands, grasslands, and alpine bamboo.

Wildlife in Mahale Mountains National Park

Mahale Mountains National Park is known for its healthy population of chimpanzees. According to the last known census, there are approximately 800 chimpanzees in the park, as well as other primates including the red-tailed monkey, blue monkey, vervet monkey, red colobus and yellow baboon.

While the park has other wildlife such as elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, zebras, lions, leopards, porcupines and wild dogs, it is extremely rare to spot them, and if they can be seen it’s most commonly on the eastern slopes of the Mahale mountains.

There are over 350 species of birds in the Mahale mountains including crested guineafowl, palm-nut vulture, and African fish eagle, which can be commonly seen soaring in the skies. The vast numbers include the migratory species that visit the park for the duration of the wet season. Lake Tanganyika has a variety of fishes, including Tanganyika killifish, Tanganyika sardines, and bigeye lates.

Mahale Mountains National Park Premier Attractions

  • Mahale Mountains: The mountain range in the park, located on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, is covered by forests offering excellent spots to see the chimps and other wildlife.
  • Lake Tanganyika beaches: Visitors to the park can explore the beaches alongside Lake Tanganyika, which offer spectacular sunset views and opportunities for fishing and other water sports.
  • Mahale Mountains Wildlife Research Centre: The centre was established in 1979 to study chimpanzees and aid the chimpanzee conservation efforts in Tanzania.

Things to do at Mahale Mountain National Park

  • Chimp tracking
  • Camping
  • Bird watching
  • Hiking
  • Forest walks
  • Sports fishing
  • Kayaking
  • Snorkelling

When to visit Mahale Mountains National Park

During the dry season, from July to October, it is much quicker and easier to spot chimpanzees on the slopes of Mahale Mountains National Park. It becomes harder to locate them during the wet season.

Although the slippery forest trails make it difficult to spot birds in the wet season (from November to April), it is the best time to visit the Mahale Mountains National Park for birding, when migratory species from Europe and North Africa find their to the Mahale mountains.

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