Mahale Mountains National Park

On the shores of Lake Tanganyika, the oldest and deepest lakes in the world lies a pristine and remote park; the Mahale National Park which holds and protect the largest known population of chimpanzees, the jungle and the mountains. Visiting the park is a gratifying experience as you have a chance to carry game drive, chimp-trekking, hiking, snorkeling and bird watching.

The establishment of this Park was a reflection of the government commitment to preserving the chimpanzee population as well as an emulation of the efforts by Japanese researchers who pioneered to conduct research on primates including chimpanzees.

The park experiences two rainy seasons, the short rains (mid October-November) and heavy rains (March to mid may) with an annual range of 1,500 - 2,500mm. The park is located at an altitude between 750 and 2,250 meters.

The park can be accessed throughout the year by road, water and air.

Road: From Kigoma town the park can be accessed by road 128km (5hrs drive) south, the road running south-east of Lake Tanganyika shore

Air: Using charted flight (Zantas air, Coastal aviation, Air Excel and safari air link) from all major cities and towns

Water: Also can be reached by ship (9-10hrs cruise) via Lake Tanganyika to Lagosa point and then by using boat with 30 minutes cruise to the park. Also there is a public transport at Rukoma village or Mgambo village where you can hire a local boat or arrange with park for boat pick up, or public transport to Park Headquarter.

Mahale Mountains National Park is famous for chimpanzees, However there are other attractions like the Lake Tanganyika which is the second oldest freshwater lake in the world ,the second largest by volume and the second deepest in all cases after lake Baikal in Siberia. Other attractions include beautiful varieties of waterfalls like Ntale, Kasiha and Sansa , wild animals like warthogs, mountains and sand beaches

Mahale Mountains National Park has activities that give visitors opportunities to enjoy its beauty. The Park will give opportunities to do Chimp trekking, Walking safari, Boat cruising, Sport fishing and Mountain hiking.

n the Park, there are various available accommodations ranging from TANAPA owned to private owned accommodations. TANAPA owns picnic sites, public campsites, special campsite and Bandas.