Western Tanzania · national park since 1985
Mahale, where chimpanzees walk down to the beach
Forested mountains rise straight out of Lake Tanganyika, and in the forest lives the most-studied wild chimpanzee community on earth after Gombe. No roads, no vehicles: you arrive by light aircraft and boat, trek to the chimps on foot, and swim in the clearest lake water in Africa.
Photo: Caelio (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Start here
Everything you need to plan a visit
Entry fees
The official TANAPA rates, and the correction most sites miss: the $80 conservation fee IS the chimpanzee trekking cost.
See the fees →Lodges & camps
Five places to sleep in the park, from $40 self-catering bandas at Kasiha to the famous beach bandas of Greystoke.
Browse lodges →Getting there
Scheduled flights run Mondays and Thursdays only, and every arrival ends with a boat ride along the shore. Plan around both.
Plan the route →Wildlife
An estimated 800 to 1,000 chimpanzees, five more primate species, and a lake full of endemic cichlids you can snorkel over.
What you'll see →Best time to visit
July to October, when the chimps come down the mountain and treks get short. March to May the whole park closes.
Pick your month →Things to do
Chimpanzee trekking and the habituation experience, forest hikes toward Mount Nkungwe, kayaking, snorkelling and dhow trips.
See activities →