What Is Unique About The Mahale National Park? Mahale National park is located in the Western region of Tanzania along the shores of Lake Tanganyika neighbouring Kigoma town. This national park derived its name from the Mahale Mountain, which was inhabited, by Batongwe and the Holoholo people and then it was officially established as a national park in 1985 and it covers a total surface area of about 1,613 square kilometers. more this national park is a well protected area which is surrounded by beautiful physical features such as; the rift valley escarpment and the mahale range and it is surrounded with good vegetation types such as; savannah woodlands, grasslands, rainforests, alphine bamboo which all act as good natural habitats to many wildlife species. Mahale national park is famously known and unique for hosting large populations of chimpanzees and there are so many other attractions which lead people to travel from all over many parts of the world and some of these include the following below;
Attractions in Mahale National Park.
Mahale national park is known to be a good destination to travel to while on an adventurous safari in the country because touring around this park gives you chances to see many wildlife species such as; yellow baboons, blue monkeys, bush bucks, elephants, buffalos, lions, wild dogs, roan antelopes, red tailed monkeys, red colobus monkeys and many others. more so, this national park is a home to over 350 bird species such as; Ross’s turaco which are considered to be among the top attractions in the park, the Mahale mountain ranges which stand at an elevated area of about 2462 meters above the sea level and other peaks such as; Sibindi, Sisaga, Pasagulu, Mhesabantu and Humo. Touring around Lake Tanganyika is always necessary for many individuals, it is famously known as the deepest fresh water body in the country, and it is a good spot where so many activities are conducted from such as; boat cruises, sport fishing, snorkeling, Kayaking and many others.
Safari Activities done in Mahale National Park.
Exploring around different areas in Mahale national park always grants tourists with opportunities to engage in so many activities where they gain new experiences and create good memories. In addition, some of these things include;
Chimpanzee trekking.
Chimpanzee trekking which is considered as the most popular activity done in the park and it is always involves individuals to walk through different trails in the park the main purpose of tracking where the chimpanzees are located and this normally goes for about 3 hours and after tracking these species, tourists are always given about one hour to spend with the chimps and it is during this time when individuals get to learn more about the behaviours and characters of the species such as; how they eat and feet their young ones among others. however, tourists are encouraged to follow some rules and regulations such as; they are encouraged to keep a distance of about 10 meters between them and chimpanzees in order to avoid any dangers, they are advised to avoid eating and drinking while in the presence of the species and to avoid maintaining a direct eye contact with the chimps more especially the silverbacks.
Bird Watching.
Mahale national park is seen as a birders paradise because it is a home to over 350 bird species and these birds are of different types such as; some of them are forest birds, migratory birds, water birds and endemic species among others. and these include; malachite king fisher, crested guinea fowl, African fish eagle, cheeked bee-eater, Livingston turaco, bamboo warbler, crowned eagle, giant king fisher, palm nut vulture, crested malimbe, trumpeter hornbill and many others.
Apart from the above mentioned, there are more things that tourists can do while they explore around Mahale national park and some of these include; Snorkeling which is best done from Lake Tanganyika and it normally goes for about 3 hours, sport fishing due to the fact that lake Tanganyika is known for also harbouring around 90 fish types, boat cruises where tourists always get chances to spot at some animals species while on water such as; crocodiles, sight see water birds and be able to capture classic views of the beautiful sunset while on these launch trips. More so, tourists can opt to go for guided nature walks where they are always accompanied with park guides and embark on community visits and culture encounters where they are able to interact with the local people which gives them chances to learn more about their culture, traditions, and watch their traditional dances and observe how the prepare their local meals among others.
Accommodation facilities in Mahale National park.
In mahale national park, there are so many accommodation facilties where tourists can choose to have their stay but these lodging facilities are classified into different ranged for example; from budget, mid-range and luxury. Therefore, some of these facilities include; Mahale Mango Bandas, Greystoke Mahale camp, Mbali Mbale Mahale lodge, Kungwe Beach lodge and many others.
Contact our trusted tour operators for more information about what is unique to know about Mahale National park and Book with our tours and travel companies such as; Focus East Africa tours who offer the best tour packages while on your safari in Tanzania.
