Mahale National Park is Tanzania’s other place to see Chimpanzee after Gombe Stream National Park, it was gazette as a result of protecting primate species that call this home more so the chimpanzee, yellow baboons, red colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, vervet monkeys and olive baboons, other animal species have been recorded in the national park for example lions, hippos, elephants, buffaloes, duikers, water bucks, forest hogs and over 350 species of birds have been recorded here. The 1615 square kilometre national park straddles the shores of Lake Tanganyika.
The terrain of the national park is not as suitable for doing usual game drives as those of the actual savannah destinations of Tanzania for example in the Serengeti National Park, Ruaha National Park or even in the Lake Manyara National Park and the Tarangire National Park due to the growing thick forest and lush green vegetation despite it having a dash of savannah and unique species co-existing together, for example, the lions together with great apes of the chimpanzee. Game drives in Mahale National Park are short drives through the well-distributed trails of the forest, in search of animal species, these are rare to see hence the chances of seeing lions while in Mahale National Park are very minimal.
Game drives in Mahale National Park are not the number one choice of activities however the fame of the park is on tourism activities tourists can enjoy while on safari for example the chimpanzee tracking, and the guided walks through the national park take you to interact and observing man’s closest relatives, it takes 2-3 hours finding them the loud charter sound of communication all through the forests is not to miss while on safari, upon meeting the chimpanzee guests are allowed up to an hour with the primates after which they return to meet guides.
Hiking and guided nature walks, and hikes will take you to the highest peak of Mahale National Park also termed as Nkungwe, it takes 2-3 days to reach the summit and return, this will offer you 360-degree views of the community around, and visitors will have the chance to explore flora and fauna, waterfall points and a couple of birds of the forest. Hikes are done with a stopover on the first day and later reach the summit on day 2.
Boat cruise experiences on Lake Tanganyika, cruises are enjoyable mostly in the afternoon times for sundowners, canoe and speed boat rides are used to offer the experience, these are usually arranged by tour operators. Along the boat ride expect to see several birds, other things to do while on the lake include Kayaking, and snorkelling among others. Lake Tanganyika is known for its diverse fish species, and fishing trips can be arranged. Visitors can try their hand at catching some of the lake’s unique fish and later put it back into the fresh waters.
While considering enjoying an appropriate game drive experience, it is important to plan to visit more than one national park, because trips to the park can be combined with those on the northern circuit, for example, the Serengeti National Park where actual game are drives taking place in the national park.