How do I get to Mahale National Park ?

How do I get to Mahale National Park ? Mahale Mountains National Park is located in the far-flung western region of Tanzania on the eastern banks of Lake Tanganyika. It is incredibly beautiful, with the Mahale Mountains and lush, tropical vegetation as its backdrop. The question is, though, how to get to Mahale Mountains National Park? Mahale Mountains National Park is located in Tanzania’s far western remote regions. It is a wild, serene, and uncrowded park that can be reached in a number of ways from Dar es Salaam or Arusha to Kigoma, the nearest major town, which is located roughly 130 km north of the park along the lakeshore.

The only quickest and easiest way to get to Mahale Mountains National Park is by air. Several domestic airlines, including Safari Air Link, offer scheduled charter flights from Dar es Salaam and Arusha to Mahale Airstrip during the dry peak season. The flight to Mahale Mountains National Park can take three to five hours. During the wet season, charter flights are less frequent. Zantasair offers twice-weekly shared charter flights between the northern circuit for safaris and western Tanzania, which includes Katavi and Mahale National Parks, in collaboration with its sister company, Mbali Mbali lodges, located in Mahale Mountains National Park.

Road travel is another option for getting to Mahale Mountains National Park. You can drive from Arusha to Kigoma and then take a speedboat to get there, but these roads are unpaved, can take a long time, and can become impassable during the rainy season due to their mud. By boat: Speedboats take four to six hours to get to Mahale National Park from Kigoma, whereas timber boats take up to fifteen hours. The MV Liemba, a sizable steamer, visits this park twice a week from Kigoma, taking over ten hours to get there.

Tanzania safari attractions in Mahale Mountains National Park

The attracting tourist attractions in Mahale Mountains National Park are situated in a more picturesque setting of crystal-clear blue waters and white sand beaches on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, surrounded by densely forested mountain ranges that rise behind the lake and are covered in lush, dense tropical forest vegetation. The main tourist attraction in Mahale Mountains National Park is the enormous population of primates, which includes the most important and prominent habituated Mahale Chimpanzees, which are frequently spotted in large groups throughout the park, as well as the yellow baboons, red colobus, blue, red-tailed, and vervet monkeys that are constantly nearby.

Wildlife

Wildlife species that can be seen in this park include lions, leopards, and blue duikers. There are also amphibian and reptilian species, as well as a variety of bird species, with an estimated 355 documented bird species. Mahale National Park is home to a variety of mammals, including elephants, giraffes, sable and roan antelopes, porcupines, and the common warthog, in addition to its primate population. The Mahale mountain ranges, which reach a height of 2,462 meters (8,077 feet) at Mount Nkungwe, add to the park’s already breathtaking wilderness beauty. In the extensive tract woods of Mahale Mountains National Park, there are also undiscovered, straightforward waterfalls that serve as another tourist destination. Visitors can enjoy these waterfalls while trekking or hiking the park’s mountains. Another attraction in Mahale Mountains National Park is the breathtaking shoreline of Lake Tanganyika, which is home to a variety of endemic fish species, hippos, and crocodiles. The streams are lined with vines, ripening fruit, and jasmine flowers, and animals like hunting dogs, bushbucks, and even the pennant-winged nightjar have been spotted along the sandy beaches of the lakeshores.

Where to stay in Mahale Mountains National Park

Mahale Mountains National Park offers a variety of lodging options that combine quality and distinctiveness based on a number of factors, such as location, wildlife population viewing opportunities, privacy, exclusivity, and relationships with local populations, eco-responsibility, beauty of the surroundings, and ease of access. Several of the best-recommended lodging options in Mahale Mountains National Park are well-equipped and categorised in cosy tented camps, bands, and lodges, most of which are located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika with stunning views across the lake.

Grey Stroke Mahale Camp

Located on a white beach on the Tanganyika lakeshore, Grey Stoke Mahale Camp is a unique high-end luxury camp that opens its shaggy arms, carved from vintage dhows, offering its guests yet another level of pleasure. The camp features six exotic and distinctive colourful bandas that are nestled into the vegetation and farther back from the beach. They are all well-spaced out, offering a good amount of privacy, and all face the lake. Also, there is a high-roofed main lodge in the middle of the beach, which is completely open-sided, letting in the breeze, and maximising the verdant views.

How do I get to Mahale National Park ?
How do I get to Mahale National Park ?

The true location of Mahale Mango Bandas is in the headquarters of Mahale National Park. Situated amidst a tropical rain forest and connected by paved pathways, the eight bandas offer overnight accommodations for up to twenty guests. These self-contained, sturdy bandas feature concrete front porches that are shaded by a continuation of the weatherproof sheet roofing supported on metal poles, which has been set aside for guests staying in standard accommodations while on a chimpanzee tour. The bandas are double-fronted, windowless concrete block structures that have two rooms with twin beds, simple bedding, and a private bathroom.

Mahale Mango Bandas

The true location of Mahale Mango Bandas is in the headquarters of Mahale National Park. Situated amidst a tropical rain forest and connected by paved pathways, the eight bandas offer overnight accommodations for up to twenty guests. These self-contained, sturdy bandas feature concrete front porches that are shaded by a continuation of the weatherproof sheet roofing supported on metal poles, which has been set aside for guests staying in standard accommodations while on a chimpanzee tour. The bandas are double-fronted, windowless concrete block structures that have two rooms with twin beds, simple bedding, and a private bathroom.

Mbali Mbali Mahale

Mbali Mbali Mahale, formerly known as Kungwe Beach Lodge, is another lodging option in Mahale Mountains National Park that offers the ideal fusion of comfort and luxury in a romantic setting. The camp has 10 beach tents (10 doubles/twins) and welcomes guests of all ages, though Tanzania National Parks regulations stipulate that the minimum age to participate in chimpanzee trekking is 12.