Mahali Mountains National Park
Mahali Mountains is a special place where a person can meet his close relative, whose DNA matches the human by 98%. This remote and breathtakingly beautiful national park is home to at least a thousand chimpanzees, some of whom are so accustomed to human society that you can sit among them and follow their daily life as it is. Unfortunately, when they decide to feed on fruits that grow high in the trees or run through the branches at high speed, all human intelligence and all its inventions cannot help in their pursuit.
This park is suitable for adventurous travelers as there are no roads and the only way to get here is by plane or by boat (on Lake Tanganyika) and then you will have to explore the national park entirely on your own two feet.
The Mahale Mountains stretch from north to west through the middle of the park, their highest point rises to 2462 m above sea level.
Mountain rainforests with lianas and tall trees grow on the banks of rivers that fall into numerous waterfalls. Thousands of butterflies rise from the warm, damp ground, making the Mahali Mountains a truly magical place.
Along with this, the park has a pristine 62-kilometer lakeshore on the peninsula of Lake Tanganyika – the longest lake in the world and the second deepest, full of unique aquatic life.
ANIMALS AND BIRDS
Seeing chimpanzees in their natural habitat is an incredible experience and definitely worth the effort to get here. Other primates that inhabit the park include colobuses, blue monkeys and baboons. Larger mammals include buffaloes, elephants, horse and black antelopes, leopards, lions and warthogs.
Birds abound both in the park and along the lakeshore.
There are over 200 species of small, shining cichlids in Lake Tanganyika, many of which are endemic, and some of which are caught by divers for export to tropical aquariums.
SEASONS
Dry season: The period from May to October is dry and is best for forest walks, although the light rains of October and November are also quite comfortable. In addition, the period from mid-December to February is also dry.
Rainy season: Long rains occur between March and May.
MAHALI MOUNTAIN FEATURES
- Opportunity to spend time with wild chimpanzees
- Colobus and blue monkeys
- Fishing and riding in a traditional Arabic dhow boat on Lake Tanganyika
- Robinson Crusoe-style exotic lodge Greystoke on the shores of Lake Tanganyika
DATA
Mahali Mountains National Park is located in the west of Tanzania, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika – Tanzania’s western border with Zambia.
The park covers an area of 1613 km².
It was formed in 1980.
The best way to get to the park is by charter flight from Arusha, Dar es Salaam or Kigoma.
This is a malaria zone.
Katavi National Park
Katavi belongs to animals! There is not a single person in this untouched wilderness for hundreds of kilometers, and apart from one lodge and its staff, you will not encounter any other people. This park is the perfect place to witness the incredible abundance of animals in the most wild environment. The main features of the park are the watery meadows around Lake Katavi in the north and the palm-fringed Lake Chada, as well as the Katuma River with scattered forest in the south. All this attracts a lot of wild animals and birds.
There is a legend here about a great hunter named Katabi, and his spirit is said to reside in a tamarind tree. If you are seeking blessings for a successful hunt, you must place a gift at the base of the tree.
ANIMALS AND BIRDS
Huge clouds of dust rise from the hooves of over 3,000 buffalo moving through the short grass plains and forests of Katavi. This is where the largest buffalo herds in the world meet. You can be sure that where there are buffaloes, there are also predators, and lions prefer buffalo meat to any other. Leopards prefer smaller prey, such as impalas, while hyenas are content with zebras.
Of the more aquatic creatures, Lake Chad in the south of the park is believed to be home to the largest population of hippos and crocodiles in Tanzania, with hippopotamus herds numbering up to fifty individuals.
In Katavi, you can also see a significant number of waterfowl, including many pelicans. More than 400 different bird species have been recorded in this region.
SEASONS
The best time to visit is during the dry season.
Dry Season: The dry months are from May to October and mid-December to February.
Rainy season: Long rains occur between March and May, and this time is not recommended for visiting.
FEATURES OF KATAVI
- Undisturbed virgin African nature
- A large number of crocodiles and hippos in Lake Chad
- The largest buffalo herds in the world
- Many Predators
DATA
The park covers an area of approximately 2253 km² in western Tanzania.
This is the third largest park in Tanzania.
The park was established in 1974.
The park can be reached by car on a difficult road 50 km long, or by charter flight from Arusha or Dar es Salaam.
