On the eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika lies the Mahale Mountain range, which is home the world’s largest remaining population of chimpanzees. This remote destination is far less visited than the frenetic northern safari circuit. The park is reached by plane or boat via Lake Tanganyika. The 600km sq park contains a range of ecosystems from lowland miombo woodland forest to bamboo and montane forest at the height of 2,463m. Each region has its own species of fauna to look out for from the chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, duiker and grysbok in the miombo woodlands to lion, giraffe and zebra in the savannah plains.

Most of the chimpanzees here are not habituated and are left undisturbed. There is one habituated group of sixty chimpanzees close to Greystroke Mahale. Guests can trek to this group daily, to observe these fascinating creatures in the wild. Another attraction is snorkelling in the clear waters of Lake Tanganyika which is home to many colourful species of freshwater fish – it is like snorkelling in an aquarium. There are no roads in the park, but there are several beautiful hiking trails which allow guests to explore this untouched region of Africa.