 |
 |
Mahale is an evolutionary triumph, where the clock seems to have stopped early, at the right time. For man - part fish, part forest animal - it couldn't be more sublime.
There are few places left on earth that might rightfully be called Eden, and the Mahale Mountains is one of them. The mountains soar to 8,000 feet above the clear waters of Lake Tanganyika, which at 420 miles long and 30 miles wide, is a veritable inland sea. The nearest road is almost 100kms away, and that is the most minor of tracks.
The slopes of the Mahale Mountains rise behind camp, home to the world's largest known population of chimpanzees. Within hiking distance is one such group of 60. Every day you can venture out into this deep and magical forest to observe them, our closest relatives, as they groom, wrestle and forage across the leafy floor.
The forest itself is special, with eight other species of primate, shyer forest mammals, birds, butterflies, giant vines and waterfalls. And if a day’s ‘chimping’ isn’t enough, you can take a gentle forest hike, go fishing or kayak along the lake shore.
Mahale is a physical place, but strangely undemanding. Perhaps because it seems to have been created for Great Apes; figs, flowers, sun, shade, water.
Chada Katavi is Greystoke's 'wild brother' camp. It's located in Katavi National Park, south of the Mahale Mountain. We call a combination of both these camps...
The Beast Retreat
This 7-night safari departs from Arusha on Mondays and Thursdays.
Monday departures - 3 nights Chada Katavi/4 nights Greystoke Mahale.
Thursday departures - 4 nights Chada Katavi/3 nights Greystoke Mahale.
Morning departures from Arusha to the west, with return flights landing back in Arusha early evening.
Please note that these are not always direct flights, as there will often be a pick-up or drop-off in northern airstrips, plus a stop for re-fuelling.
|
 |
 |
Accomodation:
Your home at Greystoke Mahale is in wildly exotic wooden bandas, looking out across the soft sand beach, with interiors fashioned from old seasoned dhow timber and decorated with style and panache.
The six open-fronted bandas are set just on the forest line, looking out over the lake, with dressing rooms behind and upstairs chill-out decks; they are designed with flair, generosity and passion for the most demanding of castaways.
The bathrooms are set just behind, and accessible via a short wooden boardwalk. They all have flush toilets and powerful showers, with hot and cold water available on demand.
Life at Mahale is easy in this barefoot paradise. If a morning's 'chimping' sounds a bit too energetic, you can relax on your own chill-out deck, spend lazy hours staring out over the lake, and it's just a short stroll to the mess for coffee or an early evening sundowner at the bar.
The spectacular two-storey mess stands proud on the beach, with its soaring prow-like wings that look out to every point of the compass, the perfect vantage points from which to sit and appreciate this incredible place.
|
Location:
Lake Tanganyika lies on the western edge of Tanzania, and is about as remote as you can get. There are no roads within 100kms of camp, and access is only by light aircraft using our shared charter flights which operate on Mondays and Thursdays only from Arusha. Flights leave early in the morning, and return to Arusha early evening that same day.
The flight to Greystoke Mahale is around 3-4 hours, and upon arrival at the airstrip there is an approximately 90 minute dhow trip down the lake to reach the camp.
Activities:
Hike in the stunning tropical forest covering the mountain slopes. Its home to nine different primate species, including the chimpanzee. The 'M' group live in the mountains close to camp, and have become habituated to human presence over two decades. Every morning, trackers go out to find the chimp's whereabouts, then after breakfast you can head off along the forest paths until you're surrounded by their calls.
|
|
For an hour, sit quietly with them watching their daily life; grooming, wrestling, bickering, foraging, eating, and mothering.
The local tribe believes that chimpanzees were once people who retreated into the forest and just a few hours with these amazing apes shows why.
You can also observe leopard, bushbuck, bushpig, other primates and a multitude of birds and butterflies which are found throughout the forested slopes of the mountains. The waters of the lake, the second deepest in the world after Russia's Lake Baikal, sparkle with over 250 species of cyclid, (tropical fish).
A natural opulence seeps into Greystoke Mahale; beneath the soaring mountains you can dine on lake-fresh sashimi, gaze at the stars over cocktails at the bar on the rocks, or lie on the soft sand beach before slipping into the cool clear lake in front of camp.
|
|
Fast Facts:
Location - Kangwena Beach on the edge of Lake Tanganyika, in the Mahale Mountains National Park, western Tanzania; it doesn't get more remote than this.
Setting - 6 double-bandas set on the edge of the forest at the base of the mountains. All look out over a wide beach across the waters of the lake. As you make the approach to Greystoke Mahale, by dhow, the outline of the camp is visible against a backdrop of deep green forest and pale beach. The focal point is the bar and mess area rising up from the sand, and loosely modeled on traditional Tongwe architecture.
Accommodation - Every banda has its own en-suite bathroom, set just behind the bedroom, with hot and cold running water, flush toilets and powerful showers. They also have an upstairs 'chill-out' deck, accessible from the side by a wooden canoe 'ladder'.
Activities - Hikes into the -forest in search of the chimpanzees (see chimping guidelines for more info), slower forest walks where you can see other primates, bushbuck, bushpig, and amazing birds and butterflies. Fishing, kayaking out into the lake or along the shoreline, beach dinners under the stars, and sundowners on the dhow.
How to Get There - There are no roads within 60kms of camp, and access is only by aircraft using our shared charter flights which operate on Mondays and Thursdays only from Arusha, or by private charter. Greystoke Mahale is a 90 minute dhow trip from the airstrip.
Child Policy - We are delighted to accept children of 8 and over at Greystoke Mahale, but please note that only children of 12 and over can view the chimps.
Gratuities - we often get asked about what to tip. We find that most people will leave around $10 per person per day, which then gets split amongst the general staff, with the guides being tipped separately. Obviously tipping is not taken for granted, but if you've had a fantastic safari and would like to leave something for the guys, then great. Can we please ask however, that any tips are left in cash. Greystoke Mahale does not have credit card facilities, and is unable to deal with any cheque payments. In Tanzania, any staff tip payments made through our bank accounts will likely be charged VAT and our staff will certainly charged income tax. Thank you for your understanding.
|
 |
History of Mahale:
"The air is scented with jasmine, the forest rich, the water of the lake gin-clear and lightly chilled. And if I dare to put an imprint on this paradise I had better get it right" - Roland Purcell
Irish adventurer, Roland Purcell, discovered the barefoot beach paradise of Mahale in the 1980s whilst on a long walkabout around East Africa looking for the meaning of life. Enticed by the clear cool waters of Lake Tanganyika he fell upon a long stretch of clear white sand, and decided to stay awhile.
Here he found that a small group of chimpanzees had been habituated by a Japanese research group, in a project that had spanned the previous fifteen years. Practically no-one ever visited this remote and far-flung place, and he wandered alone for many a day.
Whether it was the chimpanzees or the white sand on the lakeshore, the gin clear water, or the range of towering mountains behind that drew him in it is hard to know, but he sat down on the beach that perfect day in June 1988 and decided not to leave. From his daily beach musings, whilst he stared across the clear waters of the lake, came the fantasy camp of Greystoke Mahale.
|
One day, he decided he would take a temporary absence from his barefoot chimp paradise, and broaden his horizons somewhat. He climbed back into his small plane, and traveled south, only landing when he came across a huge area of wilderness that stretched as far as the eye could see. He had just discovered one of the world’s wildest places – Katavi National Park. Coming in to land, he skimmed over a seemingly endless herd of buffalo. He set up camp on the edge of the great Chada plain, and from there he ventured out into this primordial wilderness. The wild brother camp of Mahale, Chada Katavi, was thus born. You can find out more at www.chada-katavi.com.
It didn’t look like he was going to leave his two new homes, so his girlfriend – Zoe – decided to come and join him. Eight years later, and they had created two of the most unique and fabulous safari experiences to be found on the continent – Greystoke Mahale and Chada Katavi – a ‘must do before you die’ kind of trip.
|
 |
 |
Mahale Mountains Seasons and Chimps:
The Mimikere (M) Group chimpanzee population in the Mahale Mountains covers a home range of around 15 square miles. Chimpanzees are naturally gregarious, so when food sources are abundant, they’ll gather in large groups frequently calling to each other and making a lot of noise.
When food resources are lower, they tend to split up into small groups, and as such can be less easy to find since they tend to vocalise less. Adult males particularly will often travel singularly when fruit is very scarce in their area. So, their proximity to camp and ease of location is to some degree dictated by the seasons, and the knock-on effect on the forest larder. Fluctuations of available food are not entirely dependable year by year, so of course the following general guide is by no means definite.
June – the start of the dry season. A main source of fruit are the bunches of tiny Haranguna fruit, and the more succulent Mohororo fig. Both of these species are found in the higher reaches of the mountains in the east of their home range, which can be a moderately strenuous two-hour or longer trek from camp. The fruits of the cordia (Mkibu) species are also found lower down at this time of the year but generally the majority of the food source in the months of June and July is found in the mid and upper slopes.
August - various fruits become more abundant in the lower ranges and the chimps tend to start sporadic forays, often with small groups of males leading the way. Fig species and lemons are the main attractions, and if found in abundance can result in large numbers of the group congregating in areas an easy hour and a half walk from camp. It is this time of the year that they also tend to supplement their diet with a bit of hard protein in the form of Red Colobus monkeys.
September - the chimps rarely head high to the eastern hills but often spend days in the hills of the northern reaches of their home range seeking out the wild nutmeg and Kasolyo and Buhono fruits. During this time they can also head for odd days into the almost impenetrable steep southern hills. They will rarely spend more than a day or two before returning to the lowlands, often making a beeline back complete with very loud vocal displays and tree drumming. One of their favourite fruits is the large and succulent Ilombo (Saba Florida) which hangs temptingly from dizzy heights off strapping vines in the lowlands from September through the short November rains and into February.
November - The onset of the rains coincides with less abundant fruit and the diet becomes proportionally much higher in leaves and pith of plants such as the wild ginger. Though this will often result in the group spreading more thinly in search of food, they are still often found in larger groups.
December to March - The green season offers varied viewing, although the forest is at its resplendent best, full of butterflies and wild flowers. It’s a photographer’s dream, as the haze which is often prevalent during other times of the year, is gone, leaving the air clear and bright. The chimps continue to feed mainly on grasses, leaves and whatever fruit they can find, though the lowland Ilombo vine fruit comes into its own in December attracting big chimp parties. Their daytime siestas tend to take place in tree nests rather than on the ground and the meetings between group members are theatrical and impressive. The lake is clearest in these months often with breathtaking views of the mountains of the Congo in the distance. February can be especially hard to locate the chimps unless the Ilombo fruiting has been
April - Tends to be wet and the camp closes during this time as it does rain quite a bit each day, making trekking difficult. However, the staff who remain in camp during this time, are often treated to groups of chimps attending loud and cheerful ‘banquets’ in nearby trees, as the fruit of the Mkibu tree comes into its own attracting large groups who hang about in them.
|
