Location Mahale National Park
Can Accommodate 12
Meal Plan Full Board
There are few places left on earth that might rightfully be called Eden, and the Mahale Mountains, on the edge of Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania, is one of them. On a far-flung beach along the eastern shores of the lake, below a huge story-book tropical forest, is the tiny sanctuary of Greystoke Mahale. The water is as clear as gin, the air scented, and the living very easy indeed. 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 the 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. Accommodation 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. 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.
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