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 Like Gombe Stream National Park, Mahale is also home to some of the last remaining strongholds of chimpanzees in Africa. In isolated rainforest some 1,000 of these fascinating primates roam the hills and valleys. A trip to see the chimpanzees is a magical experience as your guide leads you deep in the forest, indicating last night’s nests, scraps of half-eaten fruit and fresh dung. Suddenly you are amongst a family of them – preening each other’s glossy coats in concentrated huddles, squabbling noisily or bounding and swinging effortlessly through the trees and vines.
Mahale Mountains National Park lies 120 kilometres south of Kigoma at Ujiji on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. The Park is halfway up Lake Tanganyika and south of Gombe Stream National Park.
Mahale Mountains National Park covers an area of 1,613 square kilometres.
The chimpanzee population of the Park is estimated at a staggering 1,000 and can be seen in groups of five upto thirty. Other primates found in the Park are baboons and Colobus monkeys; and other animal species include elephant, buffalo, lion, giraffe, bushpig, and porcupine. Large numbers of bird species include African snipe, green sand piper, and the crested lark. Lake Tanganyika is home to some 250 species of fish in its clear waters.
Four of the Big Five are found here: leopard, lion, elephant and buffalo; as well as: Spotted hyena, hippo, crocodile, eland, roan and sable antelopes, Southern reedbuck, Topi and zebra. There are over 1500 buffalo roaming the plains and the game viewing is excellent because of the veracity of the wilderness. Lake Chada is known for its density of crocodiles as well as abundant bird life. Over 400 species of birds have been recorded here including large flocks of pelicans.
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