Tour Guide, Arusha, Tanzania
| 5 mins read
Travel to Mahale Mountains National Park
TRANSPORT
TANAPA has been improving the road so it is now possible to take a 4WD car all the way to the park HQ. That makes the boat journey to the camps shorter and cheaper. It takes 5-6 hours from Kigoma to HQ in the dry season (depending on how long you wait for the ferry at Lugulu). It would be possible to travel most of the way from Kigoma by dalla-dalla (cramped HiAce minibus), at least as far as Rukoma, and then to ride pillion on a motorcycle (Bodaboda) for the rest of the way to the airstrip (which is some km before HQ). I don’t recommend taling bodaboda though they are there
It is also possible (just) in the dry season to make a direct transfer from Mahale to Mpanda / Katavi in about 7-9 hours, taking advantage of a dirt road around the east side of the park recently constructed by TANAPA. On leaving this road and striking east, 30 km is very rough, before picking up a good graded dirt road that hits the asphalt somewhat north of Mpanda.
This new TANAPA road to the east of the park, aimed at strengthening the remote ranger station, has had the paradoxical effect of encouraging forest clearance and settlement along its length, bringing villages and agriculture much closer to the park boundary in an area that was previously an effective buffer zone between park and people.
CONTACTS
Peter is still there, one of the park’s most experienced guides. After nearly 10 years, he knows a huge amount about the individual chimps and their relationships and history. Hearing the story of the current alpha male’s ascent to power is enthralling. Peter is full of fun and enthusiasm. He may not be there forever, but while is still at Mahale he’s a great contact. He will book the accommodation for you and you may be lucky enough to secure him as a guide for one of your chimp tracking outings.
Duugu in Kigoma can arrange a 4WD car for 350 USD return (Kigoma-HQ-Kigoma): If you get the chance to meet him he is very interesting to talk to – very knowledgeable about chimpanzees, and indeed all of Tanzania’s exotic wildlife. Very good in planning
FOOD
Although catering is not provided by the park, it is straightforward to arrange meals by contacting Duugu (above). He employs a cook and brings in fresh food from the villages (including delicious lake fish with homemade chips). He can arrange a 3-meals-a-day package or simply dinners 15 USD per meal. It is also straightforward to buy food in Kigoma and self-cater. The kitchen facilities were quite basic when we stayed but the chief guide, Mahundi, has plans to improve them.
FACILITIES
There is a generator for the camp that runs 6pm-midnight (scarcely audible from the bandas). So phone charging, hot water and lighting are all pretty reliable.
Although there is no mobile signal in the park, the camp does have a landline to the outside world. This also brings internet, so there is usually (slow) wifi in the camp dining room. As in days of old people gathered in the evening to swap stories round the campfire, now people gather with their devices in the evening round the wifi hub.
Tempting as the clear blue water is, following a few sightings of passing crocodiles, swimming from the beach is not permitted. For 20 USD, you can take a boat trip offshore to swim (and go on to visit the hippos who live further south down the lakeshore). The peaceful white sand beach by the camp is still a wonderful place to relax in the day or watch the sun set over the lake in the evening.
IMPACT ON THE PARK
The national park guides were careful to stick to the one hour daily viewing limit for each group of 6 tourists, but we had some indication that the guides from the two luxury camps were wont to give their clients rather longer. Usually, the different groups of tourists are alternating in viewing the same group of chimps. This means that three groups (18 tourists) are more or less the maximum number of visitors that the park can support on any one day, without seriously disturbing the animals and compromising the quality of the visitors’ experience.
There are plans to expand accommodation in the park, and it seems likely that visitor numbers will increase as the road to park HQ improves. During our visit, the park authorities were having high-level discussions with TANAPA staff from Arusha about habituating another of the chimpanzee groups in Mahale. It seemed to us that this would be essential if they want to increase visitor numbers significantly.
At the moment the impact of tourism is significantly curtailed by the fact that there is no road to the camps. All supplies – and people – have to come in by small boat. This limits the number of people, staff and visitors, and the amount of construction and kit that comes in with them. It is a very special place – a beautiful tropical forest rising, grand and serene, from the lakeshore. It is to be hoped that recent TANAPA road building to the park HQ does not extend further into this very special environment.
There are also boat transfers from the north and south of Mahale Mountains National Park
Fibre boat Capacity 5 people
Park HQ - Kigoma -Park one way 632 USD
Park HQ - Sigunga -Park one way 361 USD
Park HQ - Herembe -Park one way 331 USD
Park HQ - Lagosa -Park one way 100 USD
MV Mahale
Park HQ - Kigoma -Park one way 2309 USD
Ambassador speed boat
Park HQ - Sigunga -Park one way 1305 USD
Boat with a capacity of 8
Park HQ - Herembe -Park one way 1104 USD
People (faster)
Park HQ - Lagosa -Park one way 541 USD
MV Mawimbi.
Park HQ - Kigoma -Park one way 1807 USD
Kibanda Cha Simu
Park HQ - Sigunga -Park one way 803 USD
Speed boat with a capacity of 12 people
Park HQ - Herembe -Park one way 602 USD
Park HQ - Lagosa -Park one way 401 USD (fast)