- Address: Mahale Mountains National Park, PO Box 1374, Kigoma, Tanzania
- Contact telephones: +8 821 621 277 242; +255 27 250 3471
- E-mail: sokwe@mahale.org
- Website: www.mahalepark.org
- Opening hours: 6.00 - 19.00
- Price: adult - 80 USD, children from 5 to 16 years - 30 USD, children under 5 years - free admission
The Makhali Mountains National Park, which is located in the western part of Tanzania , has been recognized by lovers of nature reserves and is now one of the most important eco-resorts in the country. Here you will find an amazing variety of flora and fauna of the park, the beauty of the majestic mountains of Mahali, mysterious rainforests, the immovable smoothness of Lake Tanganyika and rest in small houses on the coast.
A few facts about the Mahali Mountains Park
- The Mahali-Mountains National Park was first opened to visitors in 1985. Its area is 1613 km ². The territory of the park is considered a malaria zone, so be extremely careful and use protective equipment.
- You can only walk in the park, because there are no roads in it, only trails for travelers are laid.
- The name Makhali Mountains National Park was given to the Mahali Mountains located here. They stretched from north to west across the middle of the park, the highest point of the Mahali Mountains is the summit of Nkungwe, whose height is 2462 m.
Location and climate
Mahali Mountains is located in the western part of Tanzania , on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, 125 km south of Kigoma . The adjacent strip of Lake Tanganyika, 1.6 km wide, is also an environmental protection zone.
Here you can distinguish 2 main weather seasons - dry and rainy. The dry season, which is more preferable for visiting the park and hiking, begins around mid-May and lasts until mid-October. The average air temperature during the dry season is about + 31 ° C. At the end of October and November there are usually small rains, then they stop and the second dry season begins (December to February). The season of heavy rains falls on the period from March to May. During these 3 months, approximately 1500-2500 mm of precipitation falls. In general, the Park Mahali-Mountains is characterized by large differences in daytime and nighttime air temperatures.
What interesting things can you see in the park?
The Mahali Mountains National Park is notable mainly for its population of the largest population of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). This is one of the two most common populations of monkeys in the parks of Tanzania , the second one can be seen in the Gombe Stream park, which is more famous compared to the Mahali Mountains.
The animal world of the park has not been fully explored. At the moment about 80% of the animals inhabiting the park have been studied and described. In Mahali Mountains, there are 82 species of mammals, including porcupines, lions, giraffes, antelopes, zebras and others, as well as 355 species of birds, 26 species of reptiles, 20 species of amphibians, 250 species of fish. As for fish, some of them can be found only in Lake Tanganyika. This lake is the second in size in the world, second only to the famous Baikal. Lake Tanganyika is freshwater. But it should be noted that its inhabitants often resemble marine life. This is due to the fact that the reservoir has existed since ancient times, while it has never dried up, its fauna did not die, but only replenished with new varieties. This is the only reserve in Tanzania , where both the Nile and the African narrow-necked crocodile live.
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The animal world of the park is inhabited by inhabitants of three ecozones at once, these are tropical rain forests, savannas and miombo forests. For example, the already mentioned chimpanzees and porcupines, as well as colobus, squirrels and others live in the humid rainforests of the Mahali-Mountains Park. In the savannah have found their home lions, zebras and giraffes. In the forests of the miombo, which make up three quarters of the park's territory, you can meet several species of antelope. Along the western shore of the lake, wandering African wild boars and bush pigs wander, sometimes you can find a giraffe, as well as a black or horse antelope.
Some species from the living in the Mahali Mountains birds are listed in the Red Book as very rare specimens of endangered species. Unique here are the inhabitants of the bamboo mottled and stewards of the star-tailed starling, you will not find them anywhere else in Tanzania. As for the plant world, according to the scientists, the flora of the park has been studied about half. In the Mahali Mountains there are about 5 thousand plants, among which 500 names are characteristic only for these places.
Active rest in the park
Mahali Mountains attracts a huge number of tourists not only by the presence of beautiful landscapes and exotic flora and fauna. Here you will find luxurious beaches with exotic houses for relaxing on the shore of Lake Tanganyika. On the lake itself you can ride an Arab dhow boat, watch birds or fish, do snorkeling or diving.
Visitors who prefer active recreation and hiking, we recommend wandering through the rainforests and see the local inhabitants or try to climb the mountains of Mahali. Mountain hikes are represented by several routes with duration from 1 to 7 days. For example, to climb the second highest mountain of the park Mhesabantu with a height of 2100 meters, you need only 1 day. In addition, you can plunge into history, following the ancient route of the pilgrims of the people of Tongwe to worship the mountain spirits, and then plunge into the crystal clear lake. Whatever you choose, rest in the Mahali-Mountains park will not leave you indifferent, and impressions of his visit will be preserved for many years.
How to get there?
In the National Park of Mahali Mountains you can get to only two ways: by plane or boat. The journey by air from Kigoma airport will take approximately 45 minutes. In the dry season, when most tourists come, you can get to the park on a regular charter flight from the airport in Arusha . The rest of the year, flights are carried out 2 times a week. You can also use private flights flying from Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar .
From Kigoma to the Mahali-Mountains National Park, you can also sail on a boat on Lake Tanganyika. The journey takes about 4 hours.
On the territory of the park there is a guest house, camping grounds, tents in the village of Kashih and two private tented lodges. Booking of the guest house and tent is carried out through the administration of the park.
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