Chimpanzee Trekking in Tanzania National Parks : For a long time, the Tanzania country in east Africa has been known as the best safari destination and one of the top safari destinations in Africa, particularly for wildlife safaris with famous parks such as the Serengeti national park and Ngorongoro conservation area, but also for hiking destination safaris with Africa’s largest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Africa’s fifth largest mountain, Mount Meru, and don’t forget beach safaris. Like its neighboring countries of Uganda, Congo, and Rwanda, it is not well known for chimpanzee trekking.
Tanzania, despite being less well-known for chimpanzee trekking, is one of the best safari destinations for chimp trekking. The reason of why it is less known for chimpanzee trekking destination safari is that they are overshadowed by the wildlife of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, as well as Mount Kilimanjaro and the beaches of Zanzibar, which make Tanzania more well-known. Chimpanzee trekking is unlike any other type of safari you’ve ever experienced. You’ll be on your feet the entire time, and you’ll be in an awe-inspiring woodland unlike anything you’ve seen elsewhere in the country.
Chimpanzee trekking in Tanzania is another unique activity that can be enjoyed during your safari to Tanzania in the main two parks: Mahale Mountains National Park and Gombe Stream National Park. While these parks cannot compare to Kibale Forest National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, and Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, as well as Nyungwe National Park and Gishwati Mukura national park in Rwanda for gorilla trekking, they are also still great place to enjoy this activity. In Tanzania, where can you go chimpanzee trekking? Chimpanzee trekking is primarily done in two national parks in Tanzania which includes:
Chimpanzee trekking in Mahale Mountains national park
The Mahale Mountains National Park is home to one of Africa’s most researched chimpanzee populations, around 1000 chimps roam the Mahale rainforest, which is located just above the beaches of Lake Tanganyika.
From the crest of the Mahale Mountains to the eastern coasts of Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania, there is a naturally endowed forest. A healthy population of wild and habituated chimpanzees lives beneath the high canopy forest. There is little that compares to the exhilaration and beauty of this distant, unspoiled park for anyone seeking a specialist adventure on Tanzania’s outer wilderness frontiers. Mahale is a little off the main route, but the area’s sugar-white beaches, magnificent forest, and chimps are well worth the time, effort, and money. This is adventure in its purest form.
Spend an exciting morning combing the forested slopes of Mahale Mountain National Park, which is conveniently located on the banks of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania’s Kigoma Region, seeking the elusive chimpanzee. The park is one of only two chimpanzee protected areas in the country, with the country’s greatest chimpanzee population and the only park in the world where chimps and lions coexist. The topography consists of largely jagged and rolling hills that stretch over the park’s northwest and southeast sectors, which are dominated by the Mahale Mountains chain.
Walking safaris in the park’s magnificent lowland woodlands provide tourists with an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk in the footsteps of the park’s diverse species and birdlife. Mahale National Park is home to 82 different species of mammals, including a population of habituated chimps.
Chimpanzee trekking in Gombe Streams national park
Gombe Streams National Park, located 16 miles north of Kigoma on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania, is notable for Jane Goodall’s pioneering work in behavioral studies, which she started in the 1960s and continues to run. The smallest of all Tanzanian parks (52 square kilometers), Gombe Streams National Park is a chimpanzee habitat spanning the steep slopes and river valleys that surround the northern beach coasts of the magnificent Lake Tanganyika. It contains some of the most pristine environments in Tanzania, making it one of the best safari destinations for chimp trekking.
Other primates found in Gombe include vast groups of olive baboons, red-tailed and red colobus monkeys, and red-tailed and red-tailed monkeys. About 200 different bird species can be found in the park, ranging from the fish eagle to Peter’s twin spots. Tourists go via guided routes in search of chimps during their Tanzania chimpanzee trekking safari in these unusual environments. It’s incredible to watch the chimps swing through the trees; unlike a game drive, it feels like you’re so close to nature. When you get close to the chimps, you’ll notice them huddled together, arguing, or bounding into trees to swing freely between the vines.
Best Time to go for Chimpanzee Trekking in Tanzania
Tanzania’s dry season, which runs from late May to October, is ideal for chimp trekking. Forest treks, trekking, and camping safaris are also best done during this time of year. The rainy season lasts from February to June, and then from November to mid-December, when chimps don’t migrate as far, making monitoring them easier. However, while chimps may be easily followed during the wet season, great photographs cannot be taken.
During your Tanzania chimpanzee trekking safari, hiking, swimming, nature walks, bird viewing, and snorkeling are some of the other activities that can be included in a trip to the Gombe Streams or the Mahale Mountains. Although Tanzania isn’t the ideal spot to see chimps in their native habitat, the experience is unforgettable. Tanzania wildlife safaris to parks such as Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire National Park, as well as hiking Mount Kilimanjaro and ending your safari tour on Zanzibar Island’s beautiful white sand beaches, are among the other activities available in the country.
Get in contact with us today to learn more about Chimpanzee Trekking safaris in Tanzania and to plan your custom trip.
