Please see some of the information on best lodges for chimpanzee trekking.
Gombe Stream National Park
Famous as the site where Jane Goodall spent her time studying the apes, the Gombe Stream National Park is packed by human settlements and sits on the shore of Lake Tanganyika. As the smallest of Tanzania’s National Parks there is a limited amount of game that you can see within the park, there are some baboons, colobus monkeys and over 200 species of bird that also call the Gombe Stream home; but the main reason for visiting is to go chimpanzee trekking.
For those who are interested in seeing the place where Jane Goodall worked and studied during the 1960s, there is still one last surviving member of the community that Goodall studied, the matriarch, Fifi, who was only three years old when Goodall first arrived in the Gombe Stream National Park.
You can also take a boat safari on the lake and see the national park from a different angle, rather than trekking through the trees as well as getting to spot some of the estimated 1000 different species of fish that call the lake home.
****************************************
Mahale Mountain National Park
Visiting the Mahale Mountain National Park offers a very different experience to the Gombe Stream as it is not only much larger, but has more chimpanzees calling it home than the smaller and more famous national park that lies some 100 miles to the north.
Mahale is also located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika and to the south of Kigona town. The park is stunningly beautiful and boasts some of the best accommodation to stay in no matter what kind of Tanzania Safari you are embarking on.
****************************************
Greystoke Tented Camp
Greystoke is quite possibly the most idyllic and luxurious camp and best lodges for chimpanzee trekking; you will come across on a Tanzania Safari. Found on the sandy shore of Lake Tanganyika, trekking up the Mahale Mountains to see the chimpanzees might be what brings you to the camp, but once you have arrived, you may want to spend a little longer than you originally intended.
Not only is Greystoke the best place to visit on the southern and western circuits when it comes to trekking to see chimpanzees, it offers what is arguably the best chimpanzee trek in Africa. With the aid of a guide, there are jungle tracks that you can explore on foot that will let you see some of the other game in Mahale.
With sand underfoot you can sit and gaze out at the birds and fish of the lake from the shore, snorkel, fish or take a boat safari out and explore the waters for yourself.
****************************************
Kungwe Beach Lodge
If you prefer to have a more traditional safari experience, then the Kungwe Beach Lodge is comfortable, a lot cheaper and provides suitable accommodation with beautiful views of the lake from the sandy beach shore. The lodge is comprised of 10 safari style tents and can only be reached by boat.
Like Greystoke, it offers excellent chimpanzee treks as well as offering snorkelling and fishing on the lake, so that you can spend some time explore the world under the water as well as up on the mountain. There are also bird walks and waterfall visits that are run by the camp, so you can explore more of the national park.
“Kungwe beach lodge is located in the Mahale Mountains, on the beach of Lake Tanganyika. This is one of the most remote areas of Africa and extremely inaccessible, set in the heart of the African interior. The location of the lodge allows unrivalled views over the lake and a great position for catch up with the chimps every day.”
The camp not only features safari tents, but has a lounge area, a library bar with some board games to provide entertainment in the evening and gives more of a feel of being explorers in the heart of the jungle, than guests at a resort – these are the best lodges for chimpanzee trekking.