It’s not often I am blown away by a place, but as we sailed around a mountainous headland and the thatched roof of the longhouse of Greystoke Mahale came into view, the sight before me was even more beautiful than I’d ever imaged.
Greystoke is on the western edge of Tanzania, hemmed in between the Mahale Mountains and Lake Tanganyika. It is one of the most far-flung lodges in Africa, accessible only by a four-hour flight on a light aircraft from Arusha in the north of the country - or about an hour and a half’s flight from Chada Katavi, a sister camp, where we stayed first to get our safari fix - followed by 90 minutes on a dhow (a traditional wooden boat). But the journey is definitely very much part of the adventure.
But why travel this far other than for the beauty of the location? Simply because Greystoke’s main attraction is the chance to see and experience one of the largest populations of wild chimpanzees in the world, which had been a dream of mine ever since childhood when I used to watch episodes of Tarzan with my mum.
At the lodge, there’s only ever a maximum of 12 guests. You stay in one of the six thatched bandas, which are tucked into the forest and have been created out of locally reclaimed timber mainly salvaged from old dhows. Each is two storey and open to the elements. Downstairs there’s a bathroom and a bedroom with huge muslin shrouded bed, whilst upstairs there’s a chill out space with views out over the beach and across the crystal clear waters of Lake Tanganyika towards the Congo.
Each morning we would meet our fellow guests and guides (Butati, Matius and Godfrey) at breakfast and would wait for news from the trackers, who had set out at first light to find the chimps. Radioing back to camp once they had located the chimps, we would all excitedly get ready to head out on foot into the dense rainforest.
The length of the trek, which depends on the location of the chimps, will range from 30 minutes to three hours. Some of it’s on easy paths, other parts are uphill. As you get closer you are asked to put on a face mask so as not to spread any germs or disease to the chimps, which are man’s closest non-human relatives. Then you are introduced to them, a community of 75 chimps that have been habituated to short spells of human contact, so they are totally unphased by your presence.
As you watch the chimps groom each other, do the Mahale “high five”, swing in the trees, shout and scream, your guide will tell you their names, all about their personalities and what their position is in the community. They look such cute creatures, but some of the stories of how the Alpha males mark out their position in the community are quite brutal.
Time with the chimps is limited to an hour, but the clock is stopped and started as they come and go. The encounter does not feel rushed and both your guides and the national park rangers go out of their way to help you enjoy the experience. Whilst chimp sightings are not guaranteed, most guests spend at least three nights at Greystoke, so it’s highly likely you will see chimps at least once. We encountered Orion and Christmas on our first day. They were joined by Christmas’s mother, Christina, on our second day. Then on our third day it was time for Puffy and her baby, Peace.
Back at camp there’s plenty of time to rest and as evening approaches, select a spot either on the beach by the fire pit or at the bar to watch the stunning sunset.
Meals are taken in the main communal banda around a large table or out on the beach under an amazing starry sky.
Greystoke is owned by Nomad Tanzania, who operate remote safari lodges with community and conservation at their heart. Most of the staff are from a local village called Katumbi, where Nomad support the local primary school and health clinic. So on the way back to the airstrip, we took the opportunity to visit the village to see the work Nomad are doing and to meet the local children, who beamed with smiles of happiness and hope.
Greystoke is one of those places where it’s difficult to leave, but when the time comes, you will have wonderful memories and will know that your stay has had a positive impact on the community and the environment.
If you have ever dreamt, like I did, of visiting this remote place to see chimpanzees in their natural habitat, please do get in touch and let me help make your dream a reality too.