THE SPECIALISTS IN WORLDWIDE TRAVEL

Mahale is an evolutionary triumph, where the clock seems to have stopped early but at the right time. There are few places left on earth that might rightfully be called Eden, and the Mahale Mountains is one of them. The mountains soar to 8,000 feet above the clear waters of Lake Tanganyika, which at 420 miles long and 30 miles wide, is a veritable inland sea. The nearest road is almost 100kms away, and that is the most minor of tracks.

The slopes of the Mahale Mountains rise behind camp, home to the world’s largest known population of chimpanzees. Within hiking distance is one such group of 60. Every day you can venture out into this deep and magical forest to observe them, our closest relatives, as they groom, wrestle and forage across the leafy floor.

Your home at Greystoke Mahale is in wildly exotic wooden bandas, looking out across the soft sand beach, with interiors fashioned from old seasoned dhow timber and decorated with style and panache. The six open-fronted bandas are set just on the forest line, looking out over the lake, with dressing rooms behind and upstairs chill-out decks. They are designed with flair, generosity and passion for the most demanding of castaways. The bathrooms are set just behind, and accessible via a short wooden boardwalk. They all have flush toilets and powerful showers, with hot and cold water available on demand.

Life at Mahale is easy in this barefoot paradise. If a morning’s ‘chimping’ sounds a bit too energetic, you can relax on your own chill-out deck, spend lazy hours staring out over the lake, and it’s just a short stroll to the mess for coffee or an early evening sundowner at the bar.

The spectacular two-storey mess stands proud on the beach, with its soaring prow-like wings that look out to every point of the compass, the perfect vantage points from which to sit and appreciate this incredible place.