A trip report written by recent visitor, Rick McKenna....As we flew into the Mahale airstrip it was hard to take our eyes off the amazing expanse of the crystal clear, fresh water of Lake Tanganyika...Overrunning this very short airstrip here would put you straight into Lake!
We had a brief wait for the camp manager and his boatman to arrive in their motor Dhow boat, for the 1.5-hour boat ride to Kungwe Beach Lodge.
Several women came by, having collected water from the lake at the foot of the airstrip and carrying 5-gallon buckets on their heads. How do these women do that? Five gallons of water weighs about 40 pounds!
Once aboard the dhow, we had some difficulty getting underway, as the anchor had evidently gotten hung up in the rocky bottom. After several attempts to dislodge it from above, the boatman peeled off his shirt to dive in. I thought the ladies on board would swoon at the sight – he looked like the cover hero on a romance novel! I was very happy that I didn’t have to take MY shirt off... Anyway, a few dives to the bottom and he had us free to depart.
Motoring down the shore of Lake Tanganyika was quite scenic. At first, we passed by a couple of villages with quantities of fish laid out drying on the beach, and then passed into the park.
As seen from the lake, Kungwe Beach Lodge is a vision. A beautiful thatched dining and lounge building, along with thatch-roofed chalets (tents set up on stilts on raised wooden platforms) situated on a lovely beach, with the “jungle” and steeply-rising Nkungwe Mountain rising immediately behind... What a setting.
Once aboard the dhow, we had some difficulty getting underway, as the anchor had evidently gotten hung up in the rocky bottom. After several attempts to dislodge it from above, the boatman peeled off his shirt to dive in. I thought the ladies on board would swoon at the sight – he looked like the cover hero on a romance novel! I was very happy that I didn’t have to take MY shirt off... Anyway, a few dives to the bottom and he had us free to depart.
Motoring down the shore of Lake Tanganyika was quite scenic. At first, we passed by a couple of villages with quantities of fish laid out drying on the beach, and then passed into the park.
As seen from the lake, Kungwe Beach Lodge is a vision. A beautiful thatched dining and lounge building, along with thatch-roofed chalets (tents set up on stilts on raised wooden platforms) situated on a lovely beach, with the “jungle” and steeply-rising Nkungwe Mountain rising immediately behind... What a setting.
After the usual greetings and briefing from the managers and staff, we were off to our chalets to unpack. Within minutes, however, the manager was back to each chalet saying we should assemble in the lounge area as a group of chimps had just entered camp. Fabulous!
The Camp’s senior guide has been working in the Park for more than eight years and from all accounts, he is highly respected by the local rangers and even the guides from neighbouring camps. He gave us the run-down on the rules.
The Camp’s senior guide has been working in the Park for more than eight years and from all accounts, he is highly respected by the local rangers and even the guides from neighbouring camps. He gave us the run-down on the rules.
You must wear a surgical mask whenever you are within 50 meters of the chimps (evidently, a few chimps in past years had died of what appeared to be influenza, so the masks are a precaution against transmitting disease to them), and you may not approach closer than 10 meters (although it was not uncommon to have chimps approach much closer, usually in the act of walking past you from point A to point B). We donned our masks and he led us to the chimps.
There were about 10 chimps in this group, including the aggressive alpha male, Pimu. These chimps are part of the ‘M Group’, which I believe is the only group habituated to humans that tourists can see. They’ve been studied constantly by a group of Japanese researchers for 40 or more years.
We spent about an hour with these chimps in camp, and then returned to the dining area for a late lunch, after which we immediately left on a forest walk. We soon met up with a Ranger on the path, and he led us to the chimps that had previously been in camp. We followed and watched them for about an hour before returning to camp.
On the morning of our first full day, we set out on a walk after breakfast and encountered 6 or 7 chimps soon thereafter. We stayed with them for 30 minutes, and then set out to find a larger group that Kungwe’s scout had reported as being in the next valley. This is where the leisurely walk turned into a trek...
It started to rain as we climbed steeply upward and then down the other side, crossed streams and slippery rocks... We met up with a Ranger who was headed the other way with a group of German tourists and their guide. We hijacked him to turn around and accompany us to the chimps. It took some doing, but the chimps were found around mid-day. They were somewhat on-the-move, stop for a while, then go, and we kept with them for well over an hour before heading back.
That afternoon, we went for a scenic boat trip down the coast. Lake Tanganyika is the world’s second largest fresh water lake (by volume) and is second only to Lake Baikal for depth. The steep mountain slopes bordering the lake continue their steep decline beneath the water’s surface and, drifting just 50 meters or so off shore, we were in 120 meters of water. Several folks tried their luck fishing with hand lines, with our Guide having the best results.
There were about 10 chimps in this group, including the aggressive alpha male, Pimu. These chimps are part of the ‘M Group’, which I believe is the only group habituated to humans that tourists can see. They’ve been studied constantly by a group of Japanese researchers for 40 or more years.
We spent about an hour with these chimps in camp, and then returned to the dining area for a late lunch, after which we immediately left on a forest walk. We soon met up with a Ranger on the path, and he led us to the chimps that had previously been in camp. We followed and watched them for about an hour before returning to camp.
On the morning of our first full day, we set out on a walk after breakfast and encountered 6 or 7 chimps soon thereafter. We stayed with them for 30 minutes, and then set out to find a larger group that Kungwe’s scout had reported as being in the next valley. This is where the leisurely walk turned into a trek...
It started to rain as we climbed steeply upward and then down the other side, crossed streams and slippery rocks... We met up with a Ranger who was headed the other way with a group of German tourists and their guide. We hijacked him to turn around and accompany us to the chimps. It took some doing, but the chimps were found around mid-day. They were somewhat on-the-move, stop for a while, then go, and we kept with them for well over an hour before heading back.
That afternoon, we went for a scenic boat trip down the coast. Lake Tanganyika is the world’s second largest fresh water lake (by volume) and is second only to Lake Baikal for depth. The steep mountain slopes bordering the lake continue their steep decline beneath the water’s surface and, drifting just 50 meters or so off shore, we were in 120 meters of water. Several folks tried their luck fishing with hand lines, with our Guide having the best results.
Among other things, he caught a little sardine, left it on the hook, and soon brought up a nice looking yellow belly. There were many Palm Nut vultures seen along the lakeshore. These have got to be the most attractive looking Vultures anywhere. We enjoyed sundowners on the lake, watching the sun set over the Congo...
The following morning, a 2-hour hike was required to locate the chimps. They were quite active and moving through the forest in the trees and on the ground, stopping periodically and, at one point, joined by a second group of chimps. We spent nearly an hour with these chimps and observed lots of interaction, particularly grooming themselves and one another. Pimu, the alpha, gave close grooming attention to a subordinate chimp. Evidently, he maintains his position not only by intimidation but also by granting favours to subordinates. When it was time to return to camp, we had to pass two chimps who had parked themselves in the middle of the foot path, walking by them within touching distance...
After lunch, the chimps were again in camp, which seems to be quite usual for Kungwe during certain months - sparing us the need to go hiking to find them. Pimu was again among the group and, at some point, something set him off, as he charged another chimp, screaming and with teeth bared. This set off quite a ruckus, with all the chimps screaming and moving about. It was actually a bit frightening and made me think of the opening sequence of “2001, A Space Odyssey,” where one group of chimps chases another group away from the waterhole... Once things calmed down, Pimu strode passed one of the women of our group and gave her a deliberate shove as he passed. He was letting her know who’s boss, I guess, and she said that the shove was powerful enough to get the message across without pushing her over. Yikes!
After spending 3 days with these noisy, curios, intelligent and social animals, on a secluded beach with clear waters and wonderful sunsets, we left Kungwe the following morning, flying from Mahale to Katavi to Ruaha to Dar. Here we parted ways, with two of the group continuing their Safari and the rest of us heading home.
The following morning, a 2-hour hike was required to locate the chimps. They were quite active and moving through the forest in the trees and on the ground, stopping periodically and, at one point, joined by a second group of chimps. We spent nearly an hour with these chimps and observed lots of interaction, particularly grooming themselves and one another. Pimu, the alpha, gave close grooming attention to a subordinate chimp. Evidently, he maintains his position not only by intimidation but also by granting favours to subordinates. When it was time to return to camp, we had to pass two chimps who had parked themselves in the middle of the foot path, walking by them within touching distance...
After lunch, the chimps were again in camp, which seems to be quite usual for Kungwe during certain months - sparing us the need to go hiking to find them. Pimu was again among the group and, at some point, something set him off, as he charged another chimp, screaming and with teeth bared. This set off quite a ruckus, with all the chimps screaming and moving about. It was actually a bit frightening and made me think of the opening sequence of “2001, A Space Odyssey,” where one group of chimps chases another group away from the waterhole... Once things calmed down, Pimu strode passed one of the women of our group and gave her a deliberate shove as he passed. He was letting her know who’s boss, I guess, and she said that the shove was powerful enough to get the message across without pushing her over. Yikes!
After spending 3 days with these noisy, curios, intelligent and social animals, on a secluded beach with clear waters and wonderful sunsets, we left Kungwe the following morning, flying from Mahale to Katavi to Ruaha to Dar. Here we parted ways, with two of the group continuing their Safari and the rest of us heading home.
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