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Chimpanzee Safaris with Bush Routes Adventures.

Mahale National Park.

Set deep in the heart of the African interior, inaccessible by road and only 100km (60 miles) south of where Stanley uttered that immortal greeting “Doctor Livingstone, I presume”, is a scene reminiscent of an Indian Ocean island beach idyll. Silky white coves hem in the azure waters of Lake Tanganyika, overshadowed by a chain of wild, jungle-draped peaks towering almost 2km above the shore: the remote and mysterious Mahale Mountains. For more information click here.

Gombe National Park.

An excited whoop erupts from deep in the forest, boosted immediately by a dozen other voices, rising in volume and tempo and pitch to a frenzied shrieking crescendo. It is the famous ‘pant-hoot’ call: a bonding ritual that allows the participants to identify each other through their individual vocal stylizations. To the human listener, walking through the ancient forests of Gombe Stream, this spine-chilling outburst is also an indicator of imminent visual contact with man’s closest genetic relative: the chimpanzee. For more information click here

Lk.Tanganyika.

Lake Tanganyika is the world’s longest (670km) and second-deepest (over 1400m) fresh-water lake. At somewhere between nine and 12 million years old, it is also one of the oldest lakes on the planet and, thanks to its age and ecological isolation, is home to an exceptional variety of fish. Most notable are its colorful cichlids, many of which are found nowhere else, and which make for some wonderful snorkeling in the lake’s clear waters.
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries the lake was a major conduit for slaves and trade along the old caravan routes, while today its shores bustle with cross-border traders and refugees. The best way to get a feel for local life is to set off on the MV Liemba, which calls in at a string of small ports as it makes its way down the shoreline. There are few docking jetties, so at each place where the Liemba pulls in, it’s met by dozens of small boats racing out to the ferry, with boat owners and food vendors all jostling for custom from the passengers. At night the whole scene is lit up by the glow of dozens of tiny kerosene lamps, waving precariously in the wind and waves.
Besides Kigoma (the largest town on the Tanzanian lake shore), Ujiji (one of the oldest lake-shore settlements) and Lagosa for Mahale Mountain National Park, ports of note include the village of Ikola, the old mission station of Kalema (Karema), about 15km further south, and – further south – the village and mission station of Kipili. For more information click here.

Copyrights 18 March, 2010.Bush Routes Adventures