Best time to visit Mahale Mountains
Excellent time is: July, August, September and October
For good views you may visit in: June and May
For fair views you may visit in: January, February, March, April, November and December
You can track chimpanzees throughout the entire year in Mahale Mountains National Park, however, possibilities of finding them are better as the dry season come to an in which is from July to the end of October as the chimps are living on the lower slopes of the mountain. In case you are doing a 2 / 3 days safari package, then your chances of spotting them are pretty very high whatever time of the year you visit.
In Brief
The best time to visit: July – October
Peak Season: July – October (it is rare for Mahale to become really crowded with tourists)
Low Season: April and May and most of the lodges are even closed
Best Weather Conditions: June to October there is no rainfall
Worst Weather conditions: November to April since it is the peak of the wet season
Dry Season (June to October)
Chimpanzees can be easily seen on the lower mountain slopes from the month of July up to October. There is a lot of Sunshine and chances of raining are very minimal. The danger of getting infected with malaria is pretty minimal since there are very few mosquitoes. Besides the other tourists you might come across while chimpanzee trekking, in general, this park is not very crowded.
Wet Season (November to May)
The air is clear as well as clean. The Waterfalls are beautiful to watch. Migratory birds are in the park making it the best time for bird watching. There are numerous Butterflies; the Forest trails are normally very slippery and challenging to traverse. The chimpanzees shift to higher slopes making it rather challenging to track and see. It becomes hot and quite humid.
The terrain of the park is mainly rugged and hilly, and is majorly dominated by the impressive Mahale Mountains ranges that stretch from the northwestern side of the park to the southeastern side. The highest peak on these mountain ranges is the Mount Nkungwe peak which stands at 2,462 meters above sea-level.
Ascending the highest peak of the Mahale Mountains – Mount Nkungwe is an additional adventure activity you can enjoy while in the park. The ascent takes three days to reach the peak, however the most advised time to climb to Mt Nkungwe is during the dry season from the month of May up to October. That aside, choosing to camp in the park for some nights will give you a chance to spot the spectacular ‘fishing fire’, where the numerous kerosene lamps on the small fishing boats light the Lake.
There are more than 250 types of fish in Lake Tanganyika with a number of the species not found in other parts of the planet. However most of the fish types can best be spotted while snorkeling in the shallow waters close to the shoreline of Mahale.
Longer walking trips may be arranged to see the large wild animals such as leopards, lions, buffaloes, hippos, elephants, as well as giraffes. Such long walking safaris may even take as many as seven days basing on your preference.
Mahale Mountains National Park
How To Get To Mahale
Mahale Mountains Weather
When To Visit Mahale
Birding in Mahale Mountains
