Highlights
- Once in a lifetime chimpanzee experience
- Utterly remote location
- Luxurious lodge
Start planning your tailor-made trip by calling one of our specialists on 855 686 7694
EnquireGreystoke Mahale is a one of a kind camp in the wilderness of West Tanzania. Set on the shore of the beautiful Lake Tanganyika, with a backdrop of towering mountains that make up the Mahale Mountains National Park; this is one of our favourite camps in Africa.
A tiny sanctuary surrounded by stunning natural beauty this camp is famously brilliant. Run by Nomad Tanzania, a long established safari operation with a reputation for excellent safari guiding, this is one of the only places travellers can come for the best chimpanzee viewing in Africa.
Chimp trekking is the motivation behind the opening and running of this lodge, and it really is spectacular. Expert guides lead you through untouched forests every day to spend an hour fascinated by the daily lives of the habituated chimpanzees. With rarely more than twenty travellers in the whole park this feels like a personal adventure and emphasises the specialness of this experience.
As with all animal trekking, it is variable and unpredictable where the animals may be active on any given day. You may only need to walk to the forest edge to be in the midst of the chimp family or it may be a 6 hour trek along steep and slippery mountain trails. Therefore, good fitness and proper walking boots are a must, and we recommend only families with children mature enough to enjoy this plan a visit.
Other activities from camp include snorkelling, fishing,kayaking and sun downers sailing on the lake; guaranteeing an unforgettable experience.
The uniqueness of the location can render it slightly inaccessible and guests should expect around a 4 hour flight in a small plane and an hour boat ride before reaching camp. Upon arrival, the main mess is the focal point of the camp and the only structure that can be seen from the Lake. An unusual, open structure this is a great place to enjoy meals and to watch the sunset from the lamp-lit bar.
Six large guest suites are tucked away on the forest line, with panoramic views of the golden beach and the crystal clear lake beyond. Constructed almost entirely from sustainable materials, they blend into the natural surroundings and offer guests the feeling of being a part of the forest. Across a short boardwalk is the bathroom with hot and cold running water, shower and toilet. Behind the cottage is a personal dressing room and upstairs, a ‘chill out deck’.
The lodge itself has a minimum age of 8 years old for children. However, for their own safety, children under 12 are not permitted on chimp treks and may not even be allowed into the forest depending on the season. For this reason we would only recommend this trip to families with older children as it is such a long way to go for some family members not to be able to participate.
The breath taking setting alone would be reason enough to visit Greystoke Mahale, but paired with the unique chance to see chimps in their natural habitat; this is really an experience we cannot recommend enough.
Thank you, Lisa! Our trip was wonderful even with the weather disruption. We loved seeing so many different parts of the country, meeting people and experiencing the culture. The desert was surely a highlight for our boys and the creativity and artisanship of everything from food to crafts were a highlight for me. A special shout out to our guide and driver, they became a special part of our trip and we will forever be grateful for meeting them and learning from them. I cannot believe we had to wait three years for this adventure but it was certainly worth the wait! Thanks for all your help building the itinerary, modifying it and troubleshooting during our stay. Leslie B
Leslie B
reviewing Luxury Desert Holiday
on 01 March 2023
Hi Lisa and everyone at Tourdust,
We've had a wonderful time on our holiday and wanted to pass our appreciation to you. Everything has been expertly planned and executed, allowing us to enjoy the holiday to its fullest. Special appreciation to Muhammed, Ibrahim, and Omar, our Atlas guide, cook, and muleteer, who couldn't have done more for us and were just generally wonderful and hardworking. Riad Hanane is a perfect base in Marrakech to complement the trekking as it's ina less touristy area of the medina, which we appreciated. The staff and accomodation was superb.Thank you again for a trip to remember!
Bob, May, Grace, and Lucas
Robert B
reviewing Marrakech & Mountains Family Trek
on 20 February 2023
Hello Lisa. We came back from our trip two weeks ago now so I am sending this email much later than I wanted to. Nevertheless, what I wanted to say was thank you very much for helping us organise an amazing trip. Our days in Mafia Island to celebrate my 50th birthday were exactly what I wanted them to be: a fantastic time with the family doing activities that we all love and enjoy in a relaxing, unusual, beautiful place full of sun, surrounded by water, wildlife and friendly people. We swam with whale sharks, did a lot of snorkeling, had two picnics on a beautiful sand bank, watched the sunset over the sea, did a bird watching excursion and tried scuba diving.
All merit to you because Pole Pole in Mafia Island was your recommendation. I never heard of Mafia Island before and didn't consider Tanzania to start with. It was an amazing place to stay: friendly, relaxed, beautiful, comfortable, with great food and fantastic service. Thanks not only for finding the place but also for your patience as we prepared the trip and I explored options and decided what I wanted. All went incredibly well (places, transfers, flights) and we had a very memorable time together that we will all remember forever - as we still do the safari trip to South Africa you organised for us 5 years ago.
I cannot wait to plan another trip! I am already thinking about where and when. Hopefully no pandemic will get in the way this time. And I will come to you as my favourite travel agent.
I copy in this message the Tourdust office because I want them to know how good you are and how much I appreciated the different trips you organised for us (including the trip to India for my parents that was cancelled due to Covid). I cannot thank you enough :o)
Kind regards, Carol
Carolina O
reviewing Relaxed Bush & Beach Family Holiday in Tanzania
on 25 November 2022