Chimpanzee trekking in Tanzania’s Mahale Mountains

Time spent in the company of the Mahale chimps is unlike game viewing anywhere else. The steady climb through the quiet of the forest to find them leaves time for the mind to wander and idly contemplate the streams, waterfalls and massive forest trees. But there’s a persistent frisson of suspense, hightened by occasional chimp calls echoing through the tree tops ahead…are they getting closer?
Occasionally the canopy parts and Lake Tanganyika, turquoise, cool and alluring, is visible several thousand feet below, its waters receding towards the distant shores of the Congo.

And then - often quite suddenly - the chimps are there, among you.  These are habituated animals, entirely oblivious to the presence of humans.  They feed, play and fight sometimes within a few feet of the assembled people.

The individual characters of these animals are well known by the guides, their relationships, feuds and politics well documented. This is as much about soap opera as it is game viewing.