Mahale Mountains National Park - Issue #00015 - December 4, 2010

Mahale Mountains National Park December 4, 2010 - Issue #00015 On the extreme west side of Tanzania, south of the town of Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika, is Mahale Mountains National Park, a very remote park visited by only by a few hundred people a year who stay at mid-range or luxury permanent tented camps. Mahale offers a number of outstanding attractions for visitors such as mountain climbing, snorkeling, fishing, kayaking and relaxing on deserted, pristine, white, sandy beaches. However the main reason to visit Mahale is to track and observe chimpanzees. There are some 21 locations of chimpanzee remaining in Africa and Mahale is considered by some to be the best place in the world for chimpanzee safaris. This park is home to around 1,000 chimpanzees whom do not seem to mind being watched like their cousins at Gombe Stream National Park which is located just north of Kigoma. Chimpanzees are the part of the ape family and share a special genetic relationship with human beings, over 99%; making them the closest relative of modern man. Chimpanzees are also more closely related to man than to the gorilla. The chimpanzee has a thickset body, no tail, and much of the body is covered with long black hair, but the face, ears, fingers and toes are bare. Chimpanzees walk and climb using all four limbs and they have longer arms than legs. Like humans, chimps have opposable thumbs and opposable big toes which allow them to grip things with their feet. A full-grown chimpanzee has five or six times the strength of a human being. Adult males weigh between 40 and 55 kg ( 90 and 115 pounds) and they are about 1.2 m tall (4 feet) when standing upright. Females are slightly smaller. Chimpanzees in the wild live normally live to their forties. Noisy and curious, intelligent and social, each with its own distinctive personality, the chimpanzee has been observed using inanimate objects as tools. Chimpanzees communicate much like humans do by using facial expressions, vocalizations, body language, grooming, tickling, kisses and pats; and chimpanzees laugh when they play. The chimpanzee eats about 200 kinds of fruit; termites, ants, honey, bird's eggs, and will kill and eat birds and small mammals. Every night chimpanzees construct nests of vegetation, nine to twelve meters (30-40 feet) high in a tree, in which to sleep. The best time to visit the Park is during the dry season (mid-May to mid-October) when the chimpanzees are likely to be seen in big groups, the sunshine illuminates the fish in the Lake, and the beach is an inviting place to relax. View full newsletter Click Here Do you want to receive a weekly full edition of our newsletter: Click Here     LION DOG AFRICAN SAFARIS 1-888-50AFRICA 1-888-502-3742 8AM-8PM EST Lion Dog African Safaris provides quality Private-Custom Tours, either Escorted or Independent, at very competitive pricing. Visit our website for details on planning your dream African Safari www.liondogafricansafaris.com Call us for a free Africa Safari consultation: 1-888-50AFRICA