Like its northerly neighbor Gombe N. P., Mahale Mountains National Park is home to last remaining wild chimpanzees in Africa. Around 1,000 of these fascinating animals roam the isolated rainforest of Mahale, a chain of dramatic peaks draped in lush vegetation falling to Lake Tanganyika’s beaches far below. Tracking the Chimps of Mahale is a magical experience. While the Chimpanzees are the star attraction, the slopes of Mahale support a diverse forest fauna, including readily observed troops of colobus, red-tailed and blue monkeys and kaleidoscopic array of colorful forest birds. On a hike on the trail of the chimpanzees, you can trace the Tongwe people’s ancient pilgrimage to the mountain spirits, trekking through enclaves of rainforest with grassy ridges crisscrossed with alpine bamboo. Mahale Mountains National Park is not only specialized in chimpanzee tracking, but offers many other activities such as boat tours, fishing, kayaking and snorkeling. Lake Tanganyika is the second largest freshwater lake in the world in terms of volume and the second deepest lake after Lake Baikal in Siberia.