 Mahala is one of Tanzania's most remote parks and one of its most attractive. It is situated directly on Lake Tanganyika, with the misty and rugged Mahale mountain range running down its centre. Like Gombe Stream to the north, Mahale is primarily a chimpanzee sanctuary, with a population of approximately 700 chimpanzees inside its boundaries. There are also a variety of other animals to be seen including elephant, giraffe, zebra, buffalo and even some lions. The area has been the site of an ongoing Japanese-sponsored primate research project since 1965. It was gazetted as a national park in 1980 with an area of close to 1600 km 2. The park's highest peak is Mt Nkungwe (2462m), first climbed in 1939.
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