A safari guide to Nkungwe Beach Lodge, Mahale Mountains

Nkungwe, sometimes known as Kungwe, is our second choice lodge in Mahale Mountain National Park after the famous Mahale Greystoke just next door; but we like Nkungwe for its simplicity, location on the shore of Lake Tanganyika and value. The main attraction of Mahale is the chimpanzees in the hills and clients visit the same clan of chimps as the Greystoke guests, although they stagger the visit times. When you actually arrive at the Mahale airstrip you will then need to take the boat down the lake to arrive at the lodge. There are no roads or vehicles inside the national park.

Nkungwe Beach Lodge

Located in the Mahale National Park in western Tanzania this lodge is best accessed by lodge arranged charter flights from Arusha on a Tuesday and Thursday. It is also possible to fly here from the south of Tanzania from Ruaha. A trip to Mahale works well if you combine with Katavi which is another remote park in the south west of Tanzania to make a fantastic Tanzania safari.

The main area of the lodge is set back on the beach raised on wooden decking with a large Makuti thatched roof with views onto the lake. The feel of the lodge is not over the top but very clean and comfortable and offers great food - lots of fresh fish from the lake!

The 8 tented rooms are set back on the edge of the beach just into the undergrowth, raised on wooden platforms. The tented rooms are very spacious with en suite bath rooms.

The main attraction of coming to Mahale is to see the chimpanzees in the forest covered hills, this is a daily activity and you spend one hour per day with the chimps. It’s a truly unbelievable experience!