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By Vianney J. Kabwine – Guide, Greystoke Mahale
Apart from chimpanzees viewing in Mahale National Park, there are other things that Greystoke Mahale offers to its guests. These other activities are like Fishing, Kayaks, Nature walk (looking for other primates) and boat ride for the sunset. During the dry season there is an amazing walk that people can do. If you take a boat to Kasiha ranger post which is on the north it’s almost 40 minutes from the shore and if you walk from Greystoke it’s about one hour and forty minutes to the magnificent waterfalls that is between the valleys of Mahale Mountains. Going through the bushes and following Mto Kasiha (River Kasiha) you have to step from rocks to rocks and sometimes you have to use your hands to pull up yourself from the rocks. Also this makes it an amazing walk.
There are swimming pools where a person can swim and enjoy the fresh water that comes from the mountains. You will be surprised to see the marking spots of Cape Clawless Otters. Cape Clawless Otter marks their home range by using their faeces and urine and this is seen full of crushed up crab shells on the rocks near the last waterfall.
By Gabriel L Mushi - Guide, Greystoke Mahale
Chimpanzees live in communities composed of adult males and females and their young. In Mahale M community we have 65 chimpanzees. They all recognize each other and respect each others rank. Here in Mahale the alpha male of M community is Pimu, a twenty one year old male. He is quite muscular and big and very aggressive compared with other males.
Pimu’s mother Fatuma is an old female now 47 years of age. As the community alpha male’s mother she deserves all the respect, care and protection from her son who is now the alpha male, for example access to food, high rank among other females and protection from aggression of other chimps, but under Pimu’s reign all this seems not to work toward her side. On 13th July I observed Pimu’s bad manners toward his mother. I was with two clients viewing a group of 8 chimps on Kambele Mountain. Pimu was grooming Bonobo (an adult male) and another female in the undergrowth while his mother Fatuma sat about 7m from them. All of the sudden they all get excited and started vocalizing and this led Pimu to perform a spectacular charging display, swaying in vines while heading where his mother was seating and attacked her vigorously, this led his mother to run away while screaming loudly.
Pimu
By Mwiga Mambo- Tracker, Greystoke Mahale
It was 10th May 2009 around 7:10pm when I saw two warthogs heading northwards passing the clients kitchen. When they reached the firewood storage place they suddenly stopped and raised up their heads. I was so amazed because I thought they were frightened by our presence and normally they are very tame.
They stayed there for about 40 seconds looking on the northern side of the camp. I also tried to look on the direction they were looking but I saw nothing. Then the warthogs changed their directions and went to west like they were going to the beach. Two minute after they left the firewood storage place they came back at their initial place, still looking on the northern direction for about minute before they went away to the west. While I was looking at the place they were looking at before I suddenly saw a leopard in the bushes. He saw me and disappeared back into the bushes.
Picture - Hugh Webster
By Kakae Saiteu- Guide, Greystoke Mahale
Mahale mountains national park is famous for primates, especially chimpanzees which attract many people throughout the world to this area.
The Mahale ecosystem as a whole is also popular for birdlife. At this evergreen part of the forest where Greystoke Mahale is located, bird species are not as many as you will find further south where brachstegia trees are common. Nevertheless, while here one can see some of the waterfowl like Goliath herons, the world’s largest heron. These birds can be seen on the lake shores, particularly on the river mouths, stalking for their prey; fish, crabs and other invertebrates.
When flying the Goliath heron retracts their neck onto their shoulders. In this photo is the Goliath heron with awesome steep parts of the Mahale Mountains in the background.
Photo by Mary Henry - Guest at Greystoke Mahale.
