Famous for its up-close-and-personal encounters with habituated chimpanzees, the Mahale Mountains National Park boasts rugged forested mountains and beautiful views of the          2 462m-high Mount Nkungwe in the distance – where elephant, giraffe and lion, as well as warthog, roan and sable antelope and porcupine roam the slopes.

With over 1 700 chimpanzee living in the park, you are practically guaranteed your once-in-a-lifetime encounter with these phenomenal primates. It does require some hard work and determination by way of an expert guided expedition through the forests and dense vegetation, but it is worth every second.

You can also spot troops of red colobus, red-tailed and blue monkeys, view hippo and crocodile in the lake, and marvel at the abundance of birdlife in the forests. This alluring paradise is one of the most interesting destinations in Africa.