The luxury camp has recently been completely redesigned and all structures are built of biodegradable materials; the whole place was rebuilt using recycled wood from wrecked and rotting dhows recovered from the shore of Lake Tanganyika. As well as being the best place to see chimpanzee, Greystoke has always had a reputation for style. Never more so than now; with its Swiss Family Robinson style ingenuity and the unbridled artistic flair of the designer (Ben Jackson), this is an inspired feat of creativity. It's also great fun to stay here - the rooms, with their open air roof decks and ladders made from old dugout canoes, inspire a sense of excitement that you probably last felt as a child, playing in a tree house.

Meals are served either in the main mess, set on the beach no more than 50 yards from the waters edge, or in the open air under the stars at night by the waters edge. The design of the camp and its extraordinary location, as well as the charm and warmth of the Tongwe mean that Greystoke is suffused with a seductive natural opulence and you want for absolutely nothing. Ultimately, Greystoke Camp is as much of an experience as the chimpanzee safari.

Greystoke Mahale Camp Activities
Hike in the stunning tropical forest that covers the slopes of the mountains. Its home to nine different species of primate, including the chimpanzee. The 'M' group live in the mountains close to camp, and have become habituated to human presence over two decades.

Every morning, trackers go out early to find the chimp's whereabouts, then after breakfast you can head off along the forest paths until you're surrounded by their calls. For an hour, sit quietly with them watching their daily life; grooming, wrestling, bickering, foraging, eating, and mothering.

The local tribe believes that chimpanzees were once people who retreated into the forest and just a few hours with these amazing apes shows why.

You can also observe leopard, bushbuck, bush pig, other primates and a multitude of birds and butterflies which are found throughout the forested slopes of the mountains. The waters of the lake, the second deepest in the world after Russia's Lake Baikal, sparkle with over 250 species of cyclid, (tropical fish).

A natural opulence seeps into Greystoke Mahale hotel ; beneath the soaring mountains you can dine on lake-fresh sashimi, gaze at the stars over cocktails at the bar on the rocks, or lie on the soft sand beach before slipping into the cool clear lake in front of camp.

The Mahale Mountains are home to some of East Africa's last remaining wild chimpanzees. From supporting research projects to encouraging awareness about the endangered primates, Greystoke has been instrumental in the protection of the area's chimpanzees. Mahale's chimps have been habituated to human presence by over two decades of contact with researchers. In co-operation with the Tanzania National Parks Association, Greystoke Mahale also leads efforts to regulate chimpanzee-viewing procedures.

Greystoke Mahale helped found the Tongwe Tribal Trust in an attempt to preserve the cultural heritage of the forest dwellers. The Trust aims to record an archive of the Tongwe's musical and oral history.