Sunsets at Greystoke Mahale

Africa has to be the best continent to watch sunsets, and Mahale one of the best places in Africa. This is especially true during the rainy season when the massive clouds forming over the Congo add an extra element.

Stormy nights

A big storm came off the Lake last night around 9pm, everyone decided to make a run for their rooms so it was an early night. The weather here is very unpredictable but lately it has been raining at night and fine during the day which has meant great Chimpanzee sightings. Let’s hope it stays like this.

Sunset dinner

It is Neil’s 40^th birthday so we set up a private dinner on our lower bar deck over looking Lake Tanganyika. It’s not Neil’s first time to Africa but this trip was a special surprise from his wife Paula. Godfrey our waiter made sure the bubbles kept flowing and we hope the night was a memorable one.

It doesn’t have to be a special occasion for us to do this, just ask when you get here.

The biggest bath in the world

Swimming in Lake Tanganyika is a great way to cool down after walking in the forest. Jean and Paula took it one step further when they decided to condition and shampoo each others hair in the lake. The ladies had a lot of fun in the warm crystal clear waters, and don’t worry all our products at Greystoke are biodegradable and fish friendly.

A grass roof does look appealing to the eye, the only problem is that they have a tendency to rot and then leak. No worries at Mahale though, we just bring in trusty Moshi and his helper from the local village. The boys are up on the roof all day, apart from when it’s raining, replacing the rotten grass. Thanks guys.

Transfer day

Bucket loads of rain today. Being a transfer day we all worried that the plane would not be able to land. Rabecca is an experienced pilot for the Tanganyika Flying Company and has landed at the Mahale airstrip many times. When the plane touched down, Rebecca commented to our guests that the spray behind the plane would have made a great photo. Amber our Chef and Milton our Waiter were due to fly out for there well deserved days off, but because of the heavy rain and unusual wind direction Rachel decided to leave them behind to keep the weight of the plane low for take off. Poor Amber and Milton turned up back at the lodge and will have to wait another 4 days for the next plane. Let’s hope the weather is fine on Monday.

New years at Mahale

We could not have asked for a better group of guests to celebrate new years. Everyone at Mahale had a lot of fun, dancing and singing, playing the guitar and telling loads of jokes. Our wonderful Askari Mabwena Simon treated us all too a few traditional Tanzanian songs around the fire. Mabwena has a magical voice and if our guests are lucky and Mabwena is in the mood he will treat us to a moving performance.

Thank you to Dr Susanne Richert, Dr Barbara Treml, Ken, Karen, Terry & Natalie Dial, Rick, Caroline, Charlotte and Julian Everard, for making new years at Mahale so memorable.