Thanks a lot Mfaume & Hadija !!

For a long time he was looking forward to it. Mfaume – our Greystoke kitchen chef – had long ago proposed to marry his beautiful wife Hadija. This weekend finally was the day and in all Mfaume’s enthusiasm he invited not only the Greystoke staff, but all of our guests too! 

It’s not every day that you have the chance to go to a traditional Tongwe wedding. All of us were so excited. Everybody dressed up and together with Eric, Dick, Rod, Munira, Thomas and Caroline we set sail to Katumbi Village, a 2 hr boat ride from Greystoke Mahale. 

The Katumbi welcoming committee. 

Traditional and truly Tanzanian, this lakeshore village is worth a visit anytime. Reached only by the water, no roads connect Katumbi to the rest of Tanzania. We could already spot the festivities from water! As we boarded the shore within seconds a children’s  committee welcomed us. Like in all rural places in Tanzania, any visitor gets the treatment of a true guest. Super welcoming and full of joy, the news of us setting foot ashore rapidly spread through the village.

Crowds around the house of the newlyweds.

As we walked down to the house where the wedding was about to take place, the crowds became thicker and thicker. The whole social side of village life quickly became apparent to us. So fantastically colorful and so warm a reception we were given, we felt humbled by it all.

Seats lined up in front of Mfaume.

For us a number of seats had been lined up right in front of the house of Mfaume. The newlyweds were about to come out of the door straight across from us and in between us a big dance floor was created. 

The wedding music system.

To one side a huge set of boxes was playing local and Tanzanian songs. Mixed by a DJ and played at a super loud volume, Mfaume and Hadija were praised at every possible option in between.

Once the couple came out of the front door they initiated the dancing. Everybody – in the mean time a 150 to 200 strong crowd – erupted in a loud cheer! 

Finally Mfaume and Hadija came out and danced!

Hadija and Mfaume danced and danced, having the whole dance floor to themselves. Once they had intitiated the dancing others joined and the place was brimming with joy. All the children watched in awe how one day this also would be part of their lives. Even the surrounding trees were full of people, climbing up in the hope to catch a share of the action!

The cake ceremony 

Then came the cake ceremony. Little pieces of cake were cut off and fed to guests by the bride under loud cheering of the crowd. The experience for all of us – being invited to be even part of the cake ceremony – was just too good to be true!! 

Thomas ready to bite a piece of cake!

Dancing, laughing and full of positivity the new bride fed al her guests pieces of the cake.

Suzanne cheering with Mfaume and Hadija after a bite of the cake

After that people danced to particular songs that were dedicated to the couple. As we all couldn’t believe it was time for us to leave for camp again, all of us would have loved to stay around to the late hours. The evening program was watched and participated in by most of our staff from Greystoke, until the very late hours!

Trees filled with spectators in the back!

Getting out of camp and experiencing what Tanzanian life really is all about should be part of everybody’s itinerary. What a true Tanzanian experience it was for all of us.

Thanks Mfaume, thanks Hadija! And good luck to you!

Mfaume and Hadija 

Butterfly times

Within in a period just a little over two weeks, Mahale Mountains NP is brimming with butterflies again. The little rain showers we had were enough to create the explosion in butterflies so common for this time of the year. 

Mating of Acraea Igola

Announcing the change into the wet time of the year, the butterflies are going to stay with us for a while now. Everywhere you walk different beauties fly around. 

A stunning Iolaus species

A short walk is enough to run into many of them. Photograph what’s out there, look at them flying around, it’s truly so cool to experience. What is certainly more challenging than we thought is setting the (sub) species apart from another.

The Acraea Petraea

But alot of fun it is and with the butterfly season soon in full swing – lasting all the way into April – we should have plenty of time to become specialists!

The real daily Jump

When Matt and Jennifer Hinsley came on their honeymoon to Greystoke Mahale, they brought along a little mission. On initiative of her sister Holly the two made jumps in always different places and photographed them. The reason being simple: to inject fun and athleticism into the everyday life.

And into the clear water of the lake...

With possibilities for jumping being endless, all of us at Greystoke really felt being part of the jump. And so we sailed out far onto the lake to make an awesome jump. With the sun going down slowly, we put away our cool drinks and prepared to 1, 2, 3… JUMP!

Baby beauty

You can read a book or a magazine, watch a documentary or research the net. Any preparation for your trip into the Mahale Mountains is exciting and fun. But how close we really are to our nearest living relative we found hard to imagine from the comfort of a chair. Nothing in the world could have prepared us for the intensity of a real life chimpanzee encounter. 

Kalunde, Ako & her young daughter

Fortunate as we are to visit the M group regular, yesterday again was a mind blowing experience. As we hiked for an hour and half along the foothills of the mountains, we came across Ako, Kalunde and Ako’s 1 year old daughter. As we sat quietly on the forest floor with our group of 4, it was the daughter of Ako that stole our hearts completely. 

Ako's daughter climbing her mothers back

And we are sure she will steal yours too...

Ako's daughter

Although still unnamed – M group chimpanzees are only named when they reach three years due to common infant mortality – Ako’s daughter is so full of life and so full of character. 

Laying in her mother's lab

As the larger part of the M group had moved on, Kalunde and Ako were quietly sitting together exchanging little sensitivities. Where females with baby's are generally a little more shy, Kalunde and Ako where at total peace. 

Ako’s daughter carefully explored the surroundings and her mother’s back, leaving us to share with them some unique moments.

The supersized lizard

Wide spread in sub saharan Africa, the Nile Monitor is the largest lizard on the planet. Growing up to 2.1 mts (or 7 ft) Nile Monitors have muscular bodies, sharp claws and powerful jaws but are harmless to humans. They thrive in an aquatic environment and therefore are commonly found in Mahale Mountains NP.

A big monitor lizard coming down one of Greystoke's pathways.

The forested edge of our beach seems to be preferred habitat for this stunning lizard. You would stand a chance to actually spot it from the comfort of your room. Often the big lizard crosses paths between the rooms on its way to prey for food.

Turning a 180 C as we spot each other...

Its diet mainly consists of crocodile eggs, fish, small mammals, insect and birds.

This particularly big monitor crossed our path yesterday when we walked to our room. As we surprised each other with our presence it took an immediate 180 C when encountered. But man, is it a stunning animal to spot up close!

Within a second the XL lizard is running off towards the forest.

Hippo heaven

Imagine a lake so huge you actually think it is a sea. Imagine the water being so clear it’s like crystal. Then imagine lush and green lakeshores to feed on. 

Photo courtesy of Jin & Paul Levy

That is exactly what hippos would tell you when asked how hippo paradise should look like. And the Mahale hippos are living the dream. 

Photo courtesy of Jin & Paul Levy

And how tremendously lucky our hippos are was again emphasized by Paul and Jin Levy. As they compared their hippo experiences here to that of Katavi – where the hippos fight over every square inch in the mud – they were struck by the peace and beauty that exists out here!

The Primus Era

After a power vacuum that lasted nearly 11 months, following the murder of alpha male Pimu last year Oct, it seems that Primus has started his reign as the alpha male. However, his alpha position is still different than that of his predecessors.

Primus walks into Greystoke camp 7th Sept

As power often has shifted between Alofu and Primus during the past 11 months, it’s certainly safe to say that Alofu is not alpha male. Primus – who is physically the fittest – challenges other males and keeps coming out as the winner. But for all the respect he now enjoys in the male corners of M group society, Primus misses the vital support from the other corner; the females.

Wakusi (left) gets groomed by her son Alofu, who is the powerful the nr 2.

The females of M group - lead by strong individuals such as Wakusi, Gwekulo and Nkombo - seem not to accept Primus in the nr 1 position. Although physically Primus might be the alpha without question, this is a force in play that he will need to watch. It seems the main reason for the females to oppose his rule is because of Primus‘s aggressive behavior. That is towards other chimpanzees, both male and female.

Kalunde oversees the grooming party, close to the Greystoke's guestrooms.

So, the fact is that Primus rules a rather large social unit of approx 60 chimpanzees without outright female support. If he is up to the challenging task we’ll have to see. Some of his competitors have already successfully reigned as alpha male for many years; Kalunde, Alofu, Fanana. Therefore Primus can be sure that if he lets his guard down, someone will try step in. 

The new alpha male, Primus