Mahale Mountains ranks high among my favourite African national parks. Setting aside the issue of cost and accessibility, it is also probably my first choice chimp-trekking destination. One reason for this is the park’s idyllic location on Lake Tanganyika, below a stretch of Rift Valley escarpment capped by Mount Nkungwe, whose peak is around 1,700m higher than the sandy lakeshore beaches. Mahale also has a thrillingly remote feel. It is roughly 30 times larger than Gombe, yet its tourist infrastructure amounts to little more than a pair of luxury beachfront camps and one basic resthouse. And over several visits, I have always enjoyed excellent close-up encounters with members of the Mimikere community, which comprises 75 chimps and was habituated by Japanese researchers in the 1960s.

Pros: Mahale differs from most chimp trekking destinations in that it caters mainly to fly-in visitors spending three or four nights in the park. Because of this, you can track on multiple days, and departure times are flexible, which greatly increases your chance of an intimate chimp encounter.

Fly-in safaris to Mahale combine well with Katavi National Park, an equally untrammelled safari destination inhabited by plenty of elephant, buffalo, hippo and lion.

Cons: Fly-in safaris to Mahale are costly. It is worth the investment if you can afford it, but the park is not well suited to independent or budget-conscious travellers.