"The air is scented with jasmine, the forest rich, the water of the lake gin-clear and lightly chilled. And if I dare to put an imprint on this paradise I had better get it right" - Roland Purcell
Irish adventurer, Roland Purcell, discovered the barefoot beach paradise of Mahale in the 1980s whilst on a long walkabout around East Africa looking for the meaning of life. Enticed by the clear cool waters of Lake Tanganyika he fell upon a long stretch of clear white sand, and decided to stay awhile.
Here he found that a small group of chimpanzees had been habituated by a Japanese research group, in a project that had spanned the previous fifteen years. Practically no-one ever visited this remote and far-flung place, and he wandered alone for many a day. Whether it was the chimpanzees or the white sand on the lakeshore, the gin clear water, or the range of towering mountains behind that drew him in it is hard to know, but he sat down on the beach that perfect day in June 1988 and decided not to leave. From his daily beach musings, whilst he stared across the clear waters of the lake, came the fantasy camp of Greystoke Mahale.
One day, he decided he would take a temporary absence from his barefoot chimp paradise, and broaden his horizons somewhat. He climbed back into his small plane, and traveled south, only landing when he came across a huge area of wilderness that stretched as far as the eye could see. He had just discovered one of the world’s wildest places – Katavi National Park. Coming in to land, he skimmed over a seemingly endless herd of buffalo. He set up camp on the edge of the great Chada plain, and from there he ventured out into this primordial wilderness. The wild brother camp of Mahale, Chada Katavi, was thus born. You can find out more at www.chada-katavi.com.
It didn’t look like he was going to leave his two new homes, so his girlfriend – Zoe – decided to come and join him. Eight years later, and they had created two of the most unique and fabulous safari experiences to be found on the continent – Greystoke Mahale and Chada Katavi – a ‘must do before you die’ kind of trip.