Rooms with special views – Greystoke Mahale, Tanzania

The view: Straight out across Lake Tanganyika, the largest body of freshwater in Africa and truly the colour of gin

Greystoke Mahale Camp is bounded by Congo jungle, the great towering Mahale range and Lake Tanganyika.

Roland Purcell had a moment of truth on the the Mahale shoreline in June 1988 – in his own words, “if I dare put an imprint on this paradise I had better get it right“.

We think he did… Greystoke Camp itself was established by Roland and Zoe Purcell in the early 90?s. A zany beach camp then, it was restyled in 2004 and remains an atmospheric and pretty eclectic chill-out spot with six double bandas, a generous mess and lounging shelter in the centre of the beach with a separate bar on the headland. Mahale’s main draw are the chimpanzees – arguably the best and most reliable place to see wild chimps anywhere in Africa. The mountains are believed to hold around 600 plus individuals in three communities of which the Mimikere, or “M” community of 54 individuals has been habituated since 1965.

Best room: The honeymoon ‘banda’, room 7 – the best for sunsets

Price per night: £540 per night – 20% discount if booked before 31 January 2011