Big Bird Pelican and the Chimpanzees of Greystoke Mahale

Early in October last year a young Pelican rocked up on the beach at Greystoke Mahale in remote Tanzania, seemingly blown off course by a storm and a little discombobulated. He wandered into the mess, made friends with the staff, and generally made himself at home. He was named Big Bird and in the intervening months he's been learning to fish (quite successfully) and fly (less so). Various guests and the Mahale staff have been running hectically up and down the beach with arms flapping in an effort to show him how it's done. He's been a bit slow off the mark, but we're proud that he's finally taken to the sky and he's taken us along for the ride.

Greystoke Mahale sits on a pristine, white sandy beach overlooking the turquoise water of Lake Tanganyika, with the forested slopes of the 8000 ft Mahale Mountains rising behind. The Mahale Mountains are home to one of the largest known populations of wild Chimpanzees left on our planet.

Epic Road is a huge fan of Greystoke Mahale! It's perfect on its own or as as a complement to a great migration river crossing safari.