I don't know if we were magnetic, but we were certainly sticky! ;-)

Yes, definitely pack a swimsuit if you go to Mahale! The lake temps were pleasant; I just wore a T-shirt over my suit, which also helped me avoid a sunburn. The camp provides masks, snorkels, and fins. I didn't use the fins, I just cruised around slowly. There were also kayaks available and fishing gear, too, if you wanted to help catch dinner.

I don't know if the chimp touch was unusual, or not. Visitors are supposed to keep 10 meters away from the chimps, but nobody told the chimps! As you can see from Rick's photos, we actually walked right by the chimps with the permission of the ranger (no way around them.) At other times, we'd stand to the side of a trail and the chimps would walk right by us. They usually just ignored us, but were a bit "frisky" that last afternoon in camp.

I saw that close encounter photo!

Thank you for the snorkeling info. How about an underwater camera? Not some expensive thing, just those disposable ones or the small Olympus kind. Do you think photos would turn out? Need adequate light.

I usually take a disposable waterproof camera if I have a snorkeling opportunity, but didn't this time and was kicking myself (gently!) You'd be in shallow water for the snorkeling, so you would have plenty of light. The fish were everywhere, but were especially plentiful by the dock that ran out into the lake, as you'd expect. The waterproof camera would be good to take if you were kayaking, as well. Just keep the water spots off the lens.

Thanks ShayTay!

The water was so clear and beautiful. When we went on the boat ride/fishing expedition/sundowners cruise I could see the sandy bottom of the lake pretty far offshore. Very clear. BTW, the tsetse flies can find you way out in the water on a boat.

LAleslie, I'm sorry to hear about your friend. That must have been so frightening. The chimps scared me with all the screaming and rushing around. Oddly enough when I was in Rwanda and a gorilla bumped into me on purpose and a little later pinched my thigh I wasn't scared at all.

Maybe that's because there haven't been reports of a gorilla ripping someone's face off.

Even before the ripped faces reports I never liked chimps, I must confess. They give me the creeps. But I'm just not a money/apes person (tho I'd like to see the gorillas and orangs of Borneo). Maybe because of my friend (a LIFE writer, not a photog), I dunno why.
Having said that, I sniffed at meerkats until I encountered them. (I think it was that anthropomorphic TV program.) Now I'm smitten.