Kigoma, the closest major town, is about 130km north of Mahale along thelakeshore, and this remoteness makes getting to and from the park half the fun.
Farther away from the centre and down thelakeshore, Wollishofen in Kreis 2 and on the other shore, Seefeld in Kreis 8 and Zurichberg in Kreis 7, are very popular.