7 Days Gombe Stream & Mahale Mountains Chimpanzee Expedition
Tour Overview
For anyone who loves primates, this is the trip of a lifetime. Visit both of Tanzania's chimpanzee parks on the shores of Lake Tanganyika: Gombe Stream, where Jane Goodall began her famous chimpanzee research in 1960, and the larger, wilder Mahale Mountains further south.
You get four chimpanzee treks in total, plus olive baboons, red colobus and other monkeys, forest waterfalls, quiet beaches and boat journeys along the lake. Travel is by flight from Arusha to Kigoma, then by boat and light aircraft — no long road drives.
Detailed Itinerary
Morning flight from Arusha to Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika. Your guide meets you and transfers you to the harbour for a boat ride north along the lake to Gombe Stream National Park (about 1–2 hours). Check in at your lakeside accommodation and enjoy a short walk to look for baboons near the beach. Dinner and overnight in Gombe.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Trek into the forest with a park guide to find the Kasekela chimpanzee community — descendants of the chimps Jane Goodall studied. Spend up to one hour with them, then visit Kakombe Waterfall or the Jane Goodall feeding station viewpoint. Dinner and overnight in Gombe.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A second morning trek in Gombe for more time with the chimpanzees. After lunch, take the boat back to Kigoma. Optional visit to the historic town of Ujiji, where Stanley met Livingstone in 1871. Dinner and overnight in Kigoma.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Transfer south to Mahale Mountains National Park by light aircraft or boat along the lake shore (depending on schedules). Arrive at your beach camp at the foot of the mountains and spend the afternoon swimming or kayaking. Dinner and overnight at the camp.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Trek through the montane forest with your guide and ranger to find the habituated M-group chimpanzees, one of the most studied chimpanzee communities in the world. Spend up to one hour with them. Afternoon at leisure on the beach. Dinner and overnight at the camp.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
One more morning in the Mahale forest with the chimpanzees, then relax for the afternoon before a sunset dhow cruise on Lake Tanganyika. Farewell dinner and overnight at the camp.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, take the boat to the airstrip and fly back to Arusha, arriving in the afternoon. Transfer to your hotel or onward connection.
Meals: Breakfast
Included
- All accommodations per itinerary
- All meals (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
- All park entrance fees, chimpanzee trekking fees and government taxes
- Light-aircraft flights as per itinerary (15 kg soft-bag limit)
- Boat transfers on Lake Tanganyika
- Professional English-speaking guide and park ranger
- Arusha airport and hotel transfers
Excluded
- International flights
- Beverages and alcohol
- Tips for guides, rangers, trackers and camp staff
- Single room supplement
- Personal expenses (visas, insurance, etc.)
- Face masks and personal trekking gear
- Holiday supplement Dec 20 – Jan 5
Gallery
Common Questions
Gombe is small and easy to reach from Kigoma, with a famous research history going back to Jane Goodall. Mahale is larger, more remote and mountainous, with a bigger chimpanzee population. Visiting both gives you very different experiences.
You need moderate fitness. Trails in both parks are steep in places and can be slippery. The length of each trek depends on where the chimpanzees are that day.
Chimpanzee trekking is open to guests aged 12 and over.
The dry season from July to October is best for trekking. Mahale camps usually close from mid-March to May during the long rains, while Gombe is open all year.
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