6 Days Katavi Wildlife & Mahale Chimpanzee Safari
Tour Overview
This is western Tanzania at its wildest — two remote parks that very few travellers ever see. Start in Katavi National Park, famous for huge buffalo herds, crowded hippo pools, big lion prides and having almost no other vehicles around.
Then fly on to Mahale Mountains National Park, where forested mountains drop straight into Lake Tanganyika. Here you spend two days trekking to see wild chimpanzees, with lazy afternoons on the beach in between. It is the classic western circuit and one of the most rewarding safaris in East Africa.
Detailed Itinerary
Morning light-aircraft flight from Arusha to Katavi. Your guide meets you at the airstrip for a game drive on the way to camp. Katavi's floodplains and the Katuma River attract big herds of buffalo, elephant, giraffe and zebra, along with lion and leopard. Dinner and overnight at a tented camp in the park.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
A full day exploring Katavi on morning and afternoon game drives, or a guided walking safari with an armed ranger. In the dry season hundreds of hippos gather in the shrinking river pools, and crocodiles crowd the riverbanks. Picnic or camp lunch. Dinner and overnight in Katavi.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A last early game drive, then a short flight to the Mahale airstrip. Board a boat along the shore of Lake Tanganyika to your beach camp at the foot of the Mahale Mountains. Afternoon to swim and relax. Dinner and overnight at the camp.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Head into the forest with your guide and park ranger to find the habituated M-group chimpanzees. Trackers locate the group early in the morning, and the walk can take from 30 minutes to a few hours. Spend up to one hour watching the chimps groom, feed and play. Afternoon at leisure on the lake. Dinner and overnight at the camp.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A second morning trek for another encounter with the chimpanzees, plus a chance to see red colobus monkeys and forest birds. In the late afternoon, enjoy a sunset dhow cruise on Lake Tanganyika. Dinner and overnight at the camp.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, take the boat back 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
They are close together and share the same flights, so it is easy to combine big-game safari in Katavi with chimpanzee trekking in Mahale in one trip — the best of both worlds in western Tanzania.
Katavi is easy game-driving. For Mahale you need moderate fitness, as the forest trails are steep and can be slippery. Our guides set a comfortable pace.
Chimpanzee trekking is open to guests aged 12 and over. Katavi game drives are suitable for all ages.
July to October is ideal — wildlife gathers around the water in Katavi and the Mahale chimpanzees are often lower down the mountain. Camps in both parks usually close during the long rains from mid-March to May.
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