HIGHLIGHTS
GREAT FOR
Honeymooners – No crowds and superb, intimate accommodation with thrilling activities
Photographers – Capture some of Africa’s liveliest primates in their untouched forest home
AVAILABLE ACTIVITIES
Chimpanzee tracking
Game drives
Nature walks
Birding
BEST TIME TO GO
High Season⊕: July to October
Green Season⊕: November to June
OVERVIEW
If you’re lucky enough to have been on safari a few times and still haven’t scratched the safari bug, then it’s time to roll out destinations that promise some of the wildest landscapes, fewest people and most remote destinations possible…
This highly adventurous itinerary pairs the lesser-known national parks in the west – Katavi and Mahale Mountains – for more off-the-beaten track activities. In Katavi, you can go fly-camping, walking, have bush picnics and likely never see another vehicle. At Mahale Mountains, Lake Tanganyika provides the playground for boating and swimming while the eponymous mountains are the ultimate drawcard as the home of a sizable and healthy chimpanzee population. You’ll spend time with these intelligent, agile and expressive primates in a pristine forest.
TRIP SUMMARY
DURATION
8 Nights / 9 Days
DESTINATIONS VISITED
Arusha, Tanzania
Katavi National Park, Tanzania
Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania
ACCOMMODATIONS VISITED
DAILY ITINERARY
From Kilimanjaro International Airport, you’ll be driven to Rivertrees Country Inn which – ironically – has a view of ‘Kili’ itself, as Africa’s tallest peak is known. Rivertrees, in the safari town of Arusha, is a great place to unwind after a flight and before you start one of the most special journeys in Tanzania.
Like many estates here, it has its roots in coffee cultivation and retains plenty of farmstead charms, like roaring fireplaces, thatched roofs and frothy mosquito nets.
Why we love Rivertrees Country Inn:
- Lots of room configurations for different travellers
- Being ‘unknotted’ in the secluded massage hut
- Swimming a few laps in the sparkling pool
- Delicious country cuisine in the charming restaurant
A good night’s sleep and a filling breakfast will set you up for a travelling day as there is a fairly long flight from Arusha in the north to Katavi National Park in the west. This is one of the least-visited parks anywhere in Africa and all the more exciting because of that. This is the world as it used to be.
Your lodge for three nights is Chada Katavi: it has everything you need and nothing you don’t!
Why we love Chada Katavi:
- Overnight fly-camping right in the open
- Guided nature walks to absorb all of nature
- True remoteness with very few other people
- Vast numbers of hippos, crocodiles and elephants
Now for one of the most special activities anywhere in Africa: trekking habituated chimpanzees! After the wild excitement provided by Katavi, it’s time to up the ante by heading even further west to Mahale Mountains National Park on Lake Tanganyika.
Your sublime base is Greystoke Mahale, a fairy-tale beach lodge. From here, you will set off to find chimp families that have been slowly introduced to humans so you can spend time with them. Be fit – when they move, they move fast.
Why we love Greystoke Mahale:
- Unique beach lodge on Lake Tanganyika
- Low-key eco-friendly huts right on the sand
- Pristine forest above and glass-clear waters below
- Phenomenal habituated chimpanzee trekking
INCLUDED*
EXCLUDED*
* Subject to change. Your personal consultant will confirm all the details with you while helping you plan your safari to Africa so you have a full understanding of costs with no surprises.
