A family of chimpanzees shares a close, affectionate moment on a rocky forest outcrop.

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Mahale and Katavi: Nine Days in Tanzania’s Far West

Chimpanzee trekking at Mahale on the shore of Lake Tanganyika, then Katavi's dry-season hippo and buffalo concentrations, reached entirely by charter flight and boat.

Enquire about this trip See the day by day

Duration9 Days / 8 Nights

Group size2 – 6 travellers

Best monthsJuly – October for both chimp trekking conditions at Mahale and peak dry-season concentrations at Katavi

From$7,480 per person sharing

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The Trip in Short

Mahale Mountains National Park has no road access at all. You fly to Mahale’s own bush airstrip or to nearby Mpanda, then finish the journey by boat along Lake Tanganyika, arriving at a shoreline that looks out over water rather than savannah: an odd, memorable setting for a chimpanzee trek. The park’s habituated chimp community lives on forested slopes running straight down to the beach.

Katavi, reached by a further short charter, could not be more different: a dry, remote park where the dry season squeezes huge numbers of hippo and buffalo into a handful of shrinking pools, with some of the lowest visitor numbers of any major Tanzanian park.

Park fees and rules on the Tanzanian mainland are set by Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA).

Highlights

Habituated chimpanzee trekking on forested slopes above Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika boat transfers, the only way in or out of Mahale
Some of the lowest visitor numbers of any major Tanzanian park
Katavi's dry-season hippo pools, packed shoulder to shoulder in the driest months
Large buffalo herds and healthy lion and leopard populations at Katavi
A genuinely remote add-on for travellers who have already done the northern circuit

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Where You Go, Stop by Stop

Day 1

Arusha or Dar es Salaam to Mahale (charter and boat)

Day 2–3

Chimpanzee trekking, Mahale

Day 4

Mahale to Katavi (charter flight)

Day 5–7

Katavi game drives

Day 8

Katavi, final game drive

Day 9

Return flights to Arusha or Dar es Salaam

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Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival at Mahale

A charter flight from Arusha or Dar es Salaam to Mahale's airstrip or to Mpanda, followed by a boat transfer along Lake Tanganyika's shoreline to camp: the only way in, since no road reaches the park.

Day 2–3: Chimpanzee Trekking

Two days trekking the forested slopes above the lake with local guides and trackers, following a habituated chimpanzee community through terrain that ranges from easy lakeshore paths to steep, humid forest. Sightings are not guaranteed on any single day, which is why two full days are built in.

Day 4: Mahale to Katavi

A further short charter flight east to Katavi, one of Tanzania's least-visited parks, landing on a dirt airstrip a short drive from camp.

Day 5–7: Katavi Game Drives

Three full days exploring Katavi's floodplains and dry-season waterholes, where hippos crowd into shrinking pools in numbers rarely seen elsewhere and buffalo herds run into the thousands.

Day 8: Final Game Drive

A last full day in Katavi, with the option of a walking safari in areas where it is permitted.

Day 9: Departure

Charter flights back to Arusha or Dar es Salaam for onward connections.

From

$7,480

Enquire about this trip

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What the Price Covers

Included

All internal charter flights as itemised
Lake Tanganyika boat transfers
Mahale chimpanzee trekking permits
Katavi National Park entrance and conservation fees
All accommodation on a full-board basis
Professional guides at both Mahale and Katavi
All meals and bottled water throughout

Not included

International flights and visas
Travel and medical insurance, including evacuation cover
Tips for guides, trackers and camp staff
Alcoholic drinks
Any activities outside the fixed itinerary

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Before You Book

Why is this trip so much more expensive per day than a northern circuit safari?

Almost entirely the cost of charter flights and boat transfers: there is no road network serving either park, so all movement is by small aircraft or boat, which is priced accordingly.

Is chimpanzee trekking here as strenuous as Uganda's Kibale or Bwindi?

Terrain varies from easy lakeshore walking to steep forest slopes; a reasonable level of fitness is expected, though it is generally less demanding than a full-day Bwindi gorilla trek.

How remote is Katavi really?

Genuinely remote: it receives a small fraction of the visitors the northern circuit parks see in a year, which is precisely its appeal for travellers who have already done the classic route.

Can this trip be shortened?

Not by much without losing the point of it: the charter flights and boat transfers are fixed costs regardless of how many days you spend at each park, so a shorter trip saves little.

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Where This Trip Goes

Nyerere National Park

Tanzania · National Park

Carved from the old Selous Game Reserve, one of Africa's largest national parks, with boat safaris on the Rufiji River and walking safaris rarely offered further…

Ngorongoro Crater

Tanzania · Reserve

A volcanic caldera roughly 20 km across, holding one of Africa's highest sustained densities of wildlife within its own walls year-round.

Lake Manyara National Park

Tanzania · National Park

A narrow park between the Rift Valley escarpment and a soda lake, known for tree-climbing lions and strong flamingo numbers.

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Mahale and Katavi: Nine Days in Tanzania’s Far West