8-Day Tanzania | Southern Tanzania & Chimps Katavi National Park & Mahale Mountains National Park

The adventure begins when you depart Arusha; your flight will take around four hours, and you will stop to refuel in Tabora before arriving in Katavi National Park. This journey will give you a real sense of just how untouched and remote this part of Tanzania is – there is nothing but wilderness for miles and miles. On arrival at Katavi Airstrip you will be welcomed and embark on a short road transfer to Chada Katavi, where you will enjoy a lunch and settle in.

Katavi is known for fantastic game viewing, without many cars or crowds. As well as vast herds of buffalo roaming the plains there are also plentiful elephant, lion, leopard, crocodile and hippos. The park really comes into its own in the dry months. The water sources become increasingly hard to find; hippos gather in their hundreds at the last waterholes and crocodiles dig big caves into riverbanks to aestivate through the hot season. Katavi is the only place you can see such phenomena. Chada Katavi is a camp that aims to get you out there to really feel Africa, so here you can explore on walking safaris or game drives and night drives in open 4WD vehicles.

Today you could choose to relax in your spacious and comfortable safari tent, the wide-open fronts giving you panoramic views of the plains and animal life that constantly come and go. In fact, you often don’t have to leave your tent verandah to see game of all kinds. Elephant are frequent visitors, attracted to the same shady fruit trees under which you would enjoy sitting, and vast herds of buffalo graze on the floodplain in front of camp. If you prefer some adventure, enjoy a game drive or guided walking safari where animals who would often take flight at the sound of a vehicle won’t even know you’re there. This is what makes walking out here such an incredible experience.

Today you will depart Katavi on a short flight of 25 minutes, journeying over the Mahale Mountains and landing on the banks of Lake Tanganyika. Once you arrive in Mahale, you’ll be met and transported on a dhow, travelling along the shoreline and over the clear waters of Lake Tanganyika while looking at the forested slopes of the Mahale Mountain range as your backdrop. On arrival, after your 90-minute boat trip, you can savour lunch, settle in, relax and embrace your surroundings.

While starting your day with a scrumptious breakfast, you’ll be waiting to hear news of the whereabouts of the chimps and deciding what to do with your day. There are many choices as well as the chimp trekking: fishing, boat trips on the lake, gentle forest walks or a lazy afternoon on the beach. Evenings end with sundowners on the rocks of the headland, where drinks are served around the lamp-lit bar while the mountains behind camp, disappear into the darkness.

Enjoy your day at leisure. Trek to see the chimps, take a dip in the cool pools of a waterfall, kayak over crystal clear waters or just relax on a warm and sandy beach, the choice of activities is yours … just don’t forget to absorb the absolute beauty of your surroundings.

Once again, spend the day at your leisure in this beautiful part of the world! Explore, relax and dine, and repeat your favourite activities, whatever they may be.

Say your goodbyes to Greystoke Mahale as you make your way to the airstrip by boat in time to catch your scheduled shared charter flight back to Arusha. This flight will stop in Tabora to refuel and then continue onto Arusha, where you can carry on with further travel arrangements.