18 Day West Tanzania Safari -
Gombe Chimpanzee Trekking &
Katavi National Park Adventure

A full day to unwind after your trekking adventure. Optional activities include swimming, kayaking, village walks, or simply enjoying the peaceful lakeside atmosphere. This is a perfect moment to recharge before continuing your safari.

Depart Kigoma for Katavi National Park via a scenic and remote route. Along the way, enjoy changing landscapes including forest, open plains, and small villages. Upon entering Katavi, begin your first game drive. The park is known for its large concentrations of wildlife, especially around the Katuma River, where hippos and crocodiles gather. Overnight in Katavi.

Into the Wild

Spend two full days exploring the vast and untouched wilderness of Katavi National Park, one of Africa’s most remote safari destinations. These days are dedicated to immersive game drives across different habitats, including open floodplains, miombo woodland, and river systems.

Expect extraordinary wildlife concentrations, especially during the dry season, when thousands of buffalo, elephants, and hippos gather around shrinking water sources. Large crocodiles can often be seen along the Katuma River, while predators such as lions, hyenas, and occasionally wild dogs follow the herds.

Your experienced guide will adapt each game drive to maximize sightings and explore different areas of the park, ensuring varied landscapes and wildlife encounters. You may visit seasonal lakes rich in birdlife, with over 400 species recorded, making this a paradise for bird enthusiasts.

A highlight is the visit to the sacred tamarind tree, an important cultural site for the local Wabende tribe, offering insight into the spiritual traditions of the region.

With very few visitors in the park, you will often experience hours of uninterrupted wildlife viewing without encountering other vehicles—creating a truly exclusive and authentic safari atmosphere.

Picnic lunches in the bush and optional full-day or split game drives (morning and afternoon) allow for flexible exploration.

After a final morning game drive, leave Katavi and travel toward Lake Tanganyika. The journey includes both paved and off-road sections through rural landscapes. Arrival at a remote lakeshore lodge where you can relax by the water and enjoy sunset views.

Enjoy two full days at the crystal-clear shores of Lake Tanganyika, one of the most beautiful and least explored lakes in Africa. Your lakeside lodge offers a peaceful and remote setting, perfect for unwinding after your safari adventure.

You can spend your time as actively or as leisurely as you wish. Swim in the calm, fresh waters of the lake, go kayaking along the shore, or explore nearby fishing villages to experience local life. Snorkeling is also possible, with unique freshwater fish species found only in this lake.

For those seeking relaxation, simply enjoy the stunning panoramic views, read a book by the beach, or watch the spectacular sunsets over the water. The atmosphere is quiet, untouched, and ideal for disconnecting from the outside world.

Optional guided walks and cultural interactions can be arranged, offering deeper insight into the region and its people.

Depart the lakeshore and drive toward Mpanda. This is a scenic journey through remote countryside, offering a final glimpse of western Tanzania’s landscapes and rural life. Overnight in Mpanda or prepare for your onward flight.

Transfer for your domestic flight from Mpanda to Dar es Salaam. End of your unforgettable West Tanzania safari adventure.

In 1960, a 26-year-old British woman named Jane Goodall arrived in Gombe, with no formal scientific training – just a notebook, binoculars, and a passion for animals. Sponsored by the famed anthropologist Louis Leakey, she began what would become the longest-running field study of any wild animal species.

Her groundbreaking discovery – that chimpanzees make and use tools – redefined our understanding of what separates humans from other animals. She observed them stripping leaves off twigs to “fish” for termites, a behavior previously thought to be uniquely human.

Jane also documented the rich emotional and social lives of chimpanzees: their deep familial bonds, playful behavior, and even wars between rival groups. These insights profoundly influenced fields ranging from primatology and anthropology to conservation and ethics.

Accompanied by a trained park ranger, we trek through the ancient rainforest in search of chimpanzee families, listening for their high-pitched calls echoing through the canopy. While the hike can be challenging due to steep terrain, the reward is immense: sitting quietly and observing wild chimps grooming, playing, or foraging – often just a few meters away – is an unforgettable, humbling experience.

Along the way, you may also spot other primates such as:

• Olive baboons

• Red-tailed monkeys

• Red colobus monkeys

• Blue monkeys

• Colobus monkeys

In addition to the wildlife, Gombe offers stunning landscapes: we hike to a scenic waterfall, and climb to an elevated viewpoint overlooking the lake. On clear days, you can see across to the mountains of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A Walk Through History

Your guide may also point out locations where Jane Goodall set up her original feeding stations and observation posts. You’ll learn about the chimpanzees by name – like David Greybeard, the first chimp who trusted Jane, and Flo, the matriarch of a line that researchers followed for decades.

There’s an optional visit to the Gombe Research Center, where Goodall’s research legacy continues through the Jane Goodall Institute, which supports conservation and community education across Africa.