This journey offers the perfect combination of a classic bush safari and a lakeside retreat. Travel far off the beaten track to one of Tanzania’s most remote and least-visited wilderness areas, where you can enjoy the rare sense of having Africa almost entirely to yourself.
Katavi National Park, Tanzania’s third-largest national park, delivers exceptional game drives with encounters among some of the country’s largest concentrations of hippos, crocodiles, and buffalo. Visiting between May and June also provides excellent opportunities to observe migratory birdlife. Highlights include immersive game drives, bush breakfasts or lunches, and unforgettable sundowners around a campfire. For a more exclusive experience, opt for a night game drive or reserve a private vehicle tailored to your safari style.
With the only lodge located inside the park, Mbali Mbali offers privileged access to Tanzania’s smallest national park. Gombe Stream National Park is a fragile ribbon of chimpanzee habitat stretching across steep forested slopes and river valleys along the northern shores of Lake Tanganyika.
Gombe’s chimpanzees, long habituated to human presence, were made world-famous through the pioneering work of Jane Goodall. In the 1960s, she established a behavioral research program here, now recognized as the longest-running chimpanzee study of its kind in the world.
Kigoma, the largest town on the Tanzanian shores of Lake Tanganyika, adds a cultural dimension to the journey. Take time to explore its lively streets, enjoy a historical tour, and visit the site where Stanley and Livingstone famously met.
You may also experience daily life along the lakeshore by visiting local fish markets or passing through the port, where you can catch a glimpse of the historic MV Liemba, now operating as a passenger and cargo ferry after once patrolling the lake during the German colonial era.
After breakfast, transfer to the airstrip for your shared charter flight from Arusha Airport to Katavi Airstrip. Shared charter flights operate on Mondays and Thursdays only. On arrival, enjoy a vehicle transfer to the lodge, combined with game drives if time allows.
Upon arrival at the lodge, you will be welcomed by the staff with introductions, followed by lunch. In the afternoon or early evening, head out on your first game drive before returning to the lodge for sundowners, dinner, and an overnight stay.
After breakfast, depart for a morning game drive in Katavi National Park, home to some of Tanzania’s largest concentrations of hippos, crocodiles, and buffalo. Return to the lodge for brunch or an early lunch.
The afternoon is at leisure, with the option to relax at the lodge before setting out for another game drive in the late afternoon or early evening. Enjoy sundowners around the campfire, dinner, and overnight at the lodge.
Following breakfast, depart for a full-day game drive in Katavi National Park, with a packed lunch provided to enjoy in the bush. Explore the park’s remote landscapes and diverse wildlife at your own pace.
Return to the lodge in the late afternoon for sundowners, dinner, and overnight. For those seeking a unique experience, an optional night game drive can be arranged to observe nocturnal wildlife.
After breakfast, set out on a morning game drive in the park, followed by a return to the lodge for brunch or early lunch.
The afternoon is at leisure before enjoying another game drive in the late afternoon or early evening. End the day with sundowners, dinner, and overnight at the lodge.
After breakfast, enjoy a morning vehicle transfer to Katavi Airstrip, combined with a final game drive if time allows. Board your shared charter flight to Kigoma Airport. Shared charter flights operate on Mondays and Thursdays only.
On arrival in Kigoma, transfer to Kigoma Hilltop Hotel and then continue by dhow boat across Lake Tanganyika (approx. 1.5 hours) to the lodge. Upon arrival, you will be welcomed by the staff, followed by lunch. In the afternoon or early evening, enjoy chimpanzee trekking or a forest walk, with sundowners, dinner, and overnight at the lodge.
After breakfast, depart for morning chimpanzee trekking in Gombe Stream National Park, home to habituated chimpanzees studied since the 1960s. Return to the lodge for a hot lunch.
The afternoon is at leisure, with the option to kayak along Lake Tanganyika or book an optional boat safari. The day concludes with evening sundowners, dinner, and overnight at the lodge.
Following breakfast, transfer back by dhow boat (approx. 1.5 hours) to Kigoma Hilltop Hotel.
Spend the afternoon at leisure, perhaps relaxing by the swimming pool, before enjoying dinner at the hotel restaurant. Overnight at Kigoma Hilltop Hotel.
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