10-Day Western Circuit: Gombe, Mahale & Katavi

Your adventure begins in Dar es Salaam. A member of the Gip Adventure team meets you at 08:00 at Julius Nyerere International Airport or at your hotel in the city and checks you in for your domestic flight west to Kigoma, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika.

At Kigoma Airport another member of our team is waiting to welcome you and drive you the short distance to your hotel in Kigoma, a relaxed retreat above the lake with private verandas, warm and lively staff and every modern comfort for the weary traveller.

Spend the rest of the day unwinding with sweeping views across Lake Tanganyika – the longest freshwater lake in the world and the deepest and oldest in Africa – catching the lake breeze before a hearty dinner and your first night in western Tanzania.

After a hearty breakfast at around 08:00, you transfer south to Mahale Mountains National Park, 100 km from Kigoma and stretching 50 km along Lake Tanganyika – the longest lake in the world, among the oldest and least polluted, and home to more than 1,000 species of fish.

Your luxurious lodge stands on the beach beside the Mahale forest, with breathtaking views across the clear water. Settle in, then gaze at the sunset with a sundowner around a crackling fire or a candlelit barbecue on the beach, and fall asleep to the chirp of crickets and the hoots of the chimpanzees. All meals and overnight in Mahale.

Some 800 wild chimpanzees are Mahale's star attraction, sharing the forest with red colobus, blue and red-tailed monkeys – which the chimps sometimes hunt – along with butterflies and colourful birds. Mahale is a park explored on foot, and today you follow your ranger into the forest to find a chimpanzee community.

In the wild you may see them preening each other, squabbling noisily, huddling together or swinging from branch to branch. Back on the beach, cool off with a swim in the lake or try a spot of fishing. Dinner and overnight in Mahale.

The Mahale range rises to 2,462 m at Mount Nkungwe, with other peaks above 2,000 m including Tambila, Mfitwa, Sibindi and Muhesabantu. Hiking these slopes – especially towards Nkungwe – reveals the topographic centrepiece of the whole park, with Lake Tanganyika spread out below.

Other options today include birdwatching, a visit to the sacred sites of the Tongwe people, kayaking along the shore or another session with the chimpanzees. The client itinerary also suggests the Kalambo Falls, described as Africa's second-highest free-falling waterfall. Dinner and overnight in Mahale.

After breakfast at around 08:00, you travel north along the lake to Gombe Stream National Park. Your lodge here sits in the shade of ancient forest trees on the shore of Lake Tanganyika, offering complete privacy, a small library, outstanding service and wonderful views.

Gombe covers just 56 km² and rises to 1,524 m, yet it is famous for its prolific primates – chimpanzees above all, along with red-tailed, red colobus and blue monkeys. Spend the afternoon on a lakeshore walk and enjoy the pretty evening hues over the water. All meals and overnight in Gombe.

Wake to breezy mornings, birdsong and a clear blue sky. Chimpanzee tracking is the main activity in Gombe, and today you head into the forest with your ranger to find one of the park's famous communities, spending time watching them feed, play and groom.

Afterwards, swim from the beach, go birdwatching along the forest edge or simply relax by the lake. Dinner and overnight in Gombe.

A second full day in Gombe offers more time with the chimpanzees, plus a hike to the Kakombe Waterfall and up to Jane's Peak for scenic views across the forest and the lake.

The afternoon is free for swimming, hiking or lakeshore walks, and for watching the sun go down over Lake Tanganyika on your final evening in Gombe. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

After breakfast at around 08:00, you set off for Katavi National Park in Tanzania's far south-west, east of Lake Tanganyika. Lunch is taken at a picnic site in the park, followed by a short game drive before you reach your lodge in the heart of Katavi, overlooking the vast Katisunga plains.

Katavi covers 4,471 km² and is isolated, untrammelled and seldom visited – a true wilderness with few vehicles and the silence broken only by the calls of its animals. Your lodge offers an authentic bush experience, with open game-drive vehicles and even night game drives. All meals and overnight in Katavi.

Spend the whole day exploring Katavi. The park supports Tanzania's densest concentrations of hippos and crocodiles, and along the waterways large pods of hippos crowd together, leading to territorial disputes and fearsome fights. Elephant parades, huge herds of buffalo, giraffe, zebra, reedbuck and impala provide food for large lion prides and clans of hyena.

Katavi is also a haven for waders, waterfowl and passerine birds. Return to the lodge for a well-earned rest and, if you wish, a night game drive to look for the nocturnal side of the bush. Dinner and overnight in Katavi.

After breakfast at around 08:00, you are transferred to Sitalike airstrip for your domestic flight to Dar es Salaam, where you connect with your international flight home.

Our safari ends here, with memories of chimpanzees, mountains and the wild plains of Katavi to take home.