Mahale Chimpanzee & Katavi Wilderness Safari

Fly via Arusha or Dar es Salaam to Mahale, accessible only by light aircraft and then a short boat transfer across Lake Tanganyika to camp. The approach by boat, with the Mahale Mountains rising directly from the water's edge, is one of Tanzania's great arrival experiences. Afternoon at leisure on the lake shore.

An early morning trek into the Mahale Mountains forest in search of the habituated M-group chimpanzee community, one of the world's largest. Expert Tanzanian guides with decades of knowledge of the group's territories lead the trek, which typically takes 1–4 hours to locate the family. A one-hour visit with the chimpanzees at close range follows. Afternoon kayaking or snorkelling in the extraordinarily clear water of Lake Tanganyika.

A second guided trek in search of the chimpanzee community, with the flexibility to follow a different group or locate the same family in a different part of their territory. Afternoon at leisure: swimming from the camp's private beach, fishing with local guides on the lake, or simply reading in a dhow timber sala over the water.

A charter flight from Mahale's lake-shore airstrip to Katavi, one of Tanzania's most remote and least-visited national parks. The flight itself covers extraordinary terrain: Lake Tanganyika's southern arm, the Rukwa Valley, and the vast Katavi floodplain. Check in and an afternoon game drive to introduce the park.

A full day in Katavi during the dry season (July–October) is unlike anywhere else in Africa. The park's seasonal rivers contract to a handful of pools where thousands of hippos are forced together in extraordinary concentrations. Buffalo herds of 1,000 or more move across the floodplain, and the predator activity that follows them, lion, leopard, wild dog, and hyena, is at its most intense.

Another day in Katavi's extraordinary wilderness. Walking safaris from Chada lead through the floodplain edges and riverine forest, where the absence of other guests and the guides' deep ecosystem knowledge creates a genuine sense of discovery. Evening: sundowner on the floodplain as the hippos begin to emerge.

A third full day in Katavi, with flexibility to explore different areas of the park or revisit the most productive game-viewing sites. The park's vast size and near-total absence of other visitors mean that each drive covers genuinely fresh ground. Optional specialist photography guidance from Chada's expert team.

A final morning game drive before the charter flight back to Arusha or Dar es Salaam for your onward or international connection. End of Saringi Tours services.