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Zebras drinking at a waterhole below acacia trees

Western Tanzania · Remote & wild

Mahale / Katavi

Chimpanzee tracking in forested mountains above Lake Tanganyika, paired with the floodplains of Katavi.

Best time
Jul–Oct
Getting there
Scheduled charter from Arusha
We suggest
3–5 nights each
Known for
Chimpanzees, buffalo, hippo
The landscape

The far west

The Mahale Mountains rise straight out of Lake Tanganyika, one of the longest and deepest freshwater lakes in the world. There are no roads: you arrive by light aircraft and boat, and the forest above the beach is home to wild chimpanzees studied by researchers for decades.

Katavi, a short flight east, is its opposite: open floodplains, the Katuma river and palm-lined lakes. In the late dry season the water shrinks and huge buffalo herds and hundreds of hippo crowd in.

Cape buffalo bull lying in dry grass
Why go

The best of Mahale / Katavi

  1. An hour with the chimpanzees in the forest
  2. A dhow along the lake shore
  3. Driving all day in Katavi without seeing another vehicle
  4. Snorkelling in Lake Tanganyika
Wildlife

What you may see in Mahale / Katavi

Wild animals keep their own schedule — these are the species our guides know best here.

  • Chimpanzee

    A habituated group in the Mahale forest; visits are limited to one hour.

  • Buffalo

    Herds in the hundreds on the Katavi plains.

  • Hippo

    Remarkable concentrations in the Katuma river.

  • Lion

    Following the buffalo in Katavi.

  • Crocodile

    In the rivers and caves of Katavi.

When to go

The west through the year

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Chimpanzees on the lower slopes
Katavi herds and hippo pools

Most camps close from mid-March to May. Flights run on set days, so trips follow the charter schedule.

  • Quiet
  • Fair
  • Good
  • Peak

Tap a cell to see the month.

Where to go

Two parks, two worlds

  1. Mahale forest

    Steep forest trails where the chimpanzee group ranges.

  2. Lake Tanganyika shore

    White beaches and water clear enough to snorkel among cichlid fish.

  3. Katisunga plain

    The great floodplain of Katavi, with buffalo, giraffe and lion.

  4. Katuma river

    Where the hippo crowd into shrinking pools late in the dry season.

Good to know

Before you go to Mahale / Katavi

Fitness
Chimpanzee treks can be steep and humid; a reasonable level of fitness helps.
Luggage
Soft bags only, with a strict weight limit on the light aircraft.
Age
Chimpanzee trekking has a minimum age; ask us for details.
Safaris

Journeys that include Mahale / Katavi

All safaris
Hippos surfacing in the river

11 days · 10 nights Walking

Chimpanzees & Wild Frontiers

Tanzania at its least visited — floodplain game drives, forest chimpanzee tracking, and the lake.

Katavi · Mahale · Lake Tanganyika

From $12,400 pp

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Destinations

Explore more of Tanzania

Dirt road across the green Serengeti plains

Serengeti

Plains & kopjes

Endless short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes — the stage for big cats, and for the migration as it moves through.

Best: Jun–Oct · Jan–Mar

Mist rolling along the Ngorongoro crater rim

Ngorongoro Crater

Caldera floor

A collapsed volcano holding 260 square kilometres of grassland, soda lake and forest, with resident wildlife year round.

Best: Jun–Oct

Baobab tree above the Tarangire bush

Tarangire

Baobabs & elephant

Great elephant herds along a single dry-season river, under some of the oldest baobabs in East Africa.

Best: Jul–Oct

Lionesses on a fallen tree

Lake Manyara

Rift escarpment

Groundwater forest, an alkaline lake and the wall of the Rift Valley within a compact, easily added park.

Best: Jun–Oct

Lion pride resting on a grassy rise

Ruaha

Southern wilderness

Tanzania's largest park: baobab hills, sand rivers and exceptional numbers of lion and wild dog, with very few vehicles.

Best: Jun–Oct

Hippos surfacing in the river

Nyerere / Selous

Rivers & boating

The Rufiji river system opens up safari by boat and on foot, alongside classic game drives.

Best: Jun–Oct

Trekkers climbing a heath-covered mountain ridge

Kilimanjaro

Roof of Africa

Africa's highest peak, climbed over six to nine days on the Lemosho, Machame or Rongai routes.

Best: Jan–Mar · Jun–Oct

Horse riding along a white-sand beach at low tide

Zanzibar

Indian Ocean

Reef, dhows and Stone Town — the natural pause at the end of a safari.

Best: Jun–Oct · Dec–Feb

View from an escarpment over the valley under a passing storm

Arusha & Lake Eyasi

Culture & arrival

Where journeys begin, and where time with Hadzabe and Datoga communities adds a cultural layer.

Best: All year

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Plan with us

Plan your time in Mahale / Katavi

Tell us your dates and how you like to travel. We will reply with a route and honest pricing within 24 hours.

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