A Week in Western Tanzania (Mahale & Katavi National Parks)

A week in Western Tanzania takes to Mahale Mountains National Park for chimpanzee trekking and Katavi National Park for the Big 5 game viewing. A 7 Days Western Tanzania Safari in Mahale and Katavi National Parks.

Safari by day Itinerary: A Week in Western Tanzania

Day 1 – 4: Fly from Arusha to Katavi National Park.

Approximately a 4-hour flight, with a stop in Tabora for fuel, will get you to Katavi National Park. This flight serves as a powerful reminder of how isolated and undeveloped this region of Tanzania is. You fly over the country, and for miles all you can see is wilderness.

Chada Katavi

Safari in Katavi national park

Since we first came here 20 years ago, Katavi has hardly altered. We like to explore in Katavi. We stroll through the plains admiring the complete lack of people and traffic. It’s not just that we are standing on the same ground as the big game; it’s also the impression that we are the only ones doing it. In our fly-camp, we take bedrolls and tuck them under a borassus palm. We travel by 4WD to Paradise Plains and enjoy viewing only the wild parts of Africa for kilometres. We don’t want to sound too dramatic, but we can’t image your life not being impacted in even the slightest of ways after something like this.

Days 4 -7: Fly from Katavi to Mahale

A 25-minute flight will get you to Lake Tanganyika’s shores after passing over the Mahale Mountains.

Travel by Dhow to Greystoke Mahale

CHIMP TREKKING at Greystoke, Mahale!!! 🐵🐒 | TANZANIA, AFRICA

When you get to Mahale, one of our wonderful guides will greet you and escort you by dhow to camp. The Mahale Mountains rise from the beach as the boat travels for nearly an hour and a half along the edge of the unbelievably clear Lake Tanganyika. It is always a special moment as you turn the bend and get your first look of our famous Greystoke beach and mess.

Greystoke Mahale

Many different species live with us in the mountains and lake, but it’s the chimpanzees who truly motivate us. Time spent with them is time spent away from everyday life. There’s more, though. Hike the forest trails in search of the various species that silently inhabit this area. Swim in pools created by mountain waterfalls, go kayaking early in the morning, and take in the sunrise over the mountains. Enjoy sunset cocktails on our vintage wooden dhow while stopping to go fishing, or just unwind on the beach’s soft sands with a drink in your hand. We have lived in this extraordinary location for more than 20 years, and we are still in awe of it. There is no way not to be.

Day 8: Fly Mahale to Arusha

This flight will stop for fuel in Katavi and Tabora, and it will last roughly five hours.

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