This eight-night route runs through the quiet west of Tanzania, beginning with a single night in Arusha, the staging town beneath Mount Meru where northern journeys start. From there it turns to Katavi, one of the least-visited parks of its size, where the dry season concentrates hippos, buffalo and elephants on a shrinking plain. It closes in the Mahale Mountains, a lakeshore rainforest on Lake Tanganyika where wild chimpanzees are tracked on foot.
You travel by light aircraft between the parks, with game drives in open 4×4 vehicles on the Chada Plain and trekking on steep forested slopes at Mahale. The camps are small and simple in the way remote places require, strong on guiding and set among the country rather than behind glass. Each is the right base for what its region offers, from open grassland to white-sand beach.
The first night settles you on the western edge of Arusha, at 1,400 metres on the southern slopes of Mount Meru, before the flights west begin. This is the region's logistical hinge rather than its main event, a calm place to rest after the long haul in. You can walk the estate and taste the roast at an unhurried pace. Legendary Lodge stands on the century-old Selian Coffee Estate, its twelve cottages scattered through tropical gardens and rows of coffee, with the airport fifteen minutes away and the arrival handled without fuss.
Four nights are given to Katavi, reached by light aircraft from Arusha and a short transfer or game drive from Ikuu airstrip. Days turn on morning, afternoon and full-day drives in open 4x4 vehicles across the Chada Plain. As the dry season tightens from June to October, the Katuma River and scattered pools shrink and the wildlife gathers around what water remains, with hundreds of hippos crowding the pools, crocodiles on the banks and buffalo in their thousands. Chada Camp holds just six canvas tents under tamarind and acacia on the edge of the plain, where elephants come for the fruits and lions turn up often.
The final three nights sit on a white-sand beach on Lake Tanganyika, inside Mahale Mountains National Park, reached by light aircraft and then a dhow along the lake. Mornings begin with a trek into the hills, guides and rangers reading the signs until the habituated chimpanzees of the M-group are found, tracked on foot with no vehicle involved. A trek might be a gentle walk or several steep hours. Afternoons turn to the water, with swimming, snorkelling among more than 250 species of cichlid, kayaking or a sunset dhow. Greystoke Mahale is a six-banda lodge built from old dhow timbers, forest climbing steeply behind it.
Ed Charles, BBC Producer
Fitzroy are true specialists in accessing the wilderness. They know where to go and importantly, when to go there. Highly recommended.
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
Every journey starts with a conversation. We favour a direct, personal approach: understanding your vision before anything else.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape a journey that is both thoughtfully considered and expertly delivered.
Get in touch to start planning yours.
