This unusual safari takes you far away from the well travelled
tourist routes at the Northern Circuit first to Katavi National Park.
Isolated, untrammelled and seldom visited, Katavi is a true wilderness,
providing the few intrepid souls who make it there with a thrilling
taste of Africa as it must have been a century ago. Onwards you travel
to Mahale Mountains set deeply in the heart of the African interior,
inaccessible by overshadowed by a chain of wild, jungle-draped peaks
towering almost 2km above the shore: the remote and mysterious Mahale
Mountains.
Due to the schedule of the flights arrival
into Arusha should be on Monday or Thursday during January/ February
and Sunday or Wednesday during the other months.
Day 01 ARRIVAL
You will be met at the International Airport of Kilimanjaro by your
Driver/Guide and our representative. We will take you to the Mountain
Village Lodge (or similar lodge in Arusha). Our safari
manager will come to meet you and to provide you with a safari briefing.
Dinner.
Day 02 Arusha-Katavi
After breakfast you will be taken to Arusha Airport for your shared
charter flight to Katavi National Park at Southwestern Tanzania
leaving at 08:00 hrs and reaching Katavi at around 11:30. Your guide
will take you to to Katuma Bush Lodge for lunch. The Lodge is situated
in the centre of the park, on an elevated point overlooking the
vast plains of Katisunga. Herds of animals coming in search of fresh
grazing grounds and water provide the perfect view right from your
tent. Tamarind and Acacia trees provide shade and the sunsets behind
the distant woodlands surrounding the seasonal lake provide a perfect
background to the stunning scenery. Accomodation is at spacious
tents, where every minor detail has been addressed to ensure comfort
and luxury – from sumptuous linens to international cuisine,
blending in with the natural surroundings to uphold the spirit of
Katavi.
After lunch your personal safari itinerary will be designed and
you start to explore Katavi on your first game drive .
Overnight at Katuma Bush Lodge. All meals included
Day 03/04 Katavi National Park
2 full days at Katavi National Park Tanzania's third largest national
park, it lies in the remote southwest of the country, within a truncated
arm of the Rift Valley that terminates in the shallow, brooding
expanse of Lake Rukwa. You go on game drives around woodland areas
along the seasonal lakes of Chada and Katavi, where most of the
game is found - including the big cats. You go on a walking safari
into some of the most spectacular sites in the park, allowing clients
to enjoy the unique tranquil bliss of being a part of nature while
an armed ranger is joining you.
2 x overnight at Katuma Bush Lodge. All meals included
Day 05 Katavi-Mahale
Morning at leisure until your departure to Katavi Airstrip (with
a packed lunch) for your your short scenic flight to Mahale Mountain
National Park located at the banks of Lake Tanganyika. At Mahale
Airstrip your boat is waiting for you to take you to Kungwe Beach
Lodge located on a long stretch of Lake Tanganyika’s golden
sandy shores beneath magnificent Mahale Mountains. The camp consists
of 10 spacious and luxurious tents with en-suite facilities overlooking
the crystal clear waters of Tanganyika. The camp manager is waiting
for you for a briefing and to discuss your customized programme
for you. In the afternoon you go on a first short Chimpanzee Tracking
in the forest near the camp.
Overnight at Kungwe Beach Lodge. All meals included
Day 06/07/08 Mahale National Park
3 full days at Lake Tanganyika to explore Mahale Mountains. Chimpanzee
tracking is the main attraction at Mahale, and is always given a
high priority. Tracking usually begins early in the morning, with
the Guides usually starting at the area where the Chimpanzees nested
the previous night and tracking from there. In Mahale tracking can
take up to four hours. Chimpanzees move in search of fruit, and
are never far away if there’s an abundance of fruit nearby.
Other activities include walking on the beach, swimming and snorkeling
in the cristall clear waters of Tanganyika. Also fishing trips to
Tanganyika being an angler’s paradise can be arranged with
experienced boatmen of the camp (boat trips at some extra cost).
It is also possible to visit local fishing villages close to the
park and get first hand experience of life in a typical African
village.
3 x Overnight at Kungwe Beach Lodge. All meals
included
Day 09 Mahale-Arusha
Morning at leisure at the beach before your boat transfer to Mahale
Airstrip for your shared charter flight back to Arusha. Arrival
there at around 17:30 and transfer back to Mountain Village
Lodge for overnight.
All meals included
Day 10 Departure
Departure Transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport for departure or extension.
NB – if you plan to proceed to Zanzibar
there might be an option that you are dropped off at Kigoma Town
for overnight and fly to Zanzibar the next day.
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