TANZANIA
7NT CHADA KATAVI & GREYSTOKE MAHALE CAMPS
Katavi & Mahale Mountains National Park
TANZANIA
SUMMARY
Duration: 7 nights / 8 days
Reserves/Parks: Katavi & Mahale Mountains National Park
Level: Luxury Bush Camps & Lodges
Period: June to November
4 nights Chada Katavi Camp
3 nights Greystoke Mahale Camp
ITINERARY IN BRIEF
Day 1: Flight Arusha to Katavi
Transfer by road to Chada Katavi
Overnight: 4 Nights at Chada Katavi Camp
Day 5: Transfer to Katavi airstrip
Flight Katavi to Mahale
Boat transfer by Greystoke Mahale to camp
Greystoke Mahale for 3nts - GP Shared - arrive for late lunch
Overnight: 3 nights at Greystoke Mahale
Day 8: Boat transfer to Mahale airstrip
Flight Mahale to Arusha
ACTIVITIES INCLUDED
2 safari game viewing activities per person per day
Game Drives
Walking Safaris
One full day chimp trek
Kayaking,
Forest walks
Boating.
7NT CHADA KATAVI & GREYSTOKE MAHALE CAMPS
OVERVIEW
Tanzania Safari, combining the incredible wildlife within the lesser know and more remote Katavi National Park, before heading west to the highlands and mountains of the Mahale Mountain National Park - home to one of the last remaining areas where wild chimpanzees can still be found.
HIGHLIGHTS
Tanzania
Lake Tanganyika.
Katavi National Park
Mahale Mountain National Park
Unfenced wilderness bush camps
Big 5
Wild Chimpanzees
Game drives
Safari walks
Boats trips
Mountain forests
Remote and untouched, there is nothing but wilderness for miles and miles and where you can see chimpanzees in the wild!
KATAVI NATIONAL PARK is somewhere that, even today, few people have been lucky enough to visit. It feels untouched, remote, almost like travelling back in time.
The park centers on a series of wide flood plains and a network of fragile seasonal rivers that turn the region into mini Okavango Delta after the rains. It is these rivers that form the focus of the game viewing for which Katavi is renowned during the dry season. Water rapidly becomes a limited resource in Katavi during the dry so animals of all kinds are drawn to the Katuma, Kavu and Kapapa Rivers.
Hippo in their thousands cram the remaining pools, crocodiles retire to caves in the mud walls of the river banks, buffalo and elephant are drawn to the rivers to drink. The lion, hyenas and other predators know this.
The MAHALE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. is one of the only places left in the world where you can see chimpanzees in the wild and spend time with a small group.
In the Mahale Mountains, there are still no roads and all you will find are forest paths and tracks made by animals over the years. This, and the fact that the only practical way of reaching camp is by boat, add to the sense of seclusion here.
Flying in over the northern end of the mountains, you'll see nothing for many many miles and only small villages and local fishermen in dhows dotted along the lake shore.
Mahale's mountain ridge is around 50 km in length and runs across the park from the northwest to the southeast. Its tallest peak, Mt Nkungwe at 2462m, is the highest point on Lake Tanganyika's shoreline. The mountains of the Congo, on the opposite side of the lake, can sometimes be seen – some 60kms away – usually during the green season when the air is clear.
7NT CHADA KATAVI & GREYSTOKE MAHALE CAMPS
CHADA KATAVI CAMP
Flying into the camp you will hardly notice Chada Katavi Camp. Instead you will be met by wide open safari plains which promise a wildlife piece of heaven!
Chada Katavi Camp is an unfenced bush camp and we share the environment with the animals.
Nonetheless, the camp is stylish and comfortable with just six luxury walk-in safari tents raised off the ground up on wooden platforms overlooking the edge of the Chada Plain.
Each walk-in tent has a wide-open front and windows to let in the cool passing breeze and a veranda from which to relax and enjoy the surrounding nature.
The en-suite bathrooms have eco-flush toilets with a safari bush shower located under the open skies.
Wildlife and game is everywhere in Katavi – you are immersed in nature here and often you won’t need to leave your tent veranda to see it. Elephant are frequent visitors to the camp and herds of buffalo graze on the flood plain, sometimes right in front of your camp.
Camp Includes - all meals, house drinks, laundry and shared activities including 4x4 game drives and short walks
7NT CHADA KATAVI & GREYSTOKE MAHALE CAMPS
GREYSTOKE MAHALE CAMP
Greystoke Mahale is like no where else on earth. The iconic jungle chic lodge sits on a pristine, white sandy beach overlooking the gin-clear turquoise water of Lake Tanganyika in far-flung western Tanzania. The forested slopes of the 8000ft Mahale Mountains rise dramatically behind and, across the water, you can often see the mountains of the Congo, some 60kms away.
The camp has just six wood and thatch bandas set on the beach at the edge of the forest line at the base of the mountains. Each one has an en-suite bathroom accessible by a short boardwalk, with hot and cold running water, strong showers and flush toilets. Each room also has a dressing room and upstairs chill-out deck.
Dining is in the main mess banda on the beach and sundowners can be enjoyed in the bar on the rocks at the end of the beach.
The main mess is the only structure on the beach and it's the focal point of camp.
Your days start at the main mess; eating breakfast whilst waiting to hear news of the whereabouts of the chimps and deciding what to do with your day.
There are many activities to enjoy as well as the chimp trekking; boat trips down the lake in search of hippo and birdlife, kayaking on the gin-clear water, gentle forest walks or a lazy afternoon on the beach.
Evenings end with sundowners on the rocks of the headland, where drinks are served around the lamp-lit bar whilst the mountains, rising behind camp, disappear into the darkness.
Camp Includes - all meals and house drinks, laundry and shared activities including one chimp trek per full day (minimum age 12 years), kayaking, forest walks (minimum age 12 years) and boating
PACKAGES
PACKAGE INCLUDES
Accommodation
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mineral waters
Soft Drinks
House beers
House Spirits
House Wines
2 safari game viewing activities per person per day
Game Drives
Walking Safaris
One Chimp trek per person (full day)
Kayaking
Forest walks
Boating trips
Tea and Coffee
Laundry
Light Air Flights - Safari connection flights between camps
Airstrip - Lodge road transfers
EXCLUDES
Imported Drinks
International Flights
Visas, travel and medical insurance
All items of a personal nature
Optional activities and fees
All items not specified as included
EOE
Pricing is a guideline only and may depend on the number of guests travelling, travel dates, any special offers that may be applicable to guests travel dates, children's ages, room types and other variations. Contact us for a quote and we will see what Special Deals will be applicable for you.
TAILOR MADE, JUST FOR YOU!
We can also TAILOR MADE a package based on your specific requirements.
If this option doesnt suit your budget, interests or wishes, contact us and let us know what you are looking for and we will quote you based on your particular requirements.
BEST TIME TO GO
This safari combination is best from June to November each year.
HOW TO GET THERE
International Flights to Dar es Salaam or Nairobi.
Domestic flight connection to Arusha
Domestic safari light air flight connection to parks and reserves
Road transfer from airport to your lodge or camp
ITINERARY
DAY 1 | FLY FROM ARUSHA TO KATAVI NATIONAL PARK.
A flight of about 4 hours, with a refuel stop in Tabora before arriving in Katavi National Park. This flight really illustrates just how remote and untouched this part of Tanzania is. There is nothing but wilderness for miles as you fly over the country.
DAYS 1 - 4 | CHADA KATAVI CAMP
We walk out across the plains appreciating the total lack of crowds and vehicles. It's not only having our feet on the ground at the same level as the big game, but the feeling that we are the only people doing so. We take bedrolls and sling them under a borassus palm in our fly-camp. We venture to Paradise Plains by 4WD and appreciate seeing nothing but wild Africa for miles. We don't want to sound too dramatic, but we can't imagine your life not being changed in even the smallest of ways after something like this.
FLY FROM KATAVI TO MAHALE
A short flight of 25 minutes, which takes you over the Mahale Mountains and lands on the banks of Lake Tanganyika.
TRAVEL BY DHOW TO GREYSTOKE MAHALE
Once you arrive in Mahale you will be met by our fabulous guides and taken by dhow to camp. This boat trip takes about an hour and a half and skims along the shoreline of the impossibly clear Lake Tanganyika with the Mahale Mountains rising from the beach. Turning the corner and catching a first glimpse of our iconic Greystoke beach and mess is always a memorable moment.
DAYS 5 - 8 | GREYSTOKE MAHALE CAMP
We share the mountains and the lake with so many animals, but it's the chimps that really inspire us. Time spent with them is time away from everything else that is ordinary. But, there's more. Hike the forest paths looking for all the other animals who quietly live here. Swim in pools up in mountain waterfalls, take a kayak out for a dawn paddle and enjoy the sunrise coming up over the mountains. Have sundowners on our old wooden dhow, stopping to fish along the way, or just relax on the warm sands of the beach with a drink in hand.
DAY 8 | FLY MAHALE TO ARUSHA
This flight will take about five hours, with stops in Katavi and Tabora to refuel.
Onward travel to next destination or home.
GALLERY
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