10 Day Chimpanzee Safari Gombe Stream & Mahale Mountains

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Tanzania- Dar es Salaam (Optional)

If you have chosen to be picked-up by us from Julius Kambarage Nyerere International Airport, you will be picked up from the airport by a Kilele Climb representative and conveyed to your accommodation in Dar es Salaam where you will overnight, relax, and prepare in anticipation of the adventures to come, restore and enjoy your first taste of Africa

Day 2: Dar Es Salaam – Kigoma

In the morning after breakfast, you’ll be driven to Julius Nyerere Airport for your flight to Kigoma. You’ll be picked up on arrival at Kigoma and driven to the Lake Tanganyika Beach hotel for lunch. After lunch, you will visit the Dr. Livingstone memorial at Ujiji village where, under the shade of two historical mango trees, the Caretaker will regale you with tales about Dr. Livingstone and his famous African expedition.

As the day comes to an end, we’ll take you to Kigoma Hilltop Hotel where you can relax and enjoy the views over Lake Tanganyika as the sun goes down.

• Accommodation: Kigoma Hilltop Hotel.
• Meals Plan: Lunch & Dinner

Day 3: Kigoma – Mahale National Park

In the morning after breakfast, you’ll be driven to Lake Tanganyika for your boat trip to Mahale Mountain National Park. It takes 4 to 6 hours to get from Kigoma town to Mahale Mountain National Park by speed boat and after a packed lunch your guide will take you to the forest for late afternoon chimpanzee tracking.

• Accommodation: Nkungwe tented Camp
• Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Day 4 & 5: Mahale Mountain National Park

On day 3 you will take 2.5 hours’ drive and boat ride to Mahale mountains national park. It is a bit larger than its northerly neighbor Gombe and also home to some of Africa’s last remaining wild chimpanzees, a population of roughly 900.

You will spend two full days chimpanzee tracking in Mahale. Chimpanzees normally move in search of food and nest wherever there’s an abundant source such as their favorite fruit. The hikes are led by knowledgeable and experienced guides. Once you meet a resident Chimpanzee group, you have time to observe them. The Chimpanzees are habituated to human visitors and are not shy. Meeting them is a once-in-a-lifetime, magical experience!

• Accommodation: Nkungwe Tented Camp.
• Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 6: Mahale – Kigoma

After breakfast picks up for boat departure to Kigoma town. On arrival pick up and transferred to the hotel.

• Accommodation: Kigoma Hilltop Hotel
• Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 7: Kigoma – Gombe

After breakfast picks up for boat departure to Gombe Stream National park. It is only a 30 minutes’ drive and a 1.5-hour boat ride to the park on arrival pick up and transfer to Gombe Tented Camp where you can relax on the beach.

Gombe is a famous place for those who want to see chimpanzees off the beaten track. You can take a guided hike into the forest to see chimpanzees in the wild. The area has steep valleys and the forest vegetation ranges from grassland to forest and tropical rainforest.

The Gombe Stream national park is the place where Jane Goodall did her research on chimpanzee populations. Step into her footsteps while you walk through the forest on the lookout for a chimpanzee family.

Once you found the chimpanzees you are allowed to observe their daily habits, watch the youngsters play and mothers nurse their babies. Enjoy this rare and intimate glimpse into chimpanzee society!

Besides chimpanzees, primates inhabiting Gombe Stream national park include beachcomber olive baboons, red colobus, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, and velvet monkeys. Red-tailed monkeys and blue monkeys also hybridize in the area. And the park is home to over 200 bird species and bush pigs. You can spot many species of reptiles and even occasionally hippos and leopards.

• Accommodation: Gombe Forest Lodge.
• Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Day 8: Gombe National Park

Early in the morning after breakfast you’ll visit a waterfall and enjoy another full day of chimp tracking. In the late afternoon, you’ll head back to the beach to enjoy a cool swim in the deepest lake in the world. Once you found the chimpanzees you are allowed to observe their daily habits, watch the youngsters play and mothers nurse their babies. Enjoy this rare and intimate glimpse into chimpanzee society!

Besides chimpanzees, primates inhabiting Gombe Stream national park include beachcomber olive baboons, red colobus, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, and velvet monkeys. Red-tailed monkeys and blue monkeys also hybridize in the area. And the park is home to over 200 bird species and bush pigs.

You can spot many species o reptiles and even occasionally hippos and leopards.

• Accommodation: Gombe Forest Lodge.
• Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Day 9: Gombe to Kigoma

After breakfast transfer to the lake for boat departure to Kigoma town. Pick up on arrival and transfer to Kigoma Hilltop hotel. You will spend the night there to take the flight back to Dar es Salaam the following morning.

• Accommodation: Kigoma Hilltop Hotel.
• Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 10: Departure

After breakfast picks up and transfer to Kigoma Airport on time for your flight to Dar es Salaam.

• Meals plan Breakfast and lunch. As today is the end of the safari, please note that Accommodation and dinner tonight is not included in the tour.

END OF OUR SERVICE