Western Itineraries
WESTERN CIRCUIT ITINERARIES
Lying in the Great Rift Valley are the inland lakes, Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika. On the most remote part of Western Tanzania, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, the longest and the second deepest Lake in the world, lie The Gombe Stream and Mahale Mountains National Parks. These Parks are two of the last remaining Chimpanzee Sanctuaries in the World where one can get the unique opportunity to view Chimpanzees in their most natural habitat and their most natural behavior. The habitats of these areas are a merger between Western Africa and East Africa; therefore the cultures, rainfall and flora are unique to this small area of Africa. Below you will find examples of safari itineraries including national parks of the Western Circuit.
Gombe Stream National Park- 4 Days / 3Nights
Day 1: Arrival day – Kigoma
Leave Dar es Salaam at 13:00 by PrecisionAir to Kigoma via Tabora; arrive there late afternoon and drive to Kigoma Lake Tanganyika Beach Hotel for dinner and overnight (alternative Kigoma Hilltop Hotel).
Day 2: Kigoma – Gombe Stream
Breakfast at the hotel and then departure to Gombe National Park by boat; Game viewing/chimpanzee tracking in the forest; Lunch at the Gombe Rest house; Afternoon at leisure; dinner and overnight at the Gombe Rest house
Day 3: Full Day Chimpanzee Tracking
Breakfast at the camp; game viewing/ chimpanzee tracking in the forest; Climb to the Kakombe water falls at the park. Lunch at the rest house; Dinner at the Gombe Rest house
Day 4: Gombe – Kigoma
Breakfast in the park and then boat ride to Kigoma for your onward travel back to Dar es Salaam by 17:55 hour PrecisionAir (we will provide shuttle service to your hotel within the city centre from Dar es Salaam Airport ).
Mahale Mountains National Park- 5 Days / 4Nights
Day 1: Arusha – Mahale (Tuesday or Friday)
Leave Arusha Airport at 12:30 for Mahale (with Shared Charter Plane), picked-up by speed boat along the Lake Tanganyika Beach and transfer to the Nkungwe Luxury Tented Camp for Dinner and overnight
Day 2, 3 & 4: Walking Safari and Hiking in Mahale Mountain Forest
Spend three full days of walking safari: starting with chimpanzee tracking in the mountain forest of Mahale , visiting the research center for Chimpanzee and Hiking to the waterfalls. Late afternoon spend sometime along the beach of Lake Tanganyika relaxing on the soft sand and watching the sun goes down or boat rides down the lake shores looking for hippos. Dinner and bonfire at the Nkungwe Luxury Tented Camp
Day 5: Return to Arusha (Wednesday or Saturday)
Breakfast at the camp, and then a boat ride in the Lake Tanganyika to the airstrip for 13:00 shared charter plane to Arusha via Katavi, pickup from the airport and transfer to your hotel in town.
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18Days- Combination North and Southern
Day 1: Arrival in Kilimanjaro
Pick clients from Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfer to Arusha for bed and breakfast at the Hotel.
Day 2: Arusha — Lake Manyara
Leave Arusha at 09.00 am, drive for about 2 hours to Lake Manyara National Park , famous for its green scenery, varied bird life, tree-climbing lions, hippos and baboons. Dinner and overnight will take place on top of the Great Rift Valley, overlooking Lake Manyara . Lodge/Camp.
Day 3: Manyara — Serengeti
Early breakfast at 6.00 am. Game drive en route to Serengeti National Park . Serengeti is the largest and most famous park in Tanzania , known worldwide for its endless plains, wildebeest-migration, herds of lions and other predators like hyenas, cheetahs and leopards. Crocodiles can be found in the Grumeti River , as well as hippos, giraffes, antelopes, and gazelles. Dinner and overnight in the heart of Serengeti! Lodge/Camp.
Day 4: Serengeti full day
A full day game drive. Depending on the time of year and the migration of the herds you can expect to see wildebeest, lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, monkeys, baboons, hippos, rhinos, antelopes and many birds and other species. Your Driver/Guide will be in contact with other safari drivers and will amaze you with his skill at locating the hidden animals.Dinner and overnight will be at Lodge/Camp.
Day 5: Serengeti — Ngorongoro
Another game drives in Serengeti. In the afternoon you drive en route (optional stopover at Olduvai) to the rim of Ngorongoro Crater for dinner and overnight with an excellent view of the crater floor! Lodge/Camp.
Day 6: Ngorongoro —Tarangire
A full day in the Ngorongoro Crater. There is a very high possibility of spotting the big 5 in one day: lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo and leopard. Lunch will take place at the picnic site at the crater floor. In the afternoon drive to Tarangire National Park for dinner and overnight at Lodge/Camp.
Day 7: Tarangire — Babati
Morning after breakfast, game viewing in Tarangire National Park . This park is often referred to as the “home of elephants”, you have a great chance to spot elephants in large groups gathering around the Tarangire River . Other animals to be spotted include leopards, lions, giraffes and even tree-climbing pythons! Game drive until late afternoon there after drive to Babati Town . Walk or drive to Lake Babati to see large bodies floating on the Lake, Hippos, fishing are the main activities in the Lake . Dinner and overnight will be at the Hotel.
Day 8: Babati – Dodoma
Morning after breakfast, drive to the capital city of Tanzania via Kolo Irangi Rock Paintings. Half way between Arusha and Dodoma near the village of Kolo , is some o the finest examples of rock paintings in the world! These extraordinary paintings depict the animals and customs of the people at the time. Dinner and overnight will be at Hotel.
Day 9: Dodoma — Iringa
Morning after breakfast, drive to Iringa Town via Mtera Damp. Iringa is a charming, if somewhat down-at-heel town, which lies at the heart of Tanzania ’s tea industry. Market days bring forth an eclectic mix of expatriate wives dressed in pastel frocks shopping with their baskets and mingling with raw tribes people from the bush for their monthly trading spree. Dinner and overnight will be at Hotel.
Day 10: Iringa — Ruaha
After breakfast departs for Ruaha; arrive at the lodge in time for lunch. in the afternoon for game viewing in the Ruaha, which is known to be one of the more natural, unspoilt as well as one of the largest Parks of Africa. Back to the lodge/Camp for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Ruaha
A full day game drives at the Great Ruaha. The exciting Great Ruaha River features large
numbers of hippo and crocodile and attracts lion, leopard, hunting dog and other species such as waterbuck, impala, giraffe, warthog, eland, zebra and elephants. Grant’s gazelle, ostrich and cheetah may be seen on the plains. All meals will be at the lodge/Camp.
Day 12: Ruaha -Udzungwa
After breakfast walking safari accompanied by an experienced guide, here you will have the opportunity to ‘touch the wild’. Arrive at the gate park and meet you vehicle and drive to Udzungwa Mountain National Park via Ismila Stone Age Site for dinner and overnight at the Lodge/Camp.
Day 13: Udzungwa — Mikumi
After breakfast, start trekking leads to the spectacular trail up to Sanje waterfalls. From here you will have a view of Kilombero Valley 180m. Back to the Camp/Lodge for lunch. In the afternoon drive to Mikumi National Park for sunset game drive. Dinner and overnight will be at Lodge/Camp.
Day 14: Mikumi —Morogoro
Morning after breakfast, game drive in the park. Game viewing in the park, animals commonly found Include lion, eland, hartebeest, buffalo, wildebeest, giraffe, zebra and elephants. Wild dog can be seen in packs here. In the afternoon drive to Morogoro Town for dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 15: Morogoro — Selous
Morning after breakfast, resume your journey to Selous Game Reserve, arrive in time for lunch. In the afternoon, boat safari in the Rufiji River , where you’ll admire hippos and crocodiles in their natural habitat. Back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 16: Selous
After breakfast departs for one of the most exciting experience, the walking safari, accompanied by an armed ranger, back to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon game viewing in the biggest and fascinating game reserve of Africa . Back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 17: Selous
Morning after breakfast, full day game drive in Selous, the Rufiji River features a large numbers of hippo and crocodile and attracts lion, leopard, hunting dog, and numerous other species such as waterbuck, impala, warthog, eland, giraffe, zebra and elephant. All meals at the camp.
Day 18: Selous — Dar
After breakfast back to Dar with picnic lunch, via Kibiti road, the journey will take about 5 hours and will bring you through one of the most amazing areas of Tanzania , arrive Dar late afternoon.
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