DAY 1: Arrival in Arusha:
You will be met upon arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport and transferred to the Four Points by Sheraton, The Arusha Hotel, in time for dinner.
DAY 2: Arusha – Gombe National Park:
After an early breakfast at the hotel you’ll be collected and transferred to Arusha Airport to check in for your roughly five-hour flight to Kigoma. On arrival at Kigoma you will be transferred by boat (approximately two hours) on Lake Tanganyika to the tented camp.
DAYS 3 – 4: Chimp Tracking Gombe
Prepare yourself for a moving and remarkable experience on each of these two days… After breakfast, accompanied by a guide from the lodge and a park guide, you will trek through the forest to find a group from the Kasakela chimp community.
DAY 5: Gombe to the Serengeti:
After breakfast at the lodge you will travel back by boat to Kigoma where you will be met and taken to the airport for your three-and-a-quarter hour flight to Serengeti, arriving about 5pm. On arrival you are met by your hosts and transfer to Mbalimbali Camp. for dinner and overnit.
DAYS 6 – 7: Serengeti National Park:
You now have two full days exploring central Serengeti and its surroundings on shared game drives. The migration passes through this region from April to June, and in November and December, but whenever you are here you will have fabulous game viewing.
DAY 8: Serengeti – Arusha – Zanzibar
This morning it’s time to bid goodbye to Serengeti; after breakfast you will be collected and driven back to Seronera airstrip where you will board a flight back to Arusha (about 1 hour 20 mins with possible pickup/drop off stops on the way) in time to connect with a lunchtime flight to Zanzibar (via Dar, about 1½ hours).
DAYS 9-11: Zanzibar:
For the next three days Zanzibar is your island paradise. Explore Breezes’ gorgeous tropical gardens, dive into the large swimming pool, taste milk from a coconut straight from the tree, dive in the coral reef (there is a PADI dive centre on site), visit the Frangipani Spa for a massage or other treatment, learn palm weaving or take a Swahili cultural cooking class.
The Mahale Mountains National Park is situated on the eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika in remote western Tanzania. It’s spectacularly beautiful, with the backdrop of the Mahale Mountains and lush, tropical flora. The main attraction is walking safaris to observe the chimpanzees who live here. They share their forest paradise with a range of other primates, mammals and beautiful birds.
How to Get to Mahale
Mahale is not the easiest or cheapest place to get to. Depending on your itinerary, your entry point to the country will be either Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) in Arusha town, or Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam. In most cases, your tour operator will pick you up from the airport and make ongoing arrangements.
The best way to get to Katavi is by a flight from Arusha. The only public, scheduled flight is the twice-weekly service between Ruaha, Katavi and Mahale operated by Safari Air Link.
Zantasair works with its sister company Mbali Mbali lodges, to offer twice-weekly shared charter flights between northern Tanzania and western Tanzania, incorporating Katavi and Mahale National Parks.
Domestic flights to Mahale Mountains National Park
Normally these charter flights are reserved by your safari / tour operator all as part of your safari package. You may make reservations for your Domestic flights with any of the domestic carrier such as: Air Tanzania, Precision Air, Regional Air, ZanAir, Safari Air Link, or Coastal Aviation
Passport, visa and other entry requirements
Information about the Passport, visa plus other requirements at the point of entry can be acquired directly through your tour operator