Pushed up against Lake Tanganyika and hemmed in by the Rift Valley, Western Tanzania is captivating with its misty mountains covered in forests, turquoise waters filled with pods of hippos and crocodiles and remote lands visited by very few. Offering a sense of adventure long forgotten, this area, from the rim of the great lake to the escarpment of the colossal rift, is jam-packed with unique experiences - the real luxury is having the time to fully enjoy it.
Katavi National Park offers incredible scenery including immense wetlands, roaring waterfalls and original miombo woodlands, where sable often hide. During the dry season, huge herds of buffalo, zebra and impala gather with elephant, waterbuck and duiker around the drying water reserves of Lake Katavi and Lake Chada. Here you can also observe animals in the remaining pools of the Katuma river, which are bursting with hippo and crocodile. At these remaining water sources, lion, leopard and wild dog can be found searching for their prey, watched by patiently waiting vultures, which share the trees with fish eagles, storks and vervet monkeys. As soon as the first rains start, Katavi transforms again into a flowering paradise with enormous swamps, lakes, rivers and waterfalls, attracting an incredible diversity of bird life.
Stretching to the very corners of Tanzania’s western border, Mahale Mountains National Park is a remote park that can only be reach by plane or boat. Sailing on a dhow, you’ll float on waters clear enough to see hippos and fish below you and pass tiny idyllic sandy coves to breach the shores of the park. Once you’ve landed the adventure doesn’t stop, as you’ll go trekking for chimpanzees in the forests up above - home to THE best chimp viewing in Africa!
