01
Day 01
Arrive Kilimanjaro or Dar, overnight Arusha
Arrive and overnight, ready for the westbound flight. Mahale flights run on fixed days, so the trip is built around them.
- StayHotel in Arusha or Moshi
- MealsBed and breakfast
01 · Overview
About this trip
Mahale is the finest chimpanzee destination in Africa and one of the hardest to reach. There are no roads in the park and no game-viewing vehicles. You arrive by light aircraft and then by boat, and everything after that happens on foot.
The mountains rise straight out of Lake Tanganyika — the second-deepest lake in the world — into rainforest that holds around a thousand chimpanzees. The habituated M group has been studied since the 1960s, which is why they tolerate people at close range.
Trekking is unpredictable and can be hard: two to four hours of steep, humid walking without a path, at short notice, when the trackers radio their position. Once you are with them you have one hour, masked, at a set distance.
In between there is the lake itself — swimming, kayaking, fishing, and some of the best sunsets in the country.
Tour length6 days / 5 nights
Start / endArusha → Arusha
PlacesMahale
AccommodationHotel, beach camp
Meal planFull board; Bed and breakfast
Vehicle4×4 with pop-up roof
Tour typePrivate, on your dates
Group sizeTo confirm
02 · The price
What the price covers — and what it doesn't
Included 7 items
- Park and conservation-area entry fees for every park listed in the route
- Government taxes and concession fees that apply to those parks
- A 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof, fuel and an English-speaking driver-guide
- Accommodation on the basis shown for each night
- Meals as marked on each day
- Drinking water in the vehicle throughout
- Transfers between Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha town and your first night
Not included 6 items
- International flights, and internal flights unless a day says otherwise
- Tanzania visa, passport costs and travel insurance
- Tips for your guide, cook and camp or lodge staff
- Drinks, laundry and other personal spending
- Optional extras — balloon flights, night drives, spa treatments, private vehicle upgrades
- Anything not listed as included
03 · At a glance
Itinerary highlights
- Day 1Arrive Kilimanjaro or Dar, overnight Arusha
- Day 2Fly west, and boat to camp
- Day 3Chimpanzee trekking
- Day 4A second trek, or the forest
- Day 5A last morning, and fly east
- Day 6Departure
04 · Prices
Prices and what moves them
Every quote is written for the dates and the number of people travelling, because park fees, season and vehicle sharing move the figure more than anything else. We itemise it: park fees, accommodation, vehicle, meals.
Mid-range
Luxury
Mid-range
Per person, sharing · international flights not includedSingle supplement: To confirm
| Group size | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per person, 2026 | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm |
| Rooms | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3+ |
Luxury
Per person, sharing · international flights not includedSingle supplement: To confirm
| Group size | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per person, 2026 | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm |
| Rooms | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3+ |
Children. Child rates depend on age, the camps and how rooms are shared. Child policy to confirm
05 · The route
The route, day by day
02
Day 02
Fly west, and boat to camp
A long light-aircraft flight across the country to an airstrip near the park, then a boat transfer along the shore to camp. Afternoon on the lake.
- StayBeach camp on Lake Tanganyika, Mahale
- MealsFull board
03
Day 03
Chimpanzee trekking
Out after breakfast with trackers who have been following the group since dawn. The walk can be short or long; the hour with them is the same either way, and it is extraordinary.
- StayBeach camp on Lake Tanganyika, Mahale
- MealsFull board
04
Day 04
A second trek, or the forest
Another attempt — multiple days materially improve your odds — or a forest walk, a waterfall, and an afternoon kayaking on the lake.
- StayBeach camp on Lake Tanganyika, Mahale
- MealsFull board
05
Day 05
A last morning, and fly east
A short walk or a swim, then the boat and the flight back east.
- StayHotel in Arusha or Moshi
- MealsBed and breakfast
06
Day 06
Departure
Transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport, or connect onwards to the northern parks or Zanzibar.
- StayNone — the trip ends today
06 · Camps
Where you stay
Each night gives the kind of place and the area. The property itself is chosen for your month and your budget, and named in your quote.
Nights 1 & 5
Hotel in Arusha or Moshi
Bed and breakfast.
Nights 2–4
Beach camp on Lake Tanganyika, Mahale
Full board.
07 · Add-ons
Optional add-ons
Not in the standard price. Arranged on request and priced in your quote.
After the trip
Zanzibar beach extension
A short flight to the coast, for days with nothing to track.
Before the trip
An extra night in Arusha
Useful after a long-haul flight, so the first day does not start tired.
08 · The ground
Where this trip takes you
09 · Season
Best time to take this trip
Jun – Oct
The dry season
Firmer trails, and the chimpanzees tend to stay lower on the slopes, which shortens the walk.
Nov – Apr
The wet season
The forest at its greenest. Trails are slippery and the walks can be longer.
All year
Lake Tanganyika
Warm, clear water for the afternoons, whatever the month.
10 · Flights
Flights
Arrive
Kilimanjaro International Airport
The international airport for Arusha and the northern parks. The transfer to your first night is included.
Depart
Kilimanjaro International Airport
Tell us your flight time and the last day is planned around it.
11 · Extras
Budget for these extras
Not in the package price, and worth planning for before you travel.
Most visitors need a Tanzania visa. What applies to your passport, and how to apply, is on our visas and vaccinations page.
Take a policy that covers medical evacuation from remote areas. More on our travel insurance page.
Tipping is customary but yours to decide. Our tipping guide sets out what is usual for guides, cooks and camp staff.
Water is provided in the vehicle. Other drinks at camps and lodges, laundry and souvenirs are paid locally.
12 · Why us
Why book this with us
01
Every route is a draft
Add a night, cut a day, finish on the coast. Most trips we run started as one of these and then moved.
02
Every quote itemised
Park fees, accommodation, vehicle and meals, line by line, for your dates and group.
03
Private, on your dates
Your own 4×4 with a pop-up roof and an English-speaking driver-guide.
04
Planned from Arusha
Ask on WhatsApp and you reach the people who plan the trip.
13 · Reviews
Reviews
Guest reviews for this route will appear here. To confirm
14 · Questions
Asked about this trip
No. The community is wild and mobile. Multiple days materially improve the odds, which is why we build in two.
Reasonably. Expect steep, root-tangled ground and humidity. There is no age limit in law, but most camps set a minimum around twelve.
June to October is the dry season and the easiest walking, and the chimps are often lower down. In the heavy rains paths are hard and many camps close.
Yes, though the flights are long. Mahale plus the northern circuit is a two-week trip, not a ten-day one.
