9-Day Mahale & Gombe Chimpanzee Safari
Fly from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma, then travel by boat on Lake Tanganyika to track wild chimpanzees in the remote Mahale Mountains and in Gombe Stream, where Jane Goodall began her research in 1960.
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Starts and ends
- Starts in Dar es Salaam, or in Arusha or Kilimanjaro with a flight to Dar es Salaam on day 1. Ends with a flight back to Dar es Salaam, Arusha or Kilimanjaro
- Travel style
- Private, with your own guide
- Transport
- Air Tanzania flights between Dar es Salaam and Kigoma (about 2 hours); boats on Lake Tanganyika to Mahale and Gombe
- Accommodation
- Lakeshore lodges in Mahale and Gombe
- Minimum age
- 15 for chimpanzee trekking in Gombe
- Best months
- The dry season, roughly June to October, is usually best for chimp trekking
From
US$7,980
per person
Starting price per person.
Prefer a different standard? We can swap any lodge for something simpler or more luxurious and requote.
Prices are a guide. Lodge rates, park fees and availability change, so we always confirm your exact price in a personal quote before you book. Your price depends on the lodges you choose, your travel dates and your group size. Request a quote at any time, with no obligation to book. Simpler budget options are available on special request.
Includes all domestic flights (Dar es Salaam to Kigoma and back, plus Arusha or Kilimanjaro to Dar es Salaam and back if you start or end in the north), park fees, chimpanzee trekking, lodges, boat transfers on Lake Tanganyika and meals as listed. A 30% deposit confirms your booking; the balance is due 30 days before you travel.
Overview
Western Tanzania is remote and wild, and there are no roads into its chimpanzee parks. An early-morning Air Tanzania flight takes you from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma, on the shore of Lake Tanganyika, the world’s second-deepest lake, in about two hours. From the airport our team takes you straight to the boat, which is available at any time. You can start in Dar es Salaam, or in Arusha or Kilimanjaro with a night in Dar es Salaam before the early flight.
The forested Mahale Mountains rise straight out of the lake and are home to around 1,000 chimpanzees, studied by Japanese researchers since the 1960s. Further north, Gombe Stream, one of Tanzania’s smallest national parks, is where Jane Goodall began the longest-running study of wild chimpanzees in the world.
Chimpanzee trekking is on foot with a park guide, and sightings are likely but never guaranteed. Time with the chimps is limited to protect them, which is part of what keeps these parks special.
Highlights
- Air Tanzania flights to Kigoma and boat journeys on Lake Tanganyika
- Chimpanzee trekking in the forests of Mahale
- Gombe Stream, where Jane Goodall’s research began
- Red colobus, red-tailed and blue monkeys, and rich birdlife
- Swimming, kayaking and sundowners on the lakeshore
Route
Dar es Salaam → (Air Tanzania flight) Kigoma → (boat) Mahale Mountains → (boat) Gombe Stream → (boat) Kigoma → (flight) Dar es Salaam, Arusha or Kilimanjaro
Day by day
To Dar es Salaam
We meet you at Julius Nyerere International Airport and take you to your hotel for the night, ready for the early flight to Kigoma. Starting in Arusha or Kilimanjaro, perhaps after a northern safari or a climb? We arrange your flight to Dar es Salaam for this overnight.
Fly to Kigoma, boat to Mahale
An early-morning Air Tanzania flight west from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma, about two hours. Our team meets you at Kigoma airport and takes you straight to the boat, which is ready whenever you land, for the journey south down Lake Tanganyika to the Mahale Mountains, with the mountains of the Democratic Republic of the Congo across the water.
Chimpanzees of Mahale
Trek into the forest with a park guide to find the chimpanzees. Between treks, swim, kayak or fish in the lake; keen walkers can climb towards Mount Nkungwe (2,462 m), the highest of the Mahale peaks.
By boat to Gombe
A boat journey north up Lake Tanganyika to Gombe Stream National Park.
Chimpanzees of Gombe
Track the habituated Kasakela community, the chimps first studied by Jane Goodall, with a park guide. Gombe’s forests are also home to red colobus, red-tailed and blue monkeys and many birds. Walk to Kakombe Waterfall or Jane’s Peak for views over the lake.
Back to Kigoma
A last morning in Gombe, then the boat south to Kigoma, leaving at a time that suits you, and a night in Kigoma before the early flight.
Fly home: Dar es Salaam, Arusha or Kilimanjaro
A transfer to Kigoma airport for your flight back to wherever your safari ends: Dar es Salaam (about two hours with Air Tanzania), or Arusha or Kilimanjaro if you started in the north. From there, your onward journey home, or continue to Zanzibar.
Where you stay
| Night | Area | Lodge or camp |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dar es Salaam | Confirmed in your personal itinerary |
| 2–4 | Mahale Mountains | (named in your personal itinerary) |
| 5–7 | Gombe Stream | (named in your personal itinerary) |
| 8 | Kigoma | Confirmed in your personal itinerary |
Included
- Park and conservation fees, including chimpanzee trekking permits
- All accommodation as listed
- Park guides for chimpanzee trekking
- Boat transfers on Lake Tanganyika between Kigoma, Mahale and Gombe
- Return Air Tanzania flights between Dar es Salaam and Kigoma
- Flights between Arusha or Kilimanjaro and Dar es Salaam, if you start or end your safari in the north
- Meals as listed in the day-by-day programme
- Airport transfers
- All taxes and VAT
Not included
- International flights
- Tanzania visa
- Travel insurance and medical evacuation cover
- Tips (guideline US$20 per person per day)
- Drinks and personal items
- Anything not listed in the itinerary
Make it yours
Add Zanzibar
Add the southern parks
An extra night in Mahale or Gombe
“Best safari experience ever! Our guides and drivers were great.” Jessi Venter, Tarangire · Google review, October 2026
Request a quote for this safari
Tell us your dates and how you like to travel. We will confirm availability and an exact price for your group. No obligation to book.
We reply within 24 hours.
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Adventure That Gives Back
Private safaris, treks and beach holidays across Tanzania, planned by a Tanzanian team.
Forest Hill, Kihimbwa St, Morogoro, Tanzania
Talk to us
WhatsApp +255 622 191 154
ecolegacy@ecolegacy-africa.com
★ 5.0 on Google, from 2 reviews
Tourism licence No. 035908
Insured with Sanlam Allianz