Destinations: Tanzania, Burigi-Chato National Park, Mahale Mountains National Park and Lake Tanganyika
This 10-day Tanzania trip runs through Burigi-Chato, Mahale and Lake Tanganyika, linked so the travelling is done between the wildlife. Boat trips on the lake add hippo, crocodile and waterbirds to the game drives. Chimp trekking is the draw, with primate walks, kayaking and snorkelling around it. The clear shallows are good for colourful cichlids found nowhere else.
Day By Day
Day 1 Arrival At Burigi-Chato
You set out from Mwanza after breakfast and drive to Burigi-Chato National Park, the country changing as the kilometres pass, reaching camp with time to settle in and take a first look before dark. Lion and other predators are present in country you will often have to yourself. Boat trips on the lake add hippo, crocodile and waterbirds to the game drives. Burigi-Chato is a large, little-visited park in northwest Tanzania near Lake Victoria. You settle into camp as the light goes. Back at camp after dark, dinner is under the stars. Rolling hills, miombo woodland and the shores of Lake Burigi give it a mix of habitats.
Giraffe, zebra, eland, sitatunga and buffalo range across the grasslands and wetlands. Back at camp, dinner is served under a sky thick with stars. Each time out turns up something new, and the pace is yours to set. You stop for coffee where the view is good and let the morning warm up. Nothing is promised in the wild, which is what makes a good sighting count.
Day 2 Game Drives In Burigi-Chato
A full day in Burigi-Chato National Park. You are out on game drives, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. Burigi-Chato is a large, little-visited park in northwest Tanzania near Lake Victoria. Rolling hills, miombo woodland and the shores of Lake Burigi give it a mix of habitats. Giraffe, zebra, eland, sitatunga and buffalo range across the grasslands and wetlands. On most drives you will not pass another vehicle. Lion and other predators are present in country you will often have to yourself.
Boat trips on the lake add hippo, crocodile and waterbirds to the game drives. You stop for coffee where the view is good and let the morning warm up. Nothing is promised in the wild, which is what makes a good sighting count. The country is quiet here, and on most outings you have it to yourselves. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead.
Day 3 Game Drives In Burigi-Chato
A full day in Burigi-Chato National Park. You are out on game drives, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. Rolling hills, miombo woodland and the shores of Lake Burigi give it a mix of habitats. Giraffe, zebra, eland, sitatunga and buffalo range across the grasslands and wetlands. Lion and other predators are present in country you will often have to yourself. Back at camp after dark, dinner is under the stars.
Boat trips on the lake add hippo, crocodile and waterbirds to the game drives. Burigi-Chato is a large, little-visited park in northwest Tanzania near Lake Victoria. Nothing is promised in the wild, which is what makes a good sighting count. The country is quiet here, and on most outings you have it to yourselves. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead.
Day 4 Transfer To Mahale
A short morning out on game drives at first light in Burigi-Chato, then to the airstrip and a light aircraft for the move to Mahale Mountains National Park. The country changes on the way, and you reach Mahale in the afternoon. You head out tracking chimpanzees on foot as the light softens, a first look at the new ground. There are no roads, you arrive by light aircraft and boat, and move on foot. White-sand beaches meet the clear lake right below the forest. An hour with the group is the permitted limit, and it is enough.
Mahale rises straight from Lake Tanganyika, its forested slopes reaching Mount Nkungwe at 2,462 metres. It protects one of the largest populations of wild chimpanzeethe habituated M-group. Chimp trekking is the draw, with primate walks, kayaking and snorkelling around it. The country is quiet here, and on most outings you have it to yourselves. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead.
Day 5 Chimpanzee Trekking In Mahale
A full day in Mahale Mountains National Park. You are tracking chimpanzees on foot, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. White-sand beaches meet the clear lake right below the forest. Chimp trekking is the draw, with primate walks, kayaking and snorkelling around it. Mahale rises straight from Lake Tanganyika, its forested slopes reaching Mount Nkungwe at 2,462 metres. You climb back down through the trees to the lakeshore below.
It protects one of the largest populations of wild chimpanzeethe habituated M-group. There are no roads, you arrive by light aircraft and boat, and move on foot. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead. The morning is cool and the animals are moving, so the first hours out are the busiest. You carry a packed breakfast and stay out while the going is good.
Day 6 Chimpanzee Trekking In Mahale
A full day in Mahale Mountains National Park. You are tracking chimpanzees on foot, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. Chimp trekking is the draw, with primate walks, kayaking and snorkelling around it. Mahale rises straight from Lake Tanganyika, its forested slopes reaching Mount Nkungwe at 2,462 metres. It protects one of the largest populations of wild chimpanzeethe habituated M-group. The forest is loud with primates once you are inside it.
There are no roads, you arrive by light aircraft and boat, and move on foot. White-sand beaches meet the clear lake right below the forest. The morning is cool and the animals are moving, so the first hours out are the busiest. You carry a packed breakfast and stay out while the going is good. Around midday the heat sits heavy, and you rest in the shade before heading out again as it cools.
Day 7 Chimpanzee Trekking In Mahale
A full day in Mahale Mountains National Park. You are tracking chimpanzees on foot, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. Mahale rises straight from Lake Tanganyika, its forested slopes reaching Mount Nkungwe at 2,462 metres. It protects one of the largest populations of wild chimpanzeethe habituated M-group. There are no roads, you arrive by light aircraft and boat, and move on foot. An hour with the group is the permitted limit, and it is enough.
White-sand beaches meet the clear lake right below the forest. Chimp trekking is the draw, with primate walks, kayaking and snorkelling around it. You carry a packed breakfast and stay out while the going is good. Around midday the heat sits heavy, and you rest in the shade before heading out again as it cools. The guide reads the tracks and the birds, and there is no rush to be anywhere.
Day 8 Transfer To Lake Tanganyika
A short morning tracking chimpanzees on foot at first light in Mahale, then to the airstrip and a light aircraft for the move to Lake Tanganyika. The country changes on the way, and you reach Lake Tanganyika in the afternoon. You head out by the sea as the light softens, a first look at the new ground. White-sand beaches run down to water so clear you can snorkel straight off the shore. Dhows and kayaks work the lakeshore below the forested mountains. Fresh seafood by the water closes the day.
The clear shallows are good for colourful cichlids found nowhere else. Lake Tanganyika is the second-deepest lake in the world and holds hundreds of endemic fish. Sunsets over the lake, with the hills of Congo across the water, close the day. Around midday the heat sits heavy, and you rest in the shade before heading out again as it cools. The guide reads the tracks and the birds, and there is no rush to be anywhere.
Day 9 On The Coast At Lake Tanganyika
A full day at Lake Tanganyika. You are by the sea, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. Dhows and kayaks work the lakeshore below the forested mountains. Sunsets over the lake, with the hills of Congo across the water, close the day. The clear shallows are good for colourful cichlids found nowhere else. The tide, the reef and a long lunch set the pace.
Lake Tanganyika is the second-deepest lake in the world and holds hundreds of endemic fish. White-sand beaches run down to water so clear you can snorkel straight off the shore. The guide reads the tracks and the birds, and there is no rush to be anywhere. Late in the afternoon the light turns gold and the game comes back to the open ground. With a drink in hand you watch the day close over the bush.
Day 10 Departure
A final morning by the sea before you leave, the best window of the trip for anything still on your list. You make the most of the early light, then your light aircraft flies you back toward Mwanza. Sunsets over the lake, with the hills of Congo across the water, close the day. The clear shallows are good for colourful cichlids found nowhere else. This 10-day trip links Burigi-Chato, Mahale and Lake Tanganyika, with the travelling done between the wildlife so your days stay on the ground that matters. Lake Tanganyika is the second-deepest lake in the world and holds hundreds of endemic fish.
White-sand beaches run down to water so clear you can snorkel straight off the shore. Dhows and kayaks work the lakeshore below the forested mountains. The guide reads the tracks and the birds, and there is no rush to be anywhere. Late in the afternoon the light turns gold and the game comes back to the open ground. With a drink in hand you watch the day close over the bush.
What’s Included
- All internal flights and road transfers on the route
- Full-board accommodation on safari as shown
- Game drives and the activities named in the day plan
- Park entry fees for the days shown
- Airport and airstrip transfers, drinking water in the vehicle
What’s Not Included
- International flights and any visa
- Travel insurance
- Drinks, tips for guides and staff
- Activities not listed and items of a personal nature
Why Go on This Tanzania Safari?
This trip earns its place because the stops are nothing alike, and seeing them together makes each one land harder. Lion and other predators are present in country you will often have to yourself. Boat trips on the lake add hippo, crocodile and waterbirds to the game drives. The clear shallows are good for colourful cichlids found nowhere else. Linking Burigi-Chato, Mahale and Lake Tanganyika in one route means you cover more of Tanzania than a single park allows, and the travelling between them is short. On 10 days you get range without the trip feeling rushed, the set-piece wildlife, the quieter corners, and the change of country from one stop to the next. For a traveller who wants variety over a single famous name, this is a strong, well-balanced way to see the region, and it works whether it is a first trip or a return.
Is a 10 Day Safari Enough to See Tanzania?
10 days across Burigi-Chato, Mahale and Lake Tanganyika is a well-judged length, though it is a read of each stop rather than a deep stay. You get a full day or more at the main parks, enough to see the headline wildlife and still catch the quieter moments. It suits travellers who value breadth and do not mind moving every couple of days. What this length cannot do is exhaust any one park, the biggest of them could fill a week on their own, so the remote corners stay for another trip. If a single place is your priority, spend the nights there instead. And if you have longer, the route takes an easy add-on, whether that is more time with the wildlife or a stretch on the coast to finish. As it stands, this 10-day trip is balanced and full.
How Much Is This Tanzania Safari Per Person?
What you pay turns mostly on the camps and the season. In Tanzania, park fees run from USD 35 to 70 per adult per day depending on the park, with the Ngorongoro Crater charged higher. As a rough guide, most trips of this length run from around USD 3,000 to 6,500 per person sharing, higher in the peak dry months and cheaper in the green season. Camp and lodge level is the big lever, from simple tented camps to the smarter river and bush camps, and a shared vehicle between four brings the per-person cost down. Tell an operator your dates, group size and the standard you want and it can be quoted to the figure.
