
After a full breakfast at your hotel in Kigoma, you will be picked up and driven west along Lake Tanganyika to Mahale National Park, through the beautiful scenery and local communities living along Lake Tanganyika. Near the Ilagala hamlet, you will be able to cross the Malagarasi River, which is one of the largest rivers that flow into Lake Tanganyika. Due to the forces that created the Great East African Rift Valley, you will also find steep slopes and downslope effects.
Depending on the season, our four-wheel drive trip may take you straight to the park headquarters or to a neighboring village, where you will board a speed boat to the park. We estimate that you will arrive in the park by late afternoon, allowing you to relax, enjoy the beach, and spend the night at Mango Tree Banda.
You will start your approximate 9-hour Nkungwe Mountain ascent off the Bilenge to the first mountain peak, Mount Pasagulu. You will be able to hear the loud sounds of wild chimpanzees as you stroll. While you are out trekking, you will make a stop at Mt. Mhensabantu, where you may get some relaxation and have breakfast or snacks. It is never easy to get to the top of Mhesabantu since the slopes leading up to the summit are exceedingly steep, but there are still two more to go.
At the heart of the range, close to the pinnacle of the third peak, you’ll find the magnificent Mt. Humo, which is covered in leopard and buffalo footprints. It is quite wonderful to be so far up in the mountains and so deeply immersed in the forest.
After that, we will face the last obstacle, which is the “Nkungwe Summit,” which is the highest of them all. The beaches, the lake, and even the horizon can all be seen from Nkungwe. Enigmatic and shrouded in a dense veil of smoke, heat, and humidity. As you make your way along the steep trails, red colobus monkeys will leap from treetop to treetop as you pass through the wooded slopes that lead up to the pinnacle of the mountain, which is barren and covered with protea vegetation. But as you emerge from the forest, a new landscape lies at your feet, and a refreshingly cold breeze rejuvenates the worn-out body.
This day will be spent at the Nkungwe Summit, which offers panoramic views of the Mahale National Park. Spending a day here will make the travel time and expense worthwhile. Due to the frequent weather changes at the summit, you have a high possibility of capturing excellent shots.
After a hearty breakfast, the descent from Nkungwe will commence. Your porters will disassemble the camps, gather everything, and descend the mountain with you. Four to six hours are required to reach the camp. Hence, this evening may be used for basic activities such as boating around Lake Tanganyika at Mhale National Park or sport fishing.
Following breakfast, chimpanzee trekking will commence, followed by a break for lunch and some relaxation, and then an evening of trekking or sport fishing.
Following breakfast, you will ride a speedboat to the entrance or village where we parked our vehicle. At the gate, you will bid farewell to your trekking companions and snap your last photographs. Next, your driver will return you to Kigoma, where you will spend the night at the hotel we reserved for you.
Explore the vast savannahs of East Africa on a safari customized to your preferences, whether it's encountering the Big Five in Tanzania's famous wildlife parks, or visiting the Rhino sanctuaries of Kenya.