Western Circuit, Islands & Beaches

THE WESTERN TANZANIA SAFARI CIRCUIT, ISLANDS AND BEACHES:

The least famous of the three main Tanzania’s safari circuits is the Western Circuit. Despite its unpopularity, the Western Circuit offers some exclusive, rare and unique experiences not found anywhere on the other two circuits.

Gombe Stream National Park, a mountainous strip bordering the shores of Lake Tanganyika, 16 km north of Kigoma. Gombe is currently Tanzania’s smallest park, covering just 56 sq km and it is only reachable by boat from Kigoma. Gombe offers visitors the rare chance to observe the chimpanzee communities made famous by British explorer, Jane Goodall. A number of monkey species can also be seen including red-colobus, red-tail and blue monkeys. The area is heavily forested making it unsuitable for carnivores and safe for walking. Birdwatchers will be richly rewarded.

The other sanctuary of chimpanzee is the Mahale Mountains National Park, only reached by charter flight or by boat from Kigoma. Covering an area of approximately 1,600 sq km, the park’s western boundary is the shore of the world’s longest, second deepest and least polluted lake harboring an estimated of 250 fish species, The Lake Tanganyika. The chimpanzee population is estimated at around 1,000 and may be observed in their natural habitat in groups of up to 30.

Both parks, Gombe Stream and Mahale Mountains are homes to some of the Africa’s last remaining wild chimpanzees. Trekking the chimpanzee of the Gombe and Mahale is a magical experience.

Katavi National Park, recently extended to cover some 4,500 sq km is Tanzania’s third largest park, located about 40 km southeast of the town of Mpanda, in Katavi region. Its main features include Lake Katavi with its vast floodplains, the palm-fringed Lake Chala and the Katuma River. The park is noted for its miombo woodland. An estimated 4,000 elephants might converge on the area, together with several herds of 1,000-plus buffalo while an abundance of giraffe, zebra, impala and reedbuck provide easy pickings for the numerous lion prides and spotted hyena clans whose territories converge on the floodplains. Katavi’s most singular wildlife spectacle is provided by its hippos. Towards the end of the dry season, up to 200 individuals might flop together in any riverine pool of sufficient depth. And as more hippos gather in one place, so does male rivalry heat up – bloody territorial fights are an everyday occurrence.

Tanzania is also the home to beautiful beaches, as made popular by its two famous islands of “Zanzibar” and “Mafia” where most tourists prefer to go and lay down for few days after their great wildlife safari experience. Besides having beautiful beaches, the two islands also offer various excursions and activities such as snorkeling/diving, spice tour, dolphin trip, whale sharks and prison island tours to mention a few.