Trek Mahale or Gombe
For those drawn to silence, story, and wilderness unfiltered.
This journey is not a sightseeing circuit — it’s an elemental immersion into one of the last wild chimpanzee sanctuaries on Earth. From the caravan routes of Ujiji to the forested peaks of Mahale, you'll trace paths carved by time, not tourism. Chimpanzee trekking becomes a mirror for mindful presence. Lakeside stillness replaces itinerary noise. This is a layered encounter with memory-rich terrain — from the footsteps of Jane Goodall to the ancestral paths of the Bembe and Ha peoples, from the shimmer of Lake Tanganyika to the echoes of caravan passage through Ujiji. Every trail tells a story. Every dusk deepens the dialogue.
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Guided chimpanzee treks in Mahale Mountains National Park or Gombe Stream National Park
Historical exploration of Ujiji and the caravan porterage routes
Optional activities: boating safaris, sport fishing, canoeing, birdwatching, dhow sailing, and cultural trail excursions
Rugged elegance in remote, full-board tented camps
Overland or optional air transfer across Tanzania
Optional 2-day trek to Nkungwe Peak (2,520m) — Mahale’s highest summit
Chimpanzee treks led by trackers and guides trained in low-impact forest movement and observation ethics
All KAONE guides and hosts briefed on conservation storytelling protocols for integrity and transparency
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Ujiji – Where Stories Meet the Lake
Once a caravan terminus, Ujiji carries the weight of layered histories — from the Livingstone–Stanley meeting to the scars of the central slave trade. Walk the Mango Tree Avenue, follow historic mango-tree-lined slave paths, visit the former home of Tippu Tip, and sit with local oral historians who breathe life into centuries of exchange, trauma, and resilience.
Bagamoyo Heritage Add-On (Optional)
Bookend your journey with a guided cultural day in Bagamoyo, a coastal town steeped in Swahili memory.
Includes:
Visits to the Old Fort, Catholic Mission, and Caravan Serai Museum
Walking tour of artisan lanes, slave trade landmarks, and coastal ruins
Swahili storytelling session with a local historian
Itinerary
9 Days | Starts in Dar es Salaam | Comfort Trekking & Cultural Immersion
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Arrival at Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR), most likely in the evening, followed by a warm KAONE welcome
Private transfer to a peaceful lodge set in a lush garden or shaded coastal setting
Optional sunset reflection with a quiet dinner to settle in before the journey begins
Accommodation: Comfort lodge
Meals: Dinner
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Relaxed cultural immersion with your choice of activity: visit the Botanical Gardens and Village Museum, or opt for a guided City Discovery Walk through coastal paths and colonial neighborhoods
Time to pause and absorb—explore art, history, and daily rhythm without rush
Return to your lodge in the late afternoon for quiet preparation and rest
Accommodation: Same as Day 1
Meals: Full board
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Begin the overland journey across central Tanzania, tracing long caravan routes westward
Option to break the journey with an overnight in Tabora, visiting Kazeh, a former slave trade base, and the Kwihara Livingstone Tembe, once home to Dr. Livingstone
If continuing the same day, arrive in Kigoma by evening — where the lake shimmers at the edge of the wild and the air begins to shift
If overnighting in Tabora, arrival in Kigoma continues on Day 4
Accommodation: Comfort lodge in Kigoma (and Tabora if overnighted)
Meals: Full board
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Journey to Ujiji, a lakeside town that once marked the end of the central slave caravan route
Walk the Mango Tree Avenue, where enslaved peoples were held and traded, and follow the historic mango-tree-lined slave paths
Visit the Livingstone Memorial, where Dr. David Livingstone met Henry Morton Stanley in 1871, and explore the site of slave trader Tippu Tip’s former house
Engage with local oral historians, whose stories preserve the layers of encounter, resistance, and remembrance embedded in the terrain
Accommodation: Same as Day 3
Meals: Full board
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Boat or 4x4 transfer into the remote and forested terrain of Mahale Mountains National Park
Settle into your tented comfort camp, nestled between tropical forest and the shores of Lake Tanganyika — close enough to hear the water, deep enough to feel the wild
Evening at leisure — take a quiet swim, enjoy your surroundings, or join a gentle forest walk to begin tuning into the rhythms of this landscape
Accommodation: Tented comfort camp near Lake Tanganyika
Meals: Full board
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Daily guided chimpanzee treks (max 6 guests), tracking habituated chimp families through shaded forest trails
Forest interpretation—learn to read wildlife signs, clan behaviors, and seasonal patterns from your guide
Afternoons free for canoeing, birdwatching, lakeside sketching, or forest hammock time
Optional Forest Ethics Briefing, offering insight into conservation research, reforestation efforts, and ecological respect
Evenings around the fire, with storytelling, stillness, and the sound of Lake Tanganyika beneath a starry sky
Accommodation: Same as Day 5
Meals: Full board
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Depart the forest retreat, returning by boat or 4x4 to Kigoma
Connect to Dar es Salaam, with an optional ritual or reflection stop along the way
Close your journey with presence, memory, and space for integration
Meals: Full board
Beyond the Trek
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Discover More Cultural Encounters
To deepen your journey, explore KAONE’s curated list of cultural experiences — from caravan storytelling circles to Swahili coast memory walks.
Pricing for International Visitors and Families