Dar es Salaam, Ikoma, Lake Victoria, Tanzania, Burigi Chato National Park, Lake Tanganyika and Gitega

What to Expect

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Overview

Tour map

This 13-day Tanzania adventure blends the iconic experiences of a safari in the Serengeti with remote chimpanzee encounters in Gombe Stream National Park and Rubondo Island. Starting in Dar es Salaam, the journey takes you from the vast plains of Serengeti National Park to the remote, forested islands and shores of Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika. Highlights include world-class game viewing in the Serengeti, followed by intimate chimpanzee trekking on Rubondo Island — a tranquil forested sanctuary in Lake Victoria. The tour then continues to the dramatic shores of Lake Tanganyika and Gombe Stream National Park, the legendary site of Jane Goodall’s research, for unforgettable chimpanzee trekking in lush valleys. Perfect for travellers seeking a mix of iconic wildlife and meaningful, off-the-beaten-path encounters.

What's Included

Accommodation and meals as stipulated in the itinerary.
Transport in a chauffeur driven 4×4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof for easy game viewing & photography.
Services of an English-speaking driver-guide.
Game viewing drives and parks entrance fees as indicated in the itinerary.
Boat transfers as indicated to Rhubondo Island and Gombe Stream National Park
Domestic flight from Mwanza to Dar es Salaam
All Government taxes and levies.
Free mineral water during game drives only.
All meet and greet services.
All arrival and departure transfers.
24 hours stand-by contact number.

What's Excluded

Visa fees and travel insurance.
All items of personal nature e.g. telephone call bills, fax/email bills etc.
Tips and gratuities to hotel, lodges, camp staff and driver- guide(s)
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Any local or international flight and departure taxes.
Holiday supplements oer Easter, Christmas, and New Year.
Laundry services.
Any other item(s) not included in our itinerary.

Days 1

DAY 1: DAR ES SALAAM

Welcome to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania! You will be met at the airport by one of our representatives. Check into the Crown Hotel (or similar), settling in after your international flight.

This morning after breakfast, you will fly to the famed Serengeti. Check in at your lodge and enjoy a late lunch before setting out on your first afternoon game drive. Return to camp for dinner under the stars. Serengeti National Park is one of the world’s most iconic wildlife destinations and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Covering approximately 14,763 km² of endless plains, acacia woodlands, and rocky kopjes, it is famous for the Great Migration — the largest annual movement of land mammals on Earth. Over 1.5–2 million wildebeest, along with hundreds of thousands of zebras and Thomson’s gazelles, traverse the plains in search of fresh grazing and water, followed closely by predators. The park supports one of the highest concentrations of large predators in Africa, including around 3,000–4,000 lions, leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas. It is also home to the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and black rhino), giraffes, hippos, and over 500 bird species. Activities typically include game drives, hot air balloon safaris (especially popular at sunrise over the plains), walking safaris, and visits to kopjes or the Serengeti Visitor Centre. Its vast scale and dramatic wildlife spectacles make it a highlight of any Tanzanian safari.

Day 2

IKOMA

DAYS 3–6:

SERENGETI, LAKE VICTORIA & RUBONDO ISLAND

Enjoy morning and afternoon game drives across the vast Serengeti plains around Ikoma, with opportunities to spot lions, elephants, giraffes, and the rich wildlife that makes this ecosystem world-famous. All meals are served at camp as you soak in the atmosphere of the African wilderness. Continue westward to Mwanza on the shores of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake, where you overnight at the comfortable Tilapia Hotel. Relax by the lakeside and enjoy a peaceful evening after your safari adventures. After breakfast, travel onward to Rubondo Island National Park in the southwestern corner of Lake Victoria for a two-night stay at Tanzania National Parks accommodation. Rubondo is Tanzania’s only island national park, a remote and untouched sanctuary dominated by dense equatorial rainforest and tranquil lakeshore scenery. Spend your time exploring this unique environment through guided forest walks and chimpanzee trekking in search of the island’s habituated chimpanzees, descendants of animals introduced in the 1960s. The island is also home to elephants, giraffes, hippos, sitatunga antelope, vervet and colobus monkeys, as well as more than 300 bird species. With minimal vehicle traffic and a peaceful atmosphere, Rubondo offers an intimate and immersive nature experience that contrasts beautifully with the open plains of the Serengeti.

Depart Rubondo Island and travel to Biharamulo in the Kagera region for an authentic cultural experience with the Sukuma tribe. Spend time learning about traditional customs and daily life, including participating in a local cooking class and meeting the village chief. Enjoy an overnight stay with a local family for a truly immersive cultural exchange. The surrounding region, close to Burigi-Chato National Park, is known for its scenic woodlands, birdlife, and wildlife including elephants, antelopes, hippos, and various monkey species.

Continue westward to Kigoma on the shores of the magnificent Lake Tanganyika, where you stay at Sunset View Lodge. Lake Tanganyika is one of Africa’s Great Lakes and the world’s longest freshwater lake, renowned for its crystal-clear waters, dramatic Rift Valley scenery, and beautiful sunsets. The lake provides a spectacular setting for relaxing boat rides, swimming, fishing, and access to the remote forested parks along its shoreline.

From Kigoma, take a boat across Lake Tanganyika to Gombe Stream National Park for a two-night stay in Tanzania National Parks accommodation. Gombe is world-famous as the site where Dr. Jane Goodall began her pioneering chimpanzee research in 1960, now the longest-running study of wild chimpanzees in the world.

Spend your days trekking through lush forested valleys in search of habituated chimpanzees, offering exceptional opportunities to observe their fascinating social behavior, communication, and family interactions in their natural habitat. The park is also home to red colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, a rich variety of birdlife, and beautiful lakeshore scenery. Guided forest walks and chimpanzee trekking form the highlights of this unforgettable primate experience.

After your time in Gombe, return by boat to Kigoma for another overnight stay at Sunset View Lodge before traveling back to Mwanza on Lake Victoria for a final overnight at Tilapia Hotel.

On Day 13, transfer to Mwanza Airport for your flight to Dar es Salaam, where you will connect with your international flight home, marking the end of your Tanzanian adventure.