Chimpanzees of Western Tanzania

Today you will fly by light aircraft from Arusha Airport to Katavi National Park, a journey of around four hours. On arrival, you will be met by a driver-guide from Chada Camp who will transfer you to the camp, doing a game-drive on the way. Katavi is a beautiful park with only a handful of camps, meaning you'll feel like the only people there!

Enjoy game drives in Katavi today. The wildlife is particularly good along the river where you'll find huge herds of buffalo along with crocodiles that have dug huge caves into the riverbanks (a phenomenon unique to Katavi), lions, elephants, and some spectacular birdlife!

Today you could try an early morning walking safari, before the heat of the day, and when the light is ideal for photography. Your guide will teach you about the smaller creatures and birds which inhabit Katavi, as well as the plants and trees and their uses in traditional medicines.

You will take a light aircraft flight today to the Mahale Mountains National Park, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, Africa's deepest lake. The flight will take a couple of hours and you will be met on arrival by a boat which will transport you to the remote Greystoke Camp - about an hour and a half away. The steep Mahale Mountains rise up just behind the camp which is on the shores of the lake creating a fantastic backdrop for the second part of your safari.

You can enjoy a day of chimpanzee tracking from Greystoke Camp today - the walk to find the chimps takes anywhere between an hour and four hours, depending on where the chimpanzees are. Spend an hour with the chimpanzees, which are habituated to visits by tourists, and truly fascinating to watch. You will often hear them before you see them, their howls and shrieks reverberating through the forest, adding to the excitement as you search for them with your guide.

Greystoke offers a wonderful place to relax in one of Tanzania's most beautiful settings. You can spend your time lazing on the beach, swimming in the lake and looking for the colourful cichlid fish, or fishing from one of the lodge's boats. There are also kayaks which you can use to explore the lakeshore at your own pace should you wish.

Today is your final full day at Greystoke, you might head back into the forest again to visit the chimpanzees for a second time, or just relax and enjoy the peaceful surroundings at the camp or the beach.

After breakfast you will take the boat back along the lake to the airstrip where you will board your light aircraft flight for Arusha. On arrival you will be met by a private vehicle which will take you into Arusha town and your lodge for the night.

This morning you will depart Arusha for Zanzibar by light aircraft, a journey of around an hour and half. You will be met on arrival and transferred across the island to the beautiful palm-fringed east coast. The journey will take you through colourful villages and past spice plantations as you head to the beautiful Matemwe where you will stay for the next four nights.

Spend the day relaxing and unwinding on the beautiful stretch of beach, or by one of the two pools, reading a book under the shade of a palm tree and swimming in the warm Indian Ocean. If you're feeling more active, you can easily arrange diving or snorkelling at the dive centre down the beach, or other excursions to explore the island through the reception. You can also enjoy a massage treatment from the resident masseuse, hire bicycles to explore, or visit the nearby village, which is supported by the lodge.

A good way to see more of the island is to visit one of the small-scale spice farms on the island - you get a really hands-on experience tasting and smelling the spices for which the island is famous, and children from nearby villages often run out to greet you. This can be easily arranged either in advance or when you're at the hotel, so you can see how you feel day by day.

Another good way to spend a morning or afternoon if you're looking for a change of scene from the beach, is to visit the Jozani Forest in the centre of the island. It's home to the rare red Kirk's colobus monkeys which are endemic to the island and really entertaining to watch leap and play in the trees!

This morning you will head back to Zanzibar airport for your onward flights.