Chimpanzee Experience — Gombe

Early morning transfer to the airport for your light aircraft flight to Kigoma on the shores of Lake Tanganyika — the world's longest freshwater lake at 673 km. Kigoma is a historic port town and the point from which Stanley departed to find Livingstone. Transfer to Kigoma Hill Top Hotel with views over the lake. Afternoon at leisure to acclimatise and explore the town. Dinner and overnight at Kigoma Hill Top Hotel.

After breakfast, speedboat transfer north along the Lake Tanganyika shoreline to Gombe Stream National Park — a narrow 52 km² strip of mountainous rainforest running along the lake. This is the smallest national park in Tanzania and one of the most biodiverse — the forest shelters chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, red colobus monkeys and an extraordinary variety of forest birds. Afternoon forest walk with your guide, learning the terrain and looking for smaller primates and forest birds. Dinner and overnight at Gombe Forest Lodge.

Full day chimpanzee trekking in Gombe Stream National Park. Trek with your expert guide in search of the habituated Kasakela chimpanzee community — the same group studied by Jane Goodall since 1960 and now among the most intensively studied animals in the world. Once the chimps are located, spend one hour observing them at close range: grooming, feeding, playing, vocalising and moving through the forest. Gombe's chimps are remarkably relaxed around people, allowing intimate and unobstructed observation. Afternoon birdwatching along the lake shore. All meals and overnight at Gombe Forest Lodge.

Morning hike to Jane's Peak — the viewpoint where Jane Goodall would sit and observe chimpanzee behaviour across the forest canopy. Panoramic views over Lake Tanganyika and the Congo forests beyond. Continue to Kalambo Falls on the Zambia-Tanzania border — the second highest uninterrupted waterfall in Africa at 221 metres, plunging into the Kalambo River gorge. Afternoon optional snorkelling in the crystal-clear waters of Lake Tanganyika among the extraordinary cichlid fish — hundreds of species unique to the lake. Picnic lunch en route. Speedboat return to Kigoma. Dinner and overnight at Kigoma Hill Top Lodge.

After breakfast, transfer to Kigoma airstrip for your light aircraft return flight to Arusha or Dar es Salaam for your onward international connections. This safari can be extended with a visit to Mahale Mountains National Park for additional chimpanzee trekking, or combined with any Tanzania wildlife or Zanzibar beach experience.