Western Circuit - Chimpanzee Tracking |
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Western Circuit destinations are set deep in the heart of the African interior, inaccessible by road. Ujiji Town, where Stanley uttered that immortal greeting “Doctor Livingstone, I presume”, is centrally located to the Mahale Mountains, the Gombe Stream and Katavi Nature Park. Reminiscent of an Indian Ocean island beach idyll, the Mahale Mountains are home to some of Africa’s last remaining wild chimpanzees: a population of roughly 800, habituated to human visitors by a Japanese research project founded in the 1960s. Tracking the chimps of Mahale is a magical experience. The guide's eyes pick out last night's nests - shadowy clumps high in a gallery of trees crowding the sky. Scraps of half-eaten fruit and fresh droppings become valuable clues, leading you deeper into the forest. Butterflies flit in the dappled sunlight. Then suddenly you are in their midst: preening each other's glossy coats in concentrated huddles, squabbling noisily and bounding into the trees to swing effortlessly between the vines.
To the North of Mahale is the Gombe Stream, the smallest of Tanzania's national parks. The Gombe Stream is a fragile strip of chimpanzee habitat straddling the steep slopes and river valleys that hem in the sandy northern shore of Lake Tanganyika, North of Kigoma. Its chimpanzees, habituated to human visitors, were made famous by the pioneering work of Jane Goodall, who in 1960 founded a behavioral research program that now stands as the longest-running study of its kind in the world. The Matriarch Fifi, the last surviving member of the original community, only three-years old when Goodall first set foot in Gombe, is still regularly seen by visitors.
Amani Tours only prepares custom/tailor made itineraries to the Western Circuit for chimpanzee enthusiasts willing to spend time tracking them in the tropical rainforests. Since, chimpanzees share about 98% of their genes with humans, many visitors to Mahale and Gombe find the experience of chimp tracking both rewarding and decelerating. You may choose to expand your western circuit safari to include Katavi Nature Park, probably the most untouched wilderness in Tanzania. Katavi offers unspoilt wildlife viewing in a remote location far off the beaten track. The park is Africa at its most wild -- unadulterated bush settings, spectacular views, and rich wildlife. Katavi’s most dramatic scenery is its pristine nature. The main focus for game viewing within the park is the Katuma River and associated floodplains such as the seasonal Lakes Katavi and Chada.
Additional information on these western circuit destinations can be found on our website. Please review the descriptions carefully before requesting to book a trip to perhaps the most untouched, unspoiled ecosystems in Tanzania. You may request to either depart from Arusha or Dar es Salaam. Your western circuit safari may take 4 days/3 nights if visiting one park or 9 days/8 nights should you choose to visit more than one.
Please contact us at Info@Amani-Tours.com to make an inquiry and/or to place a subsequent booking. Thank you!
| Gombe Stream | Katavi Nature Park | Mahale Mountains | |
