Best Kept Western Tanzania Safari Tour Destinations

Western Tanzania Exclusive Safari Destinations!

Western Tanzania safari tour destinations are Tanzania’s best-kept tourism secrets. Tanzania is one of the leading bucket list adventure destinations in East Africa. It is renowned for open savanna wildlife experiences and Beach tour holidays along the Coast and the Zanzibar islands.

Northern Tanzania is the most visited Tanzania region. The region has iconic Tanzania Safari tour destinations including the Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, and Arusha National Parks among others.

Southern Tanzania safari destinations are the second most visited after the north. In the south, there are large and exclusive protected areas including Mikumi, Nyerere, and Ruaha National Parks. This leaves western Tanzania safari tour destinations the least explored. They are diverse, exclusive and offer unique safari experiences and discovery journeys. Below is what you need to know about the west and the activities you can engage in while there.

Mahale Mountains National Park

Mahale Mountains National Park is located in western Tanzania along the Lake Tanganyika Shore. It is is forested and mountainous National Park covering a land area of 1,650 square kilometers. The park is one of the only two places in Tanzania with chimpanzees.

Chimpanzees are the leading attractions of Mahale Mountains National Park. It has over 900 of them making it among the East African safari destinations with the highest chimpanzee population. There is one habituated chimpanzee community here called Mimikere. It has over 75 individuals including Adult males, females, and infants.

Other notable wildlife species in the park include hippos, leopards, and lions though they are rarely seen. The park is home to over 400 bird species making it a great birding safari destination. Chimpanzee trekking is the main activity done here as well as birding, nature walks and boat rides on the lake.

Chimpanzee trekking adventures in the Mahale mountains are exclusive when compared to other East African destinations. Journeying through the forests and ending your day’s adventure relaxing at the beach is just amazing. Mahale Mountains is a true definition of the less traveled path. It is the best of all the western Tanzania safari tour destinations.

Katavi National Park

Katavi National Park is another off-beaten path and western Tanzania safari tour destination. It covers a land area of 4,471 square kilometers and is Tanzania’s third-largest protected area.

The park has a diverse ecosystem that is home to several wildlife species including over 400 birds. River Katuma is the park’s major water source as well as Lakes Chada and Katavi. Katavi National Park is Tanzania’s most remote savanna wildlife destination. It has the true untamed African wilderness and safari journeys there are peaceful and quiet.

Elephants, giraffes, hippos, and buffaloes are among the commonly seen savanna wildlife species. Lions are also in plenty often seen in large pride while leopards are rare given their solitary nature. The sable antelope is among Katavi National Park’s safari species as well as the unique Miombo woodlands.

Katavi National Park is best accessed by air given its remote location. The best time for Discovery Journeys in the park is in the dry season from June to October. While in the park you can do game drives, nature walks, birding journeys, and photography safaris among others.

Gombe National Park

Gombe National Park is another exclusive and remote western Tanzania safari destination. It is located along the shores of Lake Tanganyika and it is the second home to Chimpanzees in Tanzania. With a land area of only 35 square kilometers, Gombe National Park is among the smallest Tanzania safari tour destinations.

The Park was made famous by Jane Goodall who dedicated most of her time here studying chimpanzees. Gombe National Park is not just home to chimpanzees but other primates. These include colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, and vervet monkeys among others. Other notable wildlife species in the park include leopards though rarely seen, bush pigs, and hippos.

Gombe National Park being a forested park is explored on foot. This gives you a chance to connect with nature enjoying the sounds of birds and small insects. The park is home to over 300 bird species with notable ones including the African fish eagles, Schalow Turaco, and palm-nut Vultures.

Gombe is best accessed by air and boat. By air, you can directly fly from Arusha or Dar es Salaam to Kigoma airport. It is from Kigoma where you take a 1.5-hour boat trip along to Gombe National Park. Gombe can be visited any time of the year but for the best experience, it is recommended to visit during the dry season.

Kitulo National Park

Kitulo National Park is located in southwestern Tanzania and is probably the most underrated Tanzania safari tour destination. To differ from other East African destinations, Kitulo National Park primarily protects flowers. It is an ideal botany safari destination because of its diverse flowing plant vegetation.

This unique Tanzania safari destination also comprises montane grasslands and forest ecosystems along the Kitulo plateau. Kitulo plateau has parallel ridges that are scenic because of their landscape and floral coverage.

Livingstone and Ndumbi Forests are important ecosystems in Kitulo National Park. They are home to some of the most rare mammal species in the park including the Rungwe Dwarf Galago in Livingstone forest. Ndumbi Forest’s most outstanding icon is a 100-meter waterfall.

Our primary aim at Discovery Journeys is to explore such remote and exclusive safari destinations. All western Tanzania safari tour destinations give us more appeal to travel because of their diversity and uniqueness. Join us on these safari journeys and to other featured destinations like Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.