Extraordinary Safaris and Destinations in the Western Circuit of Tanzania
Tanzania’s Western circuit is the most secluded one in the country. The Western Circuit of Tanzania is home to a variety of National Parks, including Katavi National Park, Mahale National Park, and Gombe Stream National Park. The National Parks offer an abundance of wildlife, ensuring sightings throughout the year.

Katavi National Park
Katavi National Park is often referred to as Katavi Plain National Park. Katavi National Park spans an impressive 4,500 square kilometers, ranking as the third-largest National Park in Tanzania. Katavi National Park provides an incredible encounter with the untamed wilderness, featuring expansive grasslands that deliver an authentic African bush safari experience.

Katavi National Park is a vast expanse of grassland teeming with diverse wildlife, captivating visitors with the authentic beauty of the African bush. The park boasts high concentrations of animals, making it a must-see destination. Travelers are often advised that the ideal time to explore Katavi National Park is during the dry season, typically from July to October.

Katavi National Park is a remarkable sanctuary for a diverse array of wildlife, where expansive plains are alive with large herds of grazers like buffalo. In the vast pools, hundreds of hippos can often be spotted congregating in impressive numbers. The park is also home to magnificent lion prides, while a leisurely population of zebras adds to the vibrant tapestry of life here.

The park is home to a variety of wildlife, including the topi, hartebeest, eland, waterbuck, impala, southern and boho reedbuck, giraffe, warthog, and the rare roan antelope. The park is teeming with a variety of carnivores, featuring not only lions but also leopards, wild dogs, spotted hyenas, caracal, serval, and African wild cats. The National Park is alive with remarkable reptiles and a vibrant array of butterflies that abound throughout the landscape.

Mahale National Park
Mahale National Park spans an impressive land area of over 600 square kilometers, ascending from the shores of the lake at an altitude of approximately 77 meters, with its peak reaching around 2,463 meters. The shores of Lake Tanganyika embrace the lush forests and the rugged slopes of the Mahale Mountains, cascading down to the pristine waters of the lake, inviting exploration within Mahale National Park. Mahale National Park is nestled in the far west of the country, surrounded by the breathtaking and lush slopes of the Mahale Mountains, making it a must-visit destination during a safari in the western circuit.

The Mahale Mountains were once home to the Batongwe and the Holoholo people, who had inhabited this remarkable landscape for countless years. The creation of the Mahale Mountain Research Centre in 1979 led to the expulsion of all these individuals from the mountains.

Mahale Mountain National Park was established with a profound commitment to safeguard the thousands of chimpanzees that call this region home, making it one of the only two protected areas for these remarkable creatures in Tanzania. Mahale National Park is home to the largest known population of eastern chimpanzees, where the dedicated efforts of conservation have been recognized, allowing these remarkable creatures to thrive in their secluded habitat.

The distinctiveness of Mahale National Park is highlighted by the remarkable co-existence of lions and chimpanzees. In Africa, Mahale National Park is one of the rare National Parks that invites exploration on foot. Accessing Mahale National Park is an exhilarating experience, as it can only be reached by boat navigating through the lake, with no infrastructure within its boundaries.