Western Tanzania Fly-In Katavi & Mahale

Rivertree Country Inn is a charming and intimate retreat located just outside of Arusha in Tanzania. Surrounded by lush gardens and towering trees, this boutique accommodation offers a peaceful and secluded escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The spacious and well-appointed rooms are designed with comfort in mind, featuring plush beds, en-suite bathrooms, and private patios or balconies with views of the gardens or the nearby mountains. The inn also offers a variety of amenities, including a swimming pool, a restaurant serving locally-sourced cuisine, and a spa offering a range of treatments.

Transfer via charter flight to Katavi National Park, located deep in off-radar western Tanzania. A short game drive carries you to Chada Katavi Camp, your home for the next three nights. Arrive to welcoming smiles and an escort to your canvas suite. After settling in, stroll over to the lounge tent for high tea and an introductory game drive.

From the outset, you will be in awe at the utter remoteness of Katavi. Largely free of any other vehicles, the plains roll out before you in endless golden vistas and support great numbers of animals, concentrated en masse in the enervating dry season.

Selecting a scenic spot, your guide pulls out a hamper packed with sundowner treats and chilled drinks. As the sun sinks toward the horizon, you raise a glass to the wildness and solitude of Katavi. Return to the lodge in the early evening, where candles and lanterns create a warm and cosy glow around the fireplace. After freshening up, sip cocktails in the library before a sumptuous three-course dinner.

Bid farewell to Katavi as you fly to the shimmering expanse of Lake Tanganyika. You descend to Mahale airstrip where a boat takes you on a 90-minute journey to Greystoke Mahale, your accommodation for the next four nights.

You will feel very much like an early explorer as the camp comes into view - a sweeping Crusoe-esque thatched structure set right on the beach with jungle-clad mountains rearing up behind it. Step ashore and enter a castaway world, ringing with the sound of forest birds. The lodge and its six guest bandas are constructed from old sailing dhows, thatch and driftwood, blending seamlessly into the verdant environment.

Take off your shoes and allow your toes to sink into the sand, cast off the world behind and enter the spirit of this extraordinary place. With no roads in the vicinity, there are only animal paths and jungle trails to wander. Nine species of primate inhabit this ancient forest but the chimpanzees that live here are the main attraction: trek into their territory with an experienced guide for an encounter that will hold you in spellbound fascination as our closest living relatives play, forage and behave in an all-too-familiar manner.

As with all good things, the magical days at Mahale must finally come to an end. After a last walk on the beach, take the final journey back to the Mahale airstrip and a flight to Arusha.

As you fly over Tanzania's forested peaks and open savannahs, reminisce on the extraordinary journey you have experienced. From teeming herds on wide open plains and the thrill of following the spoor of a pride of lions to the incredible connection you felt when meeting a chimpanzee’s probing gaze, each of these experiences is indelibly carved in your memory, which will perhaps compel you one day to return to Africa.