Western Tanzania

Arguably one of the wildest places on earth, Western Tanzania is undoubtedly a challenge to reach, but the few hundred travellers prepared to make the trek to this remote landscape each year are profoundly rewarded with jaw-dropping scenery, spectacular wildlife and a small number of simple but superb, high end camps.

Katavi is Africa’s third largest national park, and its least visited. Huge herds of buffalo, elephant, giraffe, zebra, and eland congregate on the impressive Katisunga plains. Rivers and swamps support these vast animal populations year-round, attracting hippos in their hundreds and crocodiles to bask in the mud-holes. The opportunity to witness lions prey on buffalo is one of Katavi’s hallmarks, along with some of the best birdlife around. Low visitor numbers, off-road driving, and fly camping under the stars make this park a winning choice for any traveller with a taste for genuine wilderness adventure.

A trip to Katavi combines well with a visit to the Mahale Mountains National Park. Surrounded by jungle-clad mountains, and nestled against Lake Tanganyika with its deep, crystal waters and bright, white sands, the park’s location is simply phenomenal. Home to Tanzania’s densest population of primates, Mahale is famed for its chimpanzees in their natural habitat and sightings are a real delight. There are no roads here and boating, canoeing, walking and swimming are the only ways to get around, so good fitness levels are a must.

Katavi and Mahale are accessed via four or five hour light-aircraft flights from Dar or Arusha. Though access is costly, it’s worth pushing the boat out if you can. Well away from the main Tanzanian tourist circuit, the unrivalled isolation of these parks with their outstanding natural beauty will enthral any dedicated safari enthusiast.

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We had an extraordinary time. It was magical and we couldn't hav asked or hoped for more. Thank you both so much for all of your time and assistance.

Missing Emma M reviewing Best of Botswana for Families on 18 November 2024

We had an amazing experience - absolutely loved it.
Mohamed and Said were great and very patient especially with me going downhill - was quite nervous about the scree slopes and paths.

Will be a trip we remember forever

Missing Maritta B reviewing Atlas Valleys & Villages Trek - Value on 11 November 2024

Trip was great and all the arrangements were excellent so thank you for all the help!

Drivers and transfers were all good - on time and very good service on each trip.

Accommodation was lovely - Douar Samra was amazing (weather could have been better but lovely regardless). Riad in Marrakesh was also great!

All in all a great trip and we loved the variety of the mountains, Marrakesh and the coast.

Thanks you once again!

Missing Hardeep S reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 15 April 2024

I was also just about to email you to thank you and the team for arranging yet again, another wonderful experience.

Mount Kenya was spectacular and wild - I think I prefer it to Kili in many ways. The entire support team was professional, friendly and all round fantastic in making sure that we were safe, well fed and well looked after. In particular, we would commend Peter the guide as well as Paul one of the porters who doubled-up as his deputy on summit day. Our route was often shrouded in mist and rain that rapidly gathered in the valleys and moorlands, and we were very impressed at how Peter managed to navigate us safely through all of that notwithstanding. In addition, we loved learning about the history of Mount Kenya from him in the evenings. And ofcourse, I was blown away by the lovely birthday surprise at the end complete with balloons and a delicious cake that had journeyed with us from day 1. One thing we might recommend because of the sudden change in weather (it would sometimes get extremely cold and wet) is for the equipment list to be a little bit more detailed in terms of its recommendations e.g. layers to be moisture-wicking, walking boots be waterproof, doubling up on socks to avoid blisters etc.

El Karama is a beautiful conservancy and the lodge a true labour of love. Great hospitality in a relaxed environment. Delicious, fresh food. We enjoyed the drives, even if we didn't see much wildlife as the heavens opened on us for the last two outings. However, since it was very much geared towards families, I am not sure if I would stay again without kids. That said, I think it was perfect for a 3d/2n stay post mountain, and a much better choice than flying to the masai mara given the limited time we had.

Our transits were smooth. Samuel the driver was always on time, drove safely and kept the vehicle clean.

So it was a brilliant experience and one which I certainly will cherish for some time to come. It was great to work with you for a third time, and I certainly hope it won't be the last

Missing Juhae C reviewing Mount Kenya Sirimon Naro Moru Trek on 01 March 2024

Thank you, we had an absolute wonderful time, and everything was well-planned and as described. Carla was crying on the day of our departure from Ants Nest, she didn’t want to go home and for it all to end, and when I asked how much longer she would want to stay, she responded “four weeks”

Missing Lars B reviewing Best of South Africa for Families on 01 March 2024

We had the most amazing time. It exceeded all my hopes of what the trip would be. The guides, the hotels - everything was of such a wonderful quality. Thank you for organizing everything. I will absolutely recommend Tourdust and use you again.

Missing Claudia L reviewing Luxury Desert Holiday on 11 January 2024

We had a brilliant trip!
An amazing experience for parents, children and grandparents alike.
We are already planning a trip to Vietnam next year

Missing Kate B reviewing Morocco Family Holiday: Desert Camp, Mountains & Souks on 10 January 2024

Dear Lisa. On behalf of the three generations of the Rowland family. Thank you, so much, for organising our wonderful holiday to Botswana and the Victoria Falls. The trip of a lifetime. The week mobile camping in the bush, with our guide Nandos and his crew was a fantastic adventure. How they manage to cook such wonderful food on an open fire is amazing. The sites were constantly visited by monkeys and once by elephants. We were even lucky enough to see two packs of wild dogs, once with a kill. Waterberry Lodge on the Zambezi River is a wonderfully tranquil place. Ideal to relax after the adventures of our safari and visiting Victoria Falls. Very many thanks once again

Missing Godfrey R reviewing Private Mobile Family Safari in Botswana on 25 September 2023

We had a great time - even with the flight between Governors and the coast being two flights and a car! We also experienced a power cut At Nairobi airport on the way home so 2+ hours late taking off. Governors. Wonderful people and dealt with the flight delay very well - taking us back and letting us know that we could stay there if the flight was delayed overnight. The game drives were excellent and our guide (Erick) obviously very experienced and managed to find all the key animals - no rhino in that part of the Masai Mara but everything else in abundance - never seen so many herbivores (many many elephants as well as all the others) as well as two prides of lions. Could not have asked for more. The ‘tent’ was excellent and comfortable and well serviced. The only ‘complaint’ would be that the food - especially dinner - could be improved (I think we got a bit bored of soup as a starter for every meal bar one) and the main courses were not at the same level as Kinondo Kwetu and while all were explained there was no choice offered. The breakfasts were just what was needed after an early game drive. Kinondo Kwetu. What a great location and the welcome when we arrived at just gone 11.00pm was better than you could have ever thought possible - they we’re disappointed that we did not at that time want the full dinner experience! The rooms we’re comfortable. The food was excellent but again no choice was offered - other than for allergy reasons (which we do not have). May be some choice would be nice. Having said that the food we did have was excellent as were the wines (albeit a short list!) and other drinks. There were (as you know) lots of facilities/sports options - but we spent our time relaxing which was exactly what we needed and there were lots of places to do that. Overall. We would go back to both places - perhaps a few more nights at Kinondo Kwetu next time but 3 nights at Governors was perfect for us. Thank you for organising and recommending both places. That you and your colleague for trying to find out about the plane (flat tyre) but communication by the flight company left a lot to be desired (Governors were furious that they were not told and had taken us to the airstrip). Phil

Missing Philip R reviewing Masai Mara Safari & Kenya Beach on 01 September 2023

It was certainly a holiday of a lifetime for us and we loved every minute!! The standard and location of each accommodation was excellent, as was the variety of each different accommodation type. Our schedule was perfect and we managed to achieve everything on our to-do task list. Your documents were also really helpful, as were the driving directions. We all thank you for making this such a wonderful holiday. Happy to leave a review publicly if you point me the right way. Best Steve

Missing Stephen H reviewing Classic Garden Route & Eastern Cape Safari on 01 September 2023

Hello Lisa. We came back from our trip two weeks ago now so I am sending this email much later than I wanted to. Nevertheless, what I wanted to say was thank you very much for helping us organise an amazing trip. Our days in Mafia Island to celebrate my 50th birthday were exactly what I wanted them to be: a fantastic time with the family doing activities that we all love and enjoy in a relaxing, unusual, beautiful place full of sun, surrounded by water, wildlife and friendly people. We swam with whale sharks, did a lot of snorkeling, had two picnics on a beautiful sand bank, watched the sunset over the sea, did a bird watching excursion and tried scuba diving.
All merit to you because Pole Pole in Mafia Island was your recommendation. I never heard of Mafia Island before and didn't consider Tanzania to start with. It was an amazing place to stay: friendly, relaxed, beautiful, comfortable, with great food and fantastic service. Thanks not only for finding the place but also for your patience as we prepared the trip and I explored options and decided what I wanted. All went incredibly well (places, transfers, flights) and we had a very memorable time together that we will all remember forever - as we still do the safari trip to South Africa you organised for us 5 years ago.
I cannot wait to plan another trip! I am already thinking about where and when. Hopefully no pandemic will get in the way this time. And I will come to you as my favourite travel agent.
I copy in this message the Tourdust office because I want them to know how good you are and how much I appreciated the different trips you organised for us (including the trip to India for my parents that was cancelled due to Covid). I cannot thank you enough :o)
Kind regards, Carol

Missing Carolina O reviewing Relaxed Bush & Beach Family Holiday in Tanzania on 25 November 2022

It was FANTASTIC! Beautifully organised, everything worked like clockwork. We agreed that we had the best support team ever (and we have experience) - all delightful, very professional and nothing was too much bother.

It clearly couldn't have been a better route, such a wonderful mix of landscapes. And plenty of acclimatisation time. Nonetheless, I was glad of my summit oxygen.

Kit excellent. Double good mattresses made for most comfortable trek camping ever. Tents v good. Mess tent pretty windproof, which was vital for enjoyment. Best camp loo ever!

My favourite day was Shira Cathedral. Amazing.

Missing William M reviewing Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route on 15 April 2020

All the accommodation was great especially having the family rooms, I think our favourite place was the maramboi tented camp - everything about it was spot on, the location and service was excellent!
The only negative feedback I could give was the amount of time spent in the jeep, I hadn’t quite realised how much travel there was! But it’s a minor point, Haji our guide was excellent and constantly pointed out things of interest along the way.

Missing Sam S reviewing Tanzania Extended Northern Circuit on 24 September 2018

Both our guides were fine, did a good job, walked at a good pace for our group. Kept a close eye on us on the last night and helped me keep going even when not feeling well. Only thing i would say is that they weren't overly friendly. Felt a bit like they spoke to us enough to sort of do their job and make conversation but sort of expected that they might be a bit more friendly and enthusiastic. Might have been due to the fact we were two girls though? Didn't really stop us enjoying it, just would have been nice! 4/5

Considering your on a mountain the food was good and there was a lot of it. Though this became a bit of a problem as we felt so much pressure to eat it, not once did we finish all the food that was provided, and felt bad about the waste. Perhaps the cook needs to be more open to changing the portions of food he cooks depending on how much people eat! 4/5

All the information from tourdust through booking was excellent. We had plenty of information to help decide the route and to prepare for the climb. Though we were advised to take water purifying tablets, but actually they already purified the water. And walking poles were an optional extra however we were advised they were essential on arrival and had to rent some. 5/5

Missing Emily D reviewing Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route on 11 December 2012

Our guide, Frederick was excellent and very knowledgeable, definitely a 5. The meals were great and the quantity of food slightly overwhelming on occasion! The service and effort put into presentation far exceeded out expectations

Missing James I reviewing Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route on 04 August 2012

Western Tanzania