Chimpanzees.Lake Tanganyika.
Tanzania's western parks — Gombe Stream and Mahale Mountains on Lake Tanganyika — offer the most intimate primate encounter on earth.
The ChimpanzeeMountain.
800 wild chimpanzees. The M group, habituated since 1965, encountered on foot at close range in mountain forest above Lake Tanganyika. Contact lasts two to four hours. Wild chimpanzees within two metres, behaving entirely naturally.
The shared 98.7% DNA is impossible to overlook at that distance. Closer to observation of family than of species.
"Three hours with the M group. An infant played four metres from where we sat. Nothing in twenty years of wildlife travel prepared me."
Jane Goodall'sResearch Site.
Where Dr Jane Goodall began her chimpanzee research in 1960 — the most significant long-term wildlife study in history. Smaller and more accessible than Mahale. Two-hour boat transfer from Kigoma.
The Kasekela community, studied continuously for over sixty years, is the most documented wild primate group on earth.
The world's seconddeepest lake.
770 metres deep. 673km long. 17% of the world's surface fresh water. Over 350 endemic fish species. The journey from the Northern Circuit is itself part of the experience.
Tanzania beyond the Northern Circuit.
Combined with a Northern Circuit expedition, the western parks are one of the most complete wildlife journeys on earth. Five to seven days. Three-month advance booking.