Welcome to Tanzania!
It is time for an epic adventure expedition discovering remote Western Tanzania on a kayak. Gin-clear water packed with endemic fish, abundant birdlife, the best chimpanzee tracking experiences left on the planet, and remote camping on the lake’s pristine beaches - all amount to the adventure of a lifetime.
It is a privilege to see one of the world’s best remaining unspoilt places on your own kayak, at your own pace, immersed in nature without a worry in the world. We are happy to guide you on a stunning once in a lifetime experience to this remote and wild part of Western Tanzania. Buckle up & lean back - your adventure is about to start …
Day 1 Thu Arriving in Tanzania
Welcome to Tanzania – you made it! In the early morning you jump on the plane and leave Dar es Salaam heading west to Mpanda. We pick you up at the airport and bring you to “Lake Shore Lodge” at the shores of Lake Tanganyika. The transfer will lead you through Katavi National Park, so keep your eyes open you could see some amazing animals right on or next to the road.
After a long day, it`s time to relax a little bit. Have a drink while watching the sunset over Lake Tanganyika at a campfire.
Day 2 Fri Getting prepared …
This is the day to check all our equipment, test the kayaks and prepare for the next day’s expedition. You will get a closer briefing and learn more about our trip.
The rest of the day is for leisure, so once settled and ready Lakeshore offers great walking, swimming and birding opportunities. Or simply relax in a hammock, watch the local fishermen and the slow changes of the lake, and do absolutely nothing.
If you like to see the whole trip on a map, simply click on the different location names and it will bring you to Google Maps.
Day 3 Sat Lake Shore Lodge to Korongwe | 35 kilometer | ~ 7 hours
We depart Lake Shore Lodge early in the morning. We take it slow on the first day and kayak to the beautiful bay of Korongwe. On the northern point there is a remote secluded beach for an ideal campsite. This is where we spent the first night.
Day 4 Sun Korongwe to Karema | 38 Kilometers | ~ 7 hours
From Korongwe, we aim for the southerly facing beach just west of Karema town. We kayak through the large sweeping bay in front of Kabwe village. On the north side of this bay is a steep well forested mainland. Our overnight spot is one of the beaches to the west of this mainland, just past Karema.
Day 5 Mon Karema to Kalagunga | 45 Kilometers | ~ 8 hours
Today, we head around the Karema point past Ikola and then along a steep mainland, which is the beginning of the southern start of the Mahale Mountain range. Most of the lakeline is quite rocky, with not many beaches. The mainland is very forested and steep and starts looking like the Adriatic coast. Our campsite is just north of Kalagunga.
Day 6 Tue Kalagunga to Mbilimbili | 40 Kilometers | ~ 7 hours
Today we round the point of Sibwesa. Once rounded, we are looking at the beginning of Mahale National Park. We camp just short of the park border before heading to our final goal the next morning.
Day 7 Wed Mbilimbili to Mahale Bandas | 50 Kilometers | ~ 8 hours
Today will be the most memorable day of the trip. Keep your binoculars close for quick draw scanning of the forests and the beaches. In the tops of the trees, you might find the Pels Fishing owl, which is a birders dream. On the beaches you might see waterbuck, otters, chimps and other primates and even some lazy crocs warming. Today is the longest day as we have to get to the northern side of the park, to our final campsite.
Day 8 Thu Chimpanzee Trekking
Today all the effort of the last days will pay off! After breakfast we leave for our Chimpanzee Trekking into the Mahale Mountains. Once we found our closest relatives, we can spend up to one hour with them. Seeing these amazing animals in their natural environment is truly a one-in-a-lifetime experience and something you will never forget. So, get your cam ready …
Day 9 Fri Time to say goodbye …
We pack up camp and do a short 23 kilometres paddle to the Mahale Mountains Airstrip in the north of the National Park. Here it`s time to say Farewell to your trusty steed. Vehicles will be there to collect you and drive you to Kigoma, where you will spend the night at the “Kigoma Hilltop Hotel” before flying back to Dar es Salaam the other day.
WHAT TO EXPECT
DISTANCES & FITNESS
This 5-day expedition is easily in reach for most relatively fit people. Obviously, prior kayaking experience and a general higher fitness level will increase your overall output, increasing your daily distance and speed. However, this is not what this expedition is about. It is about the team, sharing experiences, and making memories & friends. We have found that irrespective of distance and fitness, one could work on a healthy average of 6-7 km per hour on either of our kayaks.
In general, it is best to get away early and get 3-5 hours done before the heat of midday. Then a stop for a meal or snack and some downtime.
OVERALL WEATHER CONDITIONS
Being on a kayak, does place us firmly in the hands of the Weather Gods. The weather on any day can be locally specific and they could change several times a day. Depending on the season there are two prevailing winds. During our dry season, May -November, the wind is from the south, meaning good news, it will push us along. During our rain season, the wind is from the north, so we are pushed slightly. The rain season does not translate into a rain every day or all day. Generally, if it does rain, there will be a strong wind period of about 45 minutes, another 45 minutes of rain and then usually utter calm follows. This is the best time to paddle. The temperatures, even during rain will never get below around 22-24 Celsius and during the heat of the day, not normally above 30 Celsius.
We never take a chance against the weather. If the conditions get unpleasant, we pull up on a beach, dose in a hammock, go for a swim or skim stones until the weather passes. Your guide will never put a kayaker in jeopardy, lost time for bad weather will have to be made up for during good weather periods.
SOUL FOOD ON OUR WAY
No need to cook for ourselves! Your guide will tootle off into a village and come back in 15 minutes with piles of food. All our meals are catered from the villages along the way. The local kitchen is always cooked fresh, available from even the smaller villages along the way, and it is always a carnival. Experience Chips Maayai, cooked rice with beans, fish and sometimes chicken or Chai & Maandazi which is a famous dish for breakfast.
Your guide will have tea, coffee, and some other necessities for just in case. This is a great way to support local communities. Depending on your preferences, we would recommend you bring energy bar, trail mixes and any other sustenance that you are used to for the fire in your stomach in between mealtimes.
DRINKING WATER
We hate plastic bottles and since you are self-propelled over 18% of the world’s fresh water, we never have to use them. Some of the tougher folks drink the water from the lake, taken from open water transects, however we recommend that every paddler brings his/her own portable water purifier and a couple of storage bottles that can be filled every morning or as necessary.
SETTING UP CAMP
In the late afternoons you will arrive at your camping beaches. We always try to locate an empty beach but sometimes the closest beach will do. If there are Tanzanians on the beach, either who live there or just passing by, they will come over and greet you. You will always be safe in Tanzania. We will light a campfire at night, review the day and get a short briefing for the next day before we crash into our tents for a well-deserved sleep.
FISHERMEN ALONG THE WAY
You will constantly be going past local fishermen in their homemade wooden boats. Your guide will know which of these guys are fishing ethically and we can always negotiate the purchase of the catch of the day, to throw on the fire tonight.
BATHING & LOO
By law we are not allowed to bathe in the lake. Your guide will have a very basic shower booth and a separate toilet booth, with a hole in the sand. The rest is up to you.
SNORKELLING
If you think above the water is beautiful, put on a mask. In these lovely afternoon breaks we would always recommend a snorkel around some rocks. The lake has 250 species of cichlids, the small colourful aquarium fish, adorning thousands of living rooms in tanks around the world, but please don’t get me started on that! It is the world’s biggest aquarium and the first thing you pack should be your snorkelling kit.
HIPPOS & CROCS
The most commonly asked question. Yes, there are crocodiles in the lake. However, we have been diving and swimming and snorkelling here, by day for 17 years and we have never seen a crocodile by day, except in Mahale. You will certainly be safe on your kayak and in all the bays outside of Mahale. Yes, there are also hippos in the lake, how special are we? These wonderful Heffalump’s wallow in shallow water, generally at river mouths. If you are lucky enough to see them, you will probably hear them first, give them a wide berth and things will be hippo free.
CLOTHING
From experience, don’t overdo it in the clothing department. Three long-sleeve, light weight fast drying sun shirts, 2 pairs of shorts or swimmers, one pair of casual sandals or Crocs, yes, I know, it’s weird but I think Crocs are the best shoes for this trip, one lightweight jacket should be enough, oh and underwear if you are that way inclined. Remember, this is not a fashion show!
ABOUT LAKE TANGANYIKA
Situated in Tanzania, within the Albertine Rift, this incredible lake is also the second deepest and second oldest in the world. The lake supports an incredible diversity of fish. Supporting more than 500 fish species, 60% of them are endemic – the celebrated Tanganyika cichlids.
The water in the lake is beautifully clear offering great opportunities for snorkelling and swimming. Numerous small fishing villages dot the shore in some areas whilst incredibly remote and inaccessible beaches offer idyllic camping sites in Mahale Mountains National Park. Lake Tanganyika is estimated to hold 18% of the world’s fresh standing water, with a length of 675 kilometres from North to south it is the longest lake in the world and is the second deepest lake in the world.
ABOUT OUR KAYAKS
Our Wilderness System Tarpon 140 Single Kayaks are very stable machines, equipped with rudders which we find essential for longer trips. They are comfortable and have good stowage capacity. We have six of these bad boys. For a “two horsepower trip” we offer three of these beasts for our expeditions. They are also made by Wilderness Systems and equipped with rudders designed to be brilliant long distance tandem kayaks, offering great stowage capabilities.
ABOUT MAHALE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
One of Africa’s greatest national parks, famous for the habituated Chimpanzees that call Mahale home. This park offers an incredibly diverse and unique experience for the intrepid adventurer. Mahale boasts a pristine shoreline with white sandy beaches along Lake Tanganyika, rugged mountains, deep green jungles, waterfalls, woodlands, and savannas. The highlight of exploring this National Park is undoubtably the opportunity to spend time with the incredible chimpanzee groups that roam the park. These chimps have been the subject of a research project that started in 1965 giving insight into their behaviour, community, and history. Mahale also supports nine other species of primates making it one of the most important protected areas in Tanzania for primate conservation. In addition, the park has wonderful butterfly diversity, fantastic forest and rewarding birding opportunities.
CHIMPANZEE TREKKING
The Mimikere (M) Group chimpanzee community in the Mahale Mountains covers a home range of around 15 square miles and are our closest neighbours at Greystoke Mahale. Throughout the year the movement and location of the chimps vary according to where they can find food. Chimpanzees are naturally gregarious, so when food sources are abundant, they’ll gather in large groups frequently calling to each other and making a lot of noise. When food resources are lower, they tend to split up into small groups and can be harder to find as they spread further afield and are generally less vocal. So, their proximity to camp and the ease of getting to them is to some degree dictated by the seasons, and the knock-on effect on the forest larder. Fluctuations of available food are not entirely dependable year by year, so of course the following general guide is by no means definite, but it should help to understand what to expect while you are at Greystoke.
From September to October is one of the best times to see the chimps and trekking can be relatively easy. The chimps rarely head high to the eastern hills but often spend days in the northern reaches of their home range seeking out the wild nutmeg and Kasolyo Granite Garcinia and Buhono fruits. They can from time-to-time head for odd days into the almost impenetrable steep southern hills but rarely spend more than a day or two there before returning to the lowlands.
NEED TO KNOW
This trip includes:
Flights & transfer within Tanzania
Accommodation & meals at Lake Shore Lodge
Kayak & Camping gear hire
All meals during the trip
Park Entrance & Ranger fees
Excluded are:
All international flights to Tanzania
Travel insurance and medical evacuation plan
Snacks along the way
Tipps for guides