Discovering the Tanzanian Frontier

At first glance it may seem odd to have Tanzania, one of the mainstay safari countries featured as a place to go to avoid the masses and to find untrammeled safari experiences but the attractions of the northern circuit, Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, have captured the tourists and the south and wild west remain as safari frontiers.

A circuit featuring Ruaha, Katavi, and Mahale National Parks delivers enormous wilderness areas teeming with wildlife and almost no people, including diverse scenery and experiences. The result is a classic safari of Tanzania’s wild.

Tanzania’s second largest national park Ruaha is considered by many to be the definitive game park because it lies at the transition point of the northern acacia savanna and the southern miombo woodlands biome and thus has a tremendously diverse mix of the East African and Southern African wildlife. For example, this is a rare place where striped hyena from the north, brown hyena from the south, and the wide ranging spotted hyena all co-exist. Likewise greater and lesser kudu mix here. The park is known for it’s evocative scenery with rugged, highly variable terrain. The Ruaha river provides the only reliable source of water for a huge area leading to intense wildlife viewing with large prides of lions, Tanzania’s best concentration of elephants, thousands of buffalo, and surprisingly good populations of cheetah, wild dog, leopard, sable, roan and many other species. Despite the biological richness and dramatic landscape the park only has four camps/lodges for a total of 98 beds, compared to the Serengeti with over 700 beds per night. It is not unusual to go for long game drives in this great park and not encounter another vehicle.

Photo © Nomad Tanzania

Perhaps the best kept safari secret is Katavi National Park. Due to its remote nature and far distance from any other attractions it remains virtually untouched with over 1 million acres but only about 200 visitors a year! Unlike most national park areas it is possible to drive off-road here as well as do walking safaris. Infrastructure is very limited ensuring a true wilderness experience with small traditional tented camps and the exciting ability for fly-camping (remote camps that you walk or drive to) for the ultimate connection with nature sleeping under the stars.

Often in areas with low tourism the animals can be shy and secretive as they are not habituated as they are in heavily visited areas. In Katavi the animals historically have seen so few people that there is no fear or skittishness but sometimes an unusual curious look of what type of creature has entered my domain. This is perhaps one of the only places that can impress what it would have been like in past centuries as explorers first arrived on the African scene. The park is known for its special wildlife concentrations, including enormous buffalo herds that can number from 1,000 to 3,000 or more, and dry season congregations of hippos and crocodiles that crowd by the hundreds into dwindling water resources. Sable and roan antelope herds are also quite large and not typically shy with human viewers as they are in most areas. Elephants number over 4,000 and topi, giraffe, zebra, spotted hyena, leopard and lion are all plentiful. This area is very good for possible lion-buffalo interactions.

Mahale National Park is remote in the extreme, sitting in the far west of Tanzania on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. There are absolutely no roads in the area so after flying into a small airstrip you then board a boat for about a 1 ½ hour ride to the lodging inside the park. There are three small camps, each in their own private locations on white sand beaches against the crystal waters of the lake. The one farthest to the south is Greystoke, and arriving by boat is breath taking to discover this whimsical Robinson Crusoe castaway style of camp, a combination of location and style that rivals any in Africa – an absolutely original experience.

While the camp and setting are astounding it is trekking with the local chimpanzees that can deliver one of the most cherished moments of your life. Meeting our closest animal relative in their dense jungle home is riveting and as you recognize so many of their behaviors, facial expressions, and gestures one is compelled to consider our origins and recognize the deep connection to nature that is still ingrained in us even if it is often buried in our modern world. Over many years of diverse projects working with various animal species and wildlife observation in numerous locations around the globe, nowhere has the connection been greater than with the chimps at Mahale. Read a report on my experience here. Typically the M Group is found, which has been studied by Japanese researchers since the mid-1960’s. The guides at Greystoke are outstanding and they know each of the 60+ individuals by their faces and can tell you their histories and their politics! Chimp society is dynamic and complex, you will be enthralled by these tales as they deepen your interest in the social interactions that play out in front of your eyes.

Beyond time with the chimps Mahale offers a superb opportunity to expand deeper into Africa past the typical game drive and open savanna walking routine. Here you trek into a jungle reminiscent of Central Africa that remains out of reach for most travelers. Being on the lake with pristine white sand adds a beach holiday flavor and the gin clear water filled with over 250 colorful cichlid fish species provides one of the finest fresh water snorkeling experiences. Sea kayaking, boating, snorkeling, fishing, and even bathing local style in the gorgeous lake with provided biodegradable products all allow for a full water experience – the perfect counter measure to the primal jungle trekking. This is a special place where you do get physical and yet it all seems so undemanding.

Note that a visit to Mahale is just as easily combined with a traditional Serengeti safari as it is with exploring other Tanzanian frontier areas. In our view it does not matter what route you take to arrive so long as it is a destination that you reach.