Beast Retreat
Wildlife & Chimpanzees
Barefoot luxury and wild chimps
Western Tanzania is a very long way away, but the best places on the planet often are. This safari is a unique opportunity to enjoy one of the remotest regions in Africa.
On joining a light aircraft charter flight from Arusha, your first stop is Katavi National Park, for a 3-night stay at Chada Camp. With a focus on the more traditional safari, enjoy exceptional walking safaris and 4WD game drives in one of the least visited National Parks in Tanzania. There is also the opportunity to try fly camping, sleeping under a canopy of a billion stars, for the adventurous at heart.
A further flight takes you to your second and final safari destination, but a safari destination like no other. You will spend 4-nights in the barefoot luxury that is Greystoke Mahale, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika and at the base of the Mahale Mountains. Here it is all about the most privileged primates on the planet, the wild chimps of Mahale. With just 6 thatched bandas in camp, it is as much about time away from the ‘ordinary’ as it is about time with the chimps and the ‘extraordinary’.
You will love
- Barefoot luxury & jungle chic
- Chimps in the wild
- Mahale Mountains
- Lake Tanganyika
- Walking safaris in Katavi NP
- Fly camping
Let us design your perfect itinerary.
9 UNFORGETTABLE DAYS
DAY 1 | ARUSHA | 1 NIGHT
Arrive to Kilimanjaro International Airport, where you will be met and privately transferred to your hotel for the night. Time to relax and recover from your flight or enjoy an optional excursion, such as a bike ride or coffee plantation tour. Evening at leisure before the real adventure begins tomorrow.
DAY 2-4 | KATAVI NATIONAL PARK | 3 NIGHTS
After breakfast you will be driven to the local airstrip to join a light aircraft flight south west to Katavi National Park to spend 3 amazing nights at Chada Katavi Camp. This safari is a unique opportunity to enjoy one of the remotest regions in Africa. Katavi and Mahale are accessed by a shared scheduled charter flight from Arusha and as far as safaris go, this is one of the most unique, remote, and awe-inspiring trips in Africa. Katavi has changed little since it opened twenty years ago. Here, you will explore, enjoying walks out across the plains and appreciate the total lack of people. It’s not only having your feet on the ground at the same level as the big game, but the feeling that you are the only people doing so. Take bedrolls and sling them under a borassus palm in the fly-camp, venture to Paradise Plains by 4WD and appreciate seeing nothing but wild Africa for miles.
DAY 5-8 | MAHALE MOUNTAINS | 4 NIGHTS
Today, a short 25-minute flight takes you over the Mahale Mountains to land on the banks of Lake Tanganyika. Once you arrive in Mahale you will be met by your guide and taken by dhow to camp. This boat trip skims along the shoreline of the impossibly clear Lake Tanganyika with the Mahale Mountains rising from the beach. Then you will catch the first glimpse of the iconic Greystoke beach, always a memorable moment. Here, you will share the mountains and the lake with many animals, but it’s the chimps that really steal the show. Time spent with them is time away from everything else that is ordinary. But, there’s more. Hike the forest paths looking for all the other animals who quietly live here. Swim in pools up in mountain waterfalls, take a kayak out for a dawn paddle and enjoy the sunrise coming up over the mountains. Have sundowners on an old wooden dhow, stopping to fish along the way, or just relax on the warm sands of the beach with a drink in hand.
DAY 9 | END OF SAFARI
Today you will fly (approx. five hours, with refuel stops), back to Arusha. Then it is a private road transfer to Kilimanjaro international airport to join your onward flight.
An absolutely fantastic travel company - every one of the many trips they have organised for us over 22 years have been faultless and fabulous.
Judith & Roger Williams
Would do it all again and not change a moment. Best holiday ever!
The McGowan Tribe
It certainly was the best trip we have EVER had. The experiences were mind blowing. We want everyone we know to experience Africa - the animals, the people - magical.
Jo-anne & Dean Mifsud
The Classic Safari Company is the best I have dealt with. Extremely knowledgeable & professional, friendly, patient & understanding of first timers to Africa.
Annette Whiley
Classic Safari Company were brilliant - 10/10
Di & Kingsley Yates
Classic Safari is the place to go to for "top end" adventure travel.
Ron & Alison Guthrie
If you want the most sensational experience in Africa let Julia and the staff at Classic Safari Co plan it for you! Their knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm for their job means your every wish will be fulfilled.
Miriam & Joseph Harrison
Their experience and knowledge of Africa is evident and we couldn't have been happier with the total package. This has given us a taste for Africa - now we are ready for more.
Andrew & Pip Stevens
Classic Safari Company has done it again! A unique experience that ticked all the boxes - wildlife, culture and dining experience. A dream come true!
Ros Wheeler
Absolutely everything was first class & so well organised.
Simon & Jackie Adams
The trip of a lifetime, couldn't have dreamt of a better adventure if I tried.
Emma Jeffcoat
You can't improve on perfection. I had my best birthday and holiday with my family celebrating my 80th birthday in Africa. Everything that Julia organised was perfect and the whole trip was a highlight!
Buckingham Family
Everything was perfect! Advice and information on destinations and activities hit everything I had hoped to experience. I contacted the Classic Safari Company upon recommendation and have now, in turn, recommended to others.
Tim Bradley
Very knowledgeable and patient. Our trip was all that we hoped for. Wonderful!
Jane & Robert Happell
Thank you for making our trip to Africa so spectacular. The attention to detail really made it special. It really was the trip of a lifetime.
Paul Cozzi
An amazing experience - the best family holiday we have ever had. We were extremely impressed by the meticulous attention to our itinerary. I can't speak highly enough of all the elements of this exciting journey!
Sheryl & Robert Taylor
We loved it all. Our son wants to go back tomorrow. We would ALL go back again!
Laurence & Remi Cunningham
Classic Safari are the people who genuinely know other culture and offer incredible insight to perfectly meet your expectations.
Melanie McMillan & Iain Jones
The trip exceeded my expectations and was the best family holiday I have ever had. Our children simply loved it and now I know more about African wildlife than they do about our own farm animals.
Rowntree family
We are so happy we put our trust in CSC, we had an amazing adventure and would recommend them to anyone.
Kim & Brad Balance
Julia you did a fantastic job - everything was first class. Well organised, efficient and stress free. We all agreed it was the best holiday we've ever had. Cant wait to travel with CSC again.
Milford family
We wanted the opportunity to see as many wildlife parks as possible and the Classic Safari Company provided an action-packed itinerary that included six, with 11 tiger sightings and nine leopard. This was overlaid with an introduction to Jaisalmer, Jaipur and the 'real' India. Pench and Panna were the hidden gems of a really great trip, very well organised, seamless and enjoyable. As a solo traveller I felt incredibly safe at all times. I want to go back!
Mark Taylor
Exellent and wonderful, reaching way above expectations.
Elizabeth Mackintosh
Thank you for putting together the ancestral adventure of a lifetime. I cannot speak highly enough of the trip.
Jenny Kidd
