Ngorongoro Crater Escape
Three days. One extraordinary crater. A complete safari shaped around limited time.
- Ngorongoro
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Best stand-alone Gombe journey
Gombe Chimpanzees & Kigoma
One night in Kigoma and two nights at Gombe, tracking chimpanzees above Lake Tanganyika.
- Duration
- 4 Days / 3 Nights
- Start and finish
- By confirmed shared charter flight, vehicle or bus to and from Kigoma.
- Journey style
- Lakeside lodge with guided chimpanzee trekking and a Kigoma heritage visit.
- Best for
- Travellers who want the Jane Goodall chimpanzee story without Mahale's longer programme.
- Core promise
- Two full trekking opportunities, framed by Kigoma's own lakeside history.
Journey overview
What this journey is
This journey pairs Gombe's compact chimpanzee programme with a night in Kigoma either side, so the Ujiji and Livingstone Memorial visit and the lake crossing itself become part of the story rather than a rushed transfer.
- Culture & heritage
- Photography
- Urithi signature
Day by day
Your Journey, Day by Day
A guide to the shape of the trip. The final itinerary is confirmed before travel and adapts to season, conditions and your pace.
Day 1 — Arrive in Kigoma
Pick-up from Arusha, Dar es Salaam or Sumbawanga and an early shared charter flight, vehicle or bus to Kigoma, followed by transfer to your Kigoma hotel, lunch, and a visit to Ujiji town and the Livingstone Memorial (a local fishing-village stop can be added). Dinner and overnight in Kigoma.
Day 2 — Cross to Gombe and trek
Breakfast, then an approximately two-hour dhow boat transfer to Gombe National Park for a morning chimpanzee trek. Lunch at the lodge, an afternoon trek, and evening sundowners. Dinner and overnight at Gombe.
Day 3 — A second trekking day
Breakfast, then a further morning chimpanzee trek, returning to the lodge for lunch. An afternoon at leisure, with sundowners by the lake in the evening. Dinner and overnight at Gombe.
Day 4 — Return to Kigoma and depart
Breakfast, then the boat transfer back to Kigoma and the confirmed onward flight, vehicle or bus to Arusha, Dar es Salaam or Sumbawanga, with a packed lunch.
Personalise it
Make It Yours
Add a Mahale connection
Where flight and boat schedules allow, extend from Kigoma to Mahale for a longer Western Tanzania chimpanzee programme.
Extend the Kigoma stay
An extra night either side for a fuller Ujiji, Livingstone Memorial and lakeside town visit.
Add a third trekking day
A genuinely worthwhile buffer against a difficult first attempt, subject to lodge availability.
Choose your accommodation
- Comfort
- Reliable, welcoming lodges and camps chosen for strong value, cleanliness, service and practical location.
- Premium
- Smaller or better-located properties offering more privacy, design character and personalised service.
- Signature
- Exceptional settings and high-touch service for travellers prioritising exclusivity, location and detail.
Specific properties are confirmed in your quotation once dates, availability and rates are approved.
Included
What's Included
- Confirmed transport
- The shared charter flight, vehicle or bus sector to Kigoma, and the approved dhow boat transfer to Gombe, as expressly listed in the itinerary.
- Guided chimpanzee trekking
- Morning and afternoon trekking sessions with the required park guide, subject to current trail and chimpanzee-location conditions.
- Accommodation and meals
- The confirmed nights in Kigoma and at Gombe, with en-suite shower and toilet where stated, and meals as shown in the itinerary.
- Bottled water
- Bottled water provided in the vehicle and on the boat while travelling.
- Journey support
- Pre-departure information, briefings and Urithi assistance throughout the booked services.
Not included
Not Included Unless Stated
- Telephone, fax and personal communications
- Telephone, fax and similar personal communication costs.
- Beverages at hotels, lodges and camps
- Drinks including bottled water consumed at hotels, lodges or camps outside vehicle and boat transfers.
- Tips and gratuities
- Gratuities for drivers, guides and hotel or lodge staff.
- International departure tax
- Airport departure tax for international flights, where applicable.
- Personal items
- Items of a personal nature such as laundry and souvenirs.
- Travel insurance
- Travel insurance, including cover for loss or damage of luggage and personal injury.
- Changes and extras
- Costs created by a change of date, a reduction in group size or any deviation from the confirmed itinerary, and any other item not expressly listed as included.
What your journey supports
This journey prioritises locally owned suppliers and creates earning opportunities for Tanzanian guides, drivers, accommodation teams, artisans and community partners. Where possible, Urithi gives preference to enterprises led by women and young people.
Also consider
Other Urithi Journeys
Tarangire & Ngorongoro Essentials
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- Ngorongoro
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Serengeti & Ngorongoro Icons
Baobabs, endless plains and the crater—Tanzania's safari icons in one considered journey.
- Ngorongoro
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Start planning
Ready to travel? Let's shape Gombe Chimpanzees & Kigoma around you.
Share your travel month, party size and what matters most. Urithi will prepare a personalised quotation covering accommodation, guiding, park fees, flights and transfers.
Your dates and ideas do not need to be final. Share what you know, and Urithi will help shape the rest.