8 Days Gombe National Park Tanzania Chimpanzee Tracking & Cultural safari from Burundi

Day 1: Arrival At Bujumbura International Airport

On arrival at Bujumbura international airport, you will be met by our professional guide driver who will transfer you to your hotel. Depending on the time you arrive in Bujumbura, you might enjoy a calm walk along the lakeside path or relax at the hotel with a view of Lake Tanganyika. Your guide will brief you and take you through the activities that you will do for the next 7 days as you enjoy your safari in Burundi and Tanzania.

You will stay a night at Club du Lac Tanganyika for a comfortable and relaxing rest; the hotel is perfectly positioned along the shores of Lake Tanganyika to help you unwind and prepare for the days ahead.

Dinner and overnight

Day 2: Bujumbura City Tour and Boat Cruise in Ruzizi National Park

On this day after breakfast head to the city of Bujumbura for a city tour, you will be escorted by a tour guide who well knows the city. The city tour will give an insight into the colonial heritage, vibrant culture and modern life of Burundi. The key attractions to visit around Bujumbura city include; the Independence Monument – honouring the nation’s history, Livingstone–Stanley Memorial – commemorates the legendary meeting of two great explorers and the lively Central Market – where traditional art-crafts and fresh produce provide insight into everyday life of the Burundians.

In the afternoon after relaxing and having lunch, you will drive to Rusizi national park for a boat cruise along the Rusizi river. This peaceful cruise offers opportunities to see large schools of hippos, crocodiles and a variety of different species of birds in their natural habitant

Accommodation: club du lac Tanganyika or a similar class of accommodation

Dinner and overnight

Day 3: Transfer To Gitega and Cultural Exploration

Wake early to prepare for your journey to Gitega for a cultural experience.

Gitega is the official political capital of Burundi. The government moved the capital here from Bujumbura in 2019 because of its central location. It is the second-largest city in the country and sits on a high plateau.

It takes roughly two hours to reach Gitega from Bujumbura and the ride is very fascinating with beautiful scenery and lush landscapes. Upon arrival in Gitega, you will visit the national museum which is home to a valuable collection of cultural and historical artifacts that show the royal and colonial heritage of the nation.

After a glimpse into the royal and colonial heritage you will be taken to the Gishora drum sanctuary, Burundi’s most sacred and famous sites. Traditionally dressed drummers perform and elaborate drum rituals that are both a display and a spiritual ceremony. These drums were once reserved for kings and are intensely woven into the social and political fabric of Burundian life. Your day will end with a relaxing evening at a prior booked hotel in Gitega.

Accommodation options include

Tropitel gitega hotel, Moriah hotel Gitega, Jerusalem hotel Gitega

Dinner and overnight

Day 4: Karera Falls and Boarder Crossing Transfer to Kigoma Tanzania

On this day, leave Gitega city for karera falls, this is one of Burundi’s most stunning land marks hidden among the green hills and tropical forests. The karera falls cascades over multiple levels giving an enchanting stop for photography peaceful relaxation and exploration

Immediately after this beautiful encounter in karera falls, you will continue to the Burundi- Tanzania border where you will be aided through the immigration p/l[rocedures before transferring to the lakeside town of Kigoma. Kigoma is a busy port towlp;,n in western Tanzania. It sits on the beautiful shores of Lake Tanganyika, the world’s longest freshwater lake. As the capital of the Kigoma Region, this town has a population of over 232,000 people. It serves as a major gateway for trade and travel near the borders of Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Dinner and overnight

Day 5: Ujiji Historical Visit and Transfer to Gombe Stream National Park

Begin the day with a visit to Ujiji, the historical town where Dr. David Livingstone met Henry Morton Stanley in 1871. At the Livingstone Memorial, you’ll step back into a time of daring exploration and cultural exchange, gaining a new appreciation for Africa’s colonial narratives.

In the afternoon, board a boat on Lake Tanganyika for transfer to Gombe Stream National Park. This park is one of Africa’s smallest national parks that is famed pioneering chimpanzee research by Dr. Jane Goodall.

Accommodation – TANAPA Camp

Dinner and overnight

Day 6: Chimpanzee Tracking in Gombe Stream National Park

After an early breakfast, you’ll set off into the dense forests of Gombe, you will be led by a professional park ranger guide. These forests are where Dr. Jane Goodall began her groundbreaking work in the 1960s, and they remain one of the best places in Africa to see. The trek can vary in difficulty depending on the location of the chimpanzees, but the rewards are unparalleled. Observing these intelligent apes in their natural habitat while they are interacting, grooming, or simply relaxing, is deeply amazing. Gombe is also home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including baboons, red-tailed monkeys, and over 200 species of birds.

In the afternoon you can consider cooling swim in the shores of Lake Tanganyika or just relax on the beach as you sun bath

Dinner and overnight

Day 7: Return to Bujumbura via Kigoma border post

Your return journey to Burundi starts with a boat ride back to Kigoma, providing one last chance to feel the beauty of Lake Tanganyika. After lunch and a brief rest at Kigoma Hilltop Lodge, your safari makes its final cross-border return into Burundi. You’ll arrive in Bujumbura by evening and check into Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika.

Spend your evening at leisure. This final night offers the perfect opportunity to reflect on the cultural connections made, wildlife encountered, and stories collected along your remarkable safari in Burundi and Tanzania.

Day 8: Departure

You will transfer to Bujumbura international airport for your departure to your next destination or back to your home country