10 days Southern Tanzania Safari Circuit

Pick up from your hotel or straight from Dar es Salaam Airport if you arrive early in the morning  and head south towards Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous Game Reserve). On arrival at On arrival at Selous, you will be taken starigh taway to your lodge or camp where you will have hot lunch.

After your lunch and some rest at the lodge / camp, you will be taken to the jetty for your boat safari in the River Rufuji as a way of relaxing and having an introduction to this great wildlife habitat. During your boat safari you expect to encounter some hippos, crocodiles and various birds. Often you may also spott animals like elephants drinking water from the river or crossing to the other side of the river.

You will later return to you accommodation, relax by the campfire, have dinner before you retire to your rooms. Overnight at Selous Mapumziko Lodge. Lunch and dinner included .

Yo will spend this day exploring the vast Nyerere National Park (Selous Game Reserve) on our 4×4 safari land cruiser in search of wildlife and birds which are in abundant in this vas park that is almost twice the size of Serengeti national Park in the Northern Tanzania circuit.

In 1982, the Selous (now Nyerere National Park) was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its vast size and almost pristine wilderness. It’s believed that the Selous is among the largest untouched wilderness on the African continent, and it’s comprised of large plains, forests, rivers and lakes all of which serve as wildlife habitats.

During the game drives you will explore all these habitats as you search for Africa’s Big Five animals and the other different wild animals that live here among which are: lions, zebras, elands, impalas, buffalos, bushbucks, elephants, oryxs, crocodiles, waterbucks, hippos, sable antelopes, klipspringers, duikers, giraffes, greater kudus, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, as well as the occasional leopards and spotted hyenas, not forgetting the largest thriving population of the endangered wild dogs. Rhinos on the other hand, can only be seen within the southern part of the game reserve. Your driver / guide will be able to stop whenever you want to take photographs so don’t leave your camera behind.

Those of you enthusiastic about bird watching, well the Selous will not disappoint you at all. There are very many bird species found here some living within the forest, the river banks as well as in the swampy areas.

In the evenings at the end of your day’s adventure across the Selous, you will head back to the lodge and have a revitalizing dip in the swimming pool and sundowners near River Rufiji.Overnight at Selous Mapumziko Lodge. All meals included.

In the morning you will have an early morning breakfast at you accommodation then head out for a morning walking safari in the Nyerere National Park. Accompanied by an armed ranger who is also a trained naturalist, you will explore the Nyerere National Park’s wilderness by foot, to get a chance of viewing the animals at very close range, which will undoubtedly be a lifetime experience.

After the walking safari in the morning, you will depart on your 4×4 safari jeep and traverse the Nyerere National Park towards Matambwe Gate where you will exit from the park. Proceed with your drive through scenic valleys and hills towards the beautiful area where you will check in at a lodge / hotel for dinner and overnight. Overnight at Mbuyuni Farm Lodge. All meals included.

In the morning you will have a hearty breakfast at you lodge /hotel in Morogoro, you will then head westwards along the Tanzam Highway via Iringa town towards Ruaha National Park a very remote park in Southern Tanzania safari circuit. You will have lunch on the way, picnic lunch or hot lunch at Iringa town. Please decide this with your guide prior to departure.

You will arrive at Ruaha in the afternoon and head straight into the park for your safari game drives. Ruaha National Park is Tanzania’s largest National Park with one of the most unspoiled wilderness in Africa, so as you drive to your accommodation within the park (if staying inside) you encounter a number of animals including elephants, lions and various antelopes that roam in this park.

Spend the afternoon doing your first game drive in Ruaha until later on in evening when you will check in at your lodge for dinner and overnight at a lodge or camp. Midrange accommodation at Ruaha Hilltop Lodge. All meals included.

Over the next couple of days, you will spend time exploring this well-kept natural wildlife habitat as you search for different wild animals, birds and learn more about the flora and fauna of this incredibly untouched wilderness of Southern Tanzania.

You can choose to go on full day game drives with a picnic lunch in between, or  do half day game drives with a few hours break to return at your accommodation to freshen up and have a nice hot lunch before setting out for the afternoon game drive.

There are also a number of optional activities such as night game drives and the exciting and very rewarding hot air balloon safaris which will cost you some extra bucks (not included in this safari cost, but can be arranged).

Special about Ruaha National Park is that it has one of the largest buffalo and elephant populations in East Africa, and an outstandingly big number of predators within its boundaries. It’s alleged that the second largest population of lions in the world is found in Ruaha. A large number of Cheetahs, the leopards and the endangered African Wild-dogs are also found within this park. So believe me not there is a lot to see within Ruaha a reason why we have dedicated all these days to game viewing and photography.

Birders, well get ready to be impressed as Ruaha has a record of more than 570 different bird species so you can never fail to identify quite a number of them during your adventure drives. Because the park is seated within the transitional zone where the southern and eastern ecosystems overlap, it supports a remarkably diverse blend of habitats that support very big numbers of bird, animal and plant species.

Due to the park being one of the least visited, chances are that you will meet very few other tourists a thing that will give you a totally private safari experience, and great one for anyone who is looking for a less crowded safari destination. Overnight at Ruaha Hilltop Lodge. All meals included.

After 3 days and nights at Ruaha, you set off again this time through the same route that you came with, towards Udzungwa Mountains National Park, via Iringa town. You may make a few stops on the way for sightseeing, and if you are interested in history, you may make a brief stop at the Chief Mkwawa Museum that is located near Iringa along the same Iringa – Ruaha road. The Chief was one of the most prominent African chiefs who led the resistance movements against the German colonialists during the freedom struggles in Africa.

You will have lunch on the way and arrive Udzungwa in the afternoon where you will check in at your lodge then spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

This park which is a less popular tourist destination has a varied bio-diversity that include (steppe, grasslands, and woodland) which supports numerous birds, primates and various plant species (approximately 2500 species have been recorded here). Overnight at Udzungwa Falls Lodge. All meals included.

Early morning breakfast this today, then you will get ready for your hike at this beautiful park that is nicknamed the Galapagos of Africa.

Udzungwa Mountains National Park’s surface area covers an area of 1990 square kilometers. This park which is a less popular tourist destination has a varied bio-diversity that include (steppe, grasslands, and woodland) which supports numerous birds, primates and various plant species (approximately 2500 species have been recorded here).

Today’s hike will be to the Sanje Waterfalls. This breathtaking waterfall has its water dropping in a three tier each dropping over a different height (30 meters, 70 meters and 170 meters). You will also hike through the verdant forest which is home to more than 400 different bird species, butterflies,, amphibians  and several primate species including the baboons, vervet monkeys and the endemic the Sanje Crested Mangabey as well as the Iringa red colobus.

You will later head back to your accommodation where you will have lunch or have Picnic lunch on your hiking trails, then later in the afternoon transfer to Mikumi where you will check in at a lodge or camp for relaxation and later dinner and overnight. It is a short drive from Mikumi National Park; a distance of about 55 Kilometers.

Overnight at Camp Bastian or similar in Mikumi.  All meals included.

Breakfast early in the morning and set out for your full day game drive in the unspoilt wilderness of Mikumi NP which covers an area of 3230 square kilometers which makes it one of the largest national parks in Tanzania. As you explore its wilderness, some of the animals you will see include elephants, hartebeests, buffalos, kudus, zebras, elands, wildebeests and impalas.  Hyenas, baboons, lions, wild dogs, giraffes, warthogs and hippos are the other animals you can always look out for.

In addition, more than three hundred (300) different types of birds have been recorded within this national park, a thing that will give you great opportunities to see them. Some of the bird species found within this park include: Boehm’s bee-eaters, Bateleur eagles, Dickinson’s kestrels and straw-tailed whydahs, African fish eagles, lilac-breasted rollers, starlings as well as the yellow-throated longclaws.

You will explore the varied wildlife habitats which include the seasonal floodplains, the grassland which are scattered with giant baobab trees and thorny trees (these are very similar to those in the Serengeti), Miombo woodlands, swamps, riverine forests and low hills.

You will take a break to have picnic lunch before setting out again for an afternoon game drive incase you want a full day safari in Mikumi. Alternatively you may do a half day safari in Mikumi then return to you camp / lodge for hot lunch and relaxation, or take a dip in the swimming pool to cool off from the African scorching sun.

2nd Full board overnight Camp Bastian. All meals included.

This is the final day of our safari. You will have your leisurely breakfast at your lodge then check out of your accommodation transfer back by road to Dar es Salaam, where your adventure ends. You will have a picnic lunch along the way or hot lunch at a local restaurant at an extra cost.

If you wish and if time allows, you may also do one last safari game drive in Mikumi this morning, at an extra payment of the park entry fees only.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch