Travel in a small group, heading off the beaten track in the comfort of your 4x4 safari vehicle for the best budget-friendly wildlife adventures Southern Tanzania has to offer. On this Tanzania Safari, you'll explore the Southern Tanzania national parks that offer you a truly authentic Tanzania Safari experience without having to compete with hoards of other tourists and safari vehicles.
You begin at Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous), one of the largest wildlife parks in the world. From there you head to Mikumi National Park with its open plains and vast herds reminiscent of the famous Serengeti (but without the crowds). Then on to the unspoiled splendor of Ruaha National Park, a predator hotspot boasting an abundance of big cats.
Our Tanzania Safari adventure begins at 6 am meeting in central Dar Es Salaam before heading on the road to Mloka Village in Tanzania’s Pwani Region, your base for exploring the vast Nyerere National Park.
Covering an area of 30,893 square kilometers (3 times the size of the Serengeti National Park), Nyerere National Park is one the largest wildlife sanctuaries in the world. It was created relatively recently in 2019 with the upgrade of the north portion of the renowned Selous Game Reserve into a National Park. The park is more remote and pristine than Tanzania’s more famous and crowded parks to the north, which allows for some spectacular game viewing opportunities and the chance to take your wildlife photos without the intrusion of many more safari vehicles crowding in on the shot.
You will arrive at Mloka Village in time for lunch and settle into Selous Jimbiza Camp situated on the banks of the majestic Rufiji River, the longest and largest river in Tanzania - the sunsets from here are spectacular. After lunch, you will head into the Nyerere National Park for an afternoon game drive.
Enjoy morning and evening game drives in the Nyerere National Park over the next two days.
The variety of ecosystems, from grassland plains and wetlands to woodlands and riverine forests, makes for an impressive variety of wildlife to be spotted, from the Big 5, amazing birdlife to the hippos and crocodiles which thrive in the Rufiji River. This is also one of few Parks left in Africa with a sizable population of wild African Hunting Dogs which face extinction elsewhere.
In between our 4x4 explorations, you are free to relax at the camp and watch wildlife and birds along the Rufiji River, catching unforgettable sunsets from there.
Start day four of your Tanzania Safari with an early breakfast, before collecting a packed lunch and journeying to Mikumi National Park in the Morogoro Region of Tanzania, east of Dar es Salaam. The park lies between the Uluguru and Lumango Mountains and features Miombo woodlands on low foothills and seasonal floodplains below, covered with open grasslands that closely resemble the famous Serengeti Plains. Look out for the Big 5 and vast herds of herbivores spread out over the plains; of note is a particular subspecies of giraffe found here.
After your game drive, exit the Park and enjoy dinner and overnight at Matembezi Safari Lodge close to the entrance.
After breakfast, our Tanzania Safari leaves Mikumi and travels west to Ruaha National Park. This lesser-known safari destination is considered one of East Africa's hidden gems, situated in a transitional zone where eastern and southern ecosystems overlap resulting in an unusual mix of habitats.
Ruaha National Park is known for its large populations of the Big 5. Notably, it is a predator hotspot: Lions are especially abundant in Ruaha, making up 10% of the entire world's lion population. The Park is also a stronghold for endangered African wild dogs, as well as hosting sizeable cheetah numbers and numerous leopards. It is also one of the few parks where both greater and lesser kudu can be found, as well as rare sable and roan antelopes.
Arrive at Ruaha Jimbiza Camp (approximately 10 km from the Ruaha National Park gate) in time for a late lunch followed by an afternoon game drive into the Park. Dinner and overnight at Ruaha Jimbiza Camp.
Embark on morning and afternoon game drives in the Ruaha National Park. The rest of your time is spent at your leisure.
After an early breakfast, our Tanzania Safari heads back to Mikumi National Park. Enjoy lunch at your Lodge just outside the Park, followed by an afternoon game drive.
Enjoy an early breakfast, then collect a packed lunch from the safari lodge before departing for your return drive to Dar es Salaam. Your Tanzania Safari adventure ends with a drop-off in the city center.
Please Note: This Tanzania Safari requires a minimum booking of 2 people per tour departure.
Add a beach holiday to Mafia Island and/or Zanzibar Island to this Tanzania Safari at an additional cost. Contact us for details about these well-priced optional beach tours.
If the preferred accommodation listed on this itinerary is not available, similar accommodation of the same quality is used, and we'll let you know.
This tour does take children.
Children are welcome on this Tanzania Safari. For children's rates and tour details, please contact African Budget Safaris.
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