Remote · Second Safari
Southern Tanzania Wilderness Safari
Boat safaris on the Rufiji, giant lion prides in Ruaha, and whole sightings entirely to yourself — the southern circuit is Tanzania with the volume turned down and the wildness turned up.
Duration
7 Days
Comfort
Luxury
Group
Private safari
Best Months
Jun – Oct
From
$4,680 pp
Overview
The Journey
The southern circuit is a different kind of safari. Fly-in only, a handful of small camps, and parks so large that another vehicle at your sighting is an event. This is where guides send their own holidays.
Nyerere opens the week on water: boat safaris among hippos and swimming elephants on the Rufiji River, walking safaris at dawn, and sundowner cruises that rank among Africa’s great evenings.
Ruaha follows with scale — baobab country holding a tenth of Africa’s lions, its largest East African elephant population, and one of the continent’s best wild dog strongholds. Sightings here ask a little more patience and pay it back with total solitude.
We recommend the south to returning safari-goers, photographers and honeymooners who want the bush to themselves. It also pairs beautifully with Zanzibar — the flight routes make it easy.
LuxuryWildernessSecond-safari
Safari Highlights
Moments You Will Keep
- Boat safaris on the Rufiji River
- Walking safaris with armed rangers
- Ruaha’s giant lion prides and elephant herds
- African wild dog country
- Fly-in camps with a handful of tents each
- Sightings without another vehicle in sight
- Combines seamlessly with a Zanzibar ending
Day by Day
Itinerary
Day 1Fly Into the Selous Legend
Nyerere National Park+
Fly Into the Selous Legend
Nyerere National ParkA morning light-aircraft flight from Dar es Salaam (or Zanzibar) lands you on a bush strip inside Nyerere. Afternoon game drive along the lakes; dinner with hippos grumbling offstage.
Day 2The Rufiji by Boat
Nyerere · Rufiji River+
The Rufiji by Boat
Nyerere · Rufiji RiverThe signature Nyerere day: a boat safari among yawning hippos, monstrous crocodiles and elephants crossing between islands, with bee-eaters ricocheting from the banks. Sundowner cruise to close.
Day 3On Foot & On the Prowl
Nyerere National Park+
On Foot & On the Prowl
Nyerere National ParkA dawn walking safari — tracks, dung, ant-lions and adrenaline — followed by a game drive through wild-dog country around the lakes. The Selous ecosystem holds one of Africa’s most important populations.
Day 4Fly West to Ruaha
Ruaha National Park+
Fly West to Ruaha
Ruaha National ParkA spectacular low-level flight across empty Africa to Ruaha’s baobab hills. Afternoon drive along the Great Ruaha River, where the dry season concentrates everything that walks or hunts.
Day 5Ruaha — Lion Country
Ruaha National Park+
Ruaha — Lion Country
Ruaha National ParkFull day among prides that hunt buffalo twenty strong. Greater and lesser kudu in the woodland, elephants digging the sand rivers, and a landscape of thousand-year-old baobabs all to yourself.
Day 6The Wild Interior
Ruaha National Park+
The Wild Interior
Ruaha National ParkRange deeper into the park’s empty quarters for wild dog, sable and roan antelope. Sundowners on a kopje with a hundred-kilometre view and not a light in it; private bush dinner to finish.
Day 7Fly Out — or Fly On
Ruaha · Dar es Salaam+
Fly Out — or Fly On
Ruaha · Dar es SalaamA final dawn drive to the airstrip, then the flight back to Dar es Salaam for international connections — or onward to Zanzibar, where a beach extension undoes a week of glorious dust.
The Route
Where This Safari Goes
Route map — Nyerere, Ruaha
When To Go
Best Travel Months
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Transparent Pricing
Included & Excluded
Included
- All national park entry and concession fees
- Private 4×4 Land Cruiser with pop-up roof — never shared
- Professional English-speaking driver-guide
- All accommodation as specified in the itinerary
- All meals as per itinerary
- Unlimited bottled drinking water in the vehicle
- Airport transfers on arrival and departure
- Flying Doctors (AMREF) emergency evacuation cover
- All government taxes and levies
- 24/7 local support throughout your safari
- All light aircraft flights (Dar/Zanzibar – Nyerere – Ruaha – Dar)
- Boat and walking safaris at Nyerere
Excluded
- International flights
- Tanzania visa fees
- Travel insurance (required)
- Tips for your guide and camp staff
- Personal items, laundry and drinks at lodges
- Optional activities unless listed (e.g. balloon safari)
Make It Yours
Optional Upgrades
Begin The Journey
Plan This Safari
Tell us your dates and how you like to travel — we will tailor southern tanzania wilderness safari around you and reply within 24 hours.
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