8-Day Safari in Southern Tanzania from Dar es Salaam

Our 8-Day Safari in Southern Tanzania from Dar es Salaam has been designed to suit your package and interests, and it is ideal for visitors who are interested in exploring the best wildlife areas found in the southern circuit of Tanzania, especially if you don’t like the crowded places of the northern park, which attracts a lot of visitors, especially during the peak season. It is the ideal package for someone who wants to experience Southern Tanzania’s unexplored African safari destinations for the first time but doesn’t want to visit the more well-known parks in the north, which can get a little crowded, especially if they travel during the busiest time of the year for safaris. The safari can be taken as a standalone vacation from and to Dar es Salaam or as an add-on tour from a trip to Northern Tanzania. The safari is also easily accessible, beginning on the island of Zanzibar.

The ideal times to experience this 8-day safari in Tanzania’s southern parks are typically during the drier seasons, so try to avoid the wet months of April and May if at all possible. The drier months of January through March and again from July through September would be the best times to travel. However, other cooler months, such as June and between October and December, are also suitable, and with Tanzania’s breathtaking scenery, you’re guaranteed to enjoy an unforgettable safari experience.

What do you see in this great safari package?

This 8-day safari to the South Tanzanian parks includes stops in the Selous Game Reserve, where you may go on boat safaris and walking safaris in Tanzania in addition to going on safari in a 4×4 safari car. Other parks include Mikumi National Park and the less popular Ruaha National Park, allowing you to claim that you have visited Tanzania’s less-traveled areas. The creatures you anticipate seeing in these parks include sizable herds of elephants, zebras, impalas, topis, wildebeests, and uncommon species like the Kudus. With any luck, you may also spot African wild dogs. You anticipate going on a walking safari in Ruaha National Park as well. If you want to experience both a Southern Tanzanian safari and a Zanzibar beach, we can easily combine the safari tour with a beach extension in Zanzibar.

Day 1: Depart for the Selous Game Reserve from Dar es Salaam.

Following breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel for your trip to the Selous Game Reserve (dive time 5-7 hours). (Flights are also accessible from Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam.) You arrive at your opulent tent camp in the afternoon, which is situated just along the banks of the Rufiji River. Your activities begin with a boat excursion to Selous’ fabled Rufiji River for a sunset boat safari after lunch and check-in. You anticipate taking in the beautiful environment, seeing animals like hippos and crocodiles, as well as both aquatic and non-aquatic birds flying by. Spend the night at the charming mid-range Selous Mapumziko Lodge on the banks of the Rufiji River. Included are all meals.

Enjoy game drives at the Selous Game Reserve

Day 2. Full Day exploration of Selous Game Reserve

This entire day will be spent on game drives at the Selous Game Reserve, which bears the name of British explorer and former military officer Frederick Selous. The largest protected wildlife reserve is the Selous Game Reserve, which is part of the southern Tanzania safari circuit. The game reserve is a pristine, uninhabited area with wide grasslands and woodlands that is larger than the entire country of Switzerland. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The park’s stunning geography includes rocky outcrops, grassy plains, and rolling savannah woodlands that were carved out by the fabled Rufiji River and its many tributaries. The highest population of big game, including elephants, buffalo, and the elusive black rhino, may be found in Selous, Africa. Wildebeest, eland, giraffe, waterbuck, zebra, impala, hippo, leopards, and lions are also found in the Selous, but it is the only place in Tanzania where it is possible to witness wild dogs in their natural habitat. There are around 350 different types of birds. At Selous Mapumziko Lodge, spend the night. Included are all meals.

Day 3. From Selous Game Reserve to Mikumi Township.

You will be taken on a walking safari after breakfast at the resort. This may involve a village tour with a local guide and your driver, followed by a wildlife drive as you make your way to Mikumi Township through the Selous Game Reserve. You will check-in for relaxation, dinner, and sleep at your camp outside of Mikumi National Park when you arrive in the late afternoon. Sleep at Camp Bastian tonight. Included are all meals.

Day 4. From Mikumu Township, you will travel to Ruaha National Park.

After breakfast, travel through Iringa to Ruaha National Park. The afternoon game drive continues until later, at 6 o’clock, when you will be taken to your lodge nearby the park for dinner and the night. We arrive in time for a picnic lunch. Similar to the Selous, visitors can anticipate seeing a lot of big games in the Ruaha National Park. However, unlike the northern parks, the wildlife in the Ruaha is still “really wild,” and as a result, is rather cautious. It requires patience and great anticipation, and when you finally see the animals, it’s just the two of you on a “true African safari.” Spend the night at Tungamalenga Lodge or Ruaha Hilltop Lodge. Included are all meals.

Day 5. A full-day Ruaha National Park wildlife game drive.

For a full day of wildlife drives at Ruaha National Park with a picnic lunch, you enter the park once more after breakfast. The Usangu Game Reserve and other significant wetlands that surrounded the park before they were gazetted as a part of the Great Ruaha have been added, giving the park a total area of 20,226 sq. km, making it the largest park in Tanzania at the moment. The second-largest elephant sanctuary in Tanzania is notably located near Ruaha. Hippos and crocodiles can be found in vast numbers along the great Ruaha River, which forms stunning gorges and scenery along its whole eastern border. Among the diverse range of species are Greater and Lesser Kudu, roan and sable antelope, as well as many more uncommon creatures that can only be found in this “true wilderness.” Ruaha has a diverse bird population with approximately 370 species identified. Spend the night at Tungamalenga Lodge or Ruaha Hilltop Lodge. Included are all meals.

Day 6. Drive from Ruaha National Park to Mikumi National Park

You will begin your drive to Mikumi National Park through Iringa Town after being picked up by your safari driver in Ruaha. The park is ideally positioned between the Great Rift Valley Escarpment to the park’s southwest and the Uluguru Mountains of the Ancient Eastern Arc Mountains to its east. The trip from Ruaha to Mikumi takes roughly 4–4.5 hours and is a short drive on decent roads. When you get there at about noon, you’ll immediately go on game drives through the park while packing a picnic lunch. Later in the afternoon, we travel to camp or the lodge for dinner and the night. Sleep at Camp Bastian tonight. Included are all meals.

Encounter wildebeests in Mikumu national park

Day 7. A full day of wildlife viewing in Mikumi National Park.

Get a packed lunch on a full-day game drive through the Mikumi National Park, or take morning and afternoon drives with lunch breaks at the lodge or tented camp. Together with the Selous Game Reserve, Mikumi National Park makes up the greater Selous Ecosystem and is home to a staggering variety of bird and animal species. Giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, hippos, impalas, warthogs, zebras, wildebeests, elands, and numerous more antelopes are among the wildlife that can be seen at Mikumi. You can embark on a guided walking safari in addition to game drives in the park, which are led by armed rangers (at an extra cost). Sleep at Camp Bastian tonight. Included are all meals.

Day 8. After breakfast, drive back to Dar es Salaam.

If you’d like, we can continue our game drive after breakfast until it’s time to leave. After lunch, depart the park and continue your journey back to Dar es Salaam, where the safari comes to a close. Depending on your intentions, you will either be dropped off at the airport or on the ferry. If you would prefer to stay in more opulent accommodations, we can simply alter this 8-day Southern Tanzania safari itinerary to include some mid-range lodges, tented camps, or standard luxury accommodation. This marks the end of our 8-day safari in Southern Tanzania from Dar es Salaam.

The 8-Day Safari in Southern Tanzania from Dar es Salaam price includes

• A private safari 8 days safari from Dar es Salaam.
• Pickup and drop off at Dar es Salaam

• Transportation and game drive in a spotless, well-kept 4WD Land Cruiser with a camera roof hatch.
• All wildlife reserve entry fees
• Walking tours at Selous and Ruaha National Park
• Meals per itinerary

• A competent English-speaking safari guide’s services

• All game drives mentioned in the itinerary

• As per your schedule, 7 nights accommodation facilities at safari lodges or tented camps

• While on game drives, each person receives one bottle of mineral water per day.

• Tourist development levy
• 18% VAT by  Government of Tanzania
• Concession fees where applicable

• Where applicable, Wildlife Management Area Fees

• The Tanzania Revenue Authority’s value-added tax

The price of 8-Day Safari in Southern Tanzania from Dar es Salaam doesn’t include

• International airshow

• Airport shuttles in a private vehicle (if needed).

• Everything of a personal nature
• Laundry services at the Lodge
• Gratuities for the safari guide

• Visit of Masai village (extra 30USD)
• Safari guide tips and gratuities are due to the lodge and camp workers.

• Travel insurance
• Domestic flights if needed

• Visa fees

• Services for doing laundry when on safari

• Drinks and foods that are both alcoholic and non-alcoholic