Few travellers make the long journey to Southern Tanzania, but those who do are in imminent danger of becoming entangled in a lifelong love story.
The two national parks, Nyerere and Ruaha, are the two largest national parks in Tanzania, and like Serengeti, Nyerere is on UNESCO's list of Natural World Heritage Sites. Despite this, not many visitors find their way to the two parks, which is really a shame! Both parks have an impressive diversity of flora and fauna. Despite this similarity, there are also major differences between the two parks.
Nyerere has a ‘lowland’ climate. The heat is humid, and the sun almost bakes the landscape. Tanzania’s largest river, the Rufiji, cuts through the park and provides a unique opportunity to go on a river safari.
Ruaha has a ‘highland’ climate. Here, the heat is dry, and the sun burns down on you mercilessly. Water is scarce here. In turn, the elephants compete with the Baobab trees in being the most majestic.
The journey here is a fly-in safari. You spend as much time as possible on what you have come to Tanzania for – namely safaris. All meals and game drives are included, and you can have a say in what the days will look like.
The tour can be extended with a beach holiday on Zanzibar after the end of the safari.
We recommend that you avoid travelling during the period April-May, which is the rainy season in Southern Tanzania. The areas that you visit on this tour are off the beaten track, and the roads (too) easily become inaccessible.
Today is your departure day from your chosen airport, and the tour goes to Tanzania in East Africa with connecting flight(s) along the way.
On arrival in Tanzania, you will be met at the airport and driven to your hotel, where you will stay for one night. You will have the rest of the day at your leisure to relax after the flight.
After breakfast, you will be picked up at the hotel and driven back to the airport, from where you will fly to Nyerere National Park.
The flight takes just over an hour.
With its more than 30,000 km2, Nyerere National Park is Tanzania’s largest national park. The park is more than twice the size of Serengeti, and due to the size and diversity of the landscape and thus also of the wildlife, the park is on UNESCO’s list of Natural World Heritage Sites. The area’s wild and varied nature offers open plains, swamps, forests and rivers. Here you will also find Tanzania’s largest river, Rufiji, which gives life to plants and animals around it.
Precisely the diversity of the landscape can make it more challenging to spot the animals than in, for example. Serengeti, but, in return, you are guaranteed some very special experiences in the different terrains of the area – and best of all; there are not many visitors in Nyerere, which means that you will have many of the most beautiful experiences (almost) to yourself!
On arrival at the small airstrip in the national park, a guide will be waiting for you to take you to the camp, where you will spend the next three nights. Already en route to the camp, you may be lucky enough to see the first wild animals.
After check-in and lunch, you will depart on the first real game drive of the tour.
Nyerere is particularly known for having one of the largest numbers of lions in Africa as well as about half of the wild dogs left in the world. In addition, the national park is also home to many other animals, e.g. buffaloes, giraffes, elephants, crocodiles, hippos and an amazing bird life. For example, see if you can spot the shy Pel’s fishing owl or keep an eye out for all the other land and water birds.
You will be back in the camp in time for a shower and a sundowner before dinner is served.
You have a say in how your days in Nyerere are spent. In the evening, during dinner, you will have a chat with your guide about what activities you can choose between the next day. The guide can advise you on how best to spend the day based on how the animals are expected to behave. Of course, the weather plays a big role, and the wildlife varies depending on whether it is hot/cold/wet/dry. Use the guides’ expertise. They know the bush like the back of their hand and make sure that you have an unforgettable safari experience!
You can typically choose between bushwalks, game drives or boat trips on the Rufiji River. The boat trips on the river are something very special, and they are precisely one of the reasons why safaris in Nyerere are so different from, for example, safaris in Serengeti. Here you will be at eye level with hippos and crocodiles (at a proper distance, of course!), and the bird life along the riverbanks is always phenomenal.
You will often return to the camp for a few hours in the middle of the day for lunch and a little rest, but there will also be the opportunity for a full-day game drive, where you bring your packed lunch in the vehicle. No matter what awaits you, you can look forward to it – Nyerere is a must-see experience!
In the morning, there is time for an early bushwalk or a morning game drive, before breakfast is served in the camp. After breakfast, it is time to pack up and say goodbye to Nyerere National Park. There is transport to the small airstrip, from where you will fly westwards to Ruaha National Park.
The flight takes just over two hours, and you can start looking forward to what is expecting you.
Ruaha is Tanzania’s second largest national park, and the nature here is completely different from that of Nyerere. The landscape is wild, and it is in many ways similar to Serengeti – only without all the other guests and with a lot more Baobab trees. It is dry here, with more savannah, far more rocks and less water than what you saw in Nyerere.
On arrival at the local airstrip, you will again be met by a guide who will drive you to your lodge, where you will stay for the next three nights. You will probably notice that the air is drier here than in Nyerere, and the heat will probably feel more comfortable. With a little luck, you will spot the first animals on the drive to the lodge, but many animals seek shade in the middle of the day, when the sun is highest in the sky.
After check-in and lunch, there is time for a short rest before the afternoon’s game drive in the park.
The wildlife in Ruaha National Park is amazing. The park is especially known for its very large herds of elephants and lions. It is not uncommon to see herds of lions with up to 20 members. Ruaha is also one of the best places in Tanzania to visit if you want to experience the endangered wild dog. The park also has sable and roan antelopes as well as both the greater and lesser kudu. Leopards, cheetahs and crocodiles live side by side with buffaloes and hippos, and the park is home to more than 530 different species of birds.
It is said that there are about 400 different plant species in Serengeti. In Ruaha, the figure is more than 1,600.
Just like in Nyerere, you also have a say in what your days will look like in Ruaha National Park. Together with your guide, you will make a plan for the programme of the day: morning game drive (before or after breakfast) and/or afternoon game drive or maybe a full-day game drive. The guides know the park and will advise you on how to get the most out of your stay here.
Remember also to set aside some time to just sit on your porch and follow what is happening at the riverbank. Who knows whether that is exactly the moment in which a lion comes to the river to drink…
There is time for a last morning game drive before breakfast at the lodge and departure towards the airstrip. From here, you say goodbye to the bush and fly back to Dar Es Salaam.
In Dar Es Salaam, a guide will be ready to take you to the international terminal, from where your return journey begins.
If you would like to digest your experiences in a sun lounger in Zanzibar, this can, of course, also be arranged!
You land at your chosen airport after an adventurous tour of Southern Tanzania
From £909 pp including flights
Children under 12 years from £599
Single room supplement from £189
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Children under 12 years from £4299
Single room supplement from £589
Catriona is passionate about helping other people fulfill their travel dreams, as she knows how much travel has only improved her life for the better!
