Southern Tanzania Safari

Southern Tanzania safaris are less famous than those of the North and the Parks receive few visitors. Those on safari for the first time will probably prefer to visit the big names of N'gorongoro or Serengeti but the parks of the South are vast and beautiful and offer a more remote wildlife experience.

Whilst Arusha is the logical point of departure for all Safaris in the North and all Parks are closely grouped together for Southern Tanzania Safaris, the Parks of the South are each separated one from the other by quite large distances and whilst the road situation is improving most connections are best made by small reasonably priced charter or scheduled flights which move between the parks. There is also a wonderful safari train link between Selous and Dar Es Salaam . 

The best point of departure in general is Dar Es Salaam but your safari in the South can also start with a flight connection from Nairobi , Arusha, Zanzibar or even Mafia island with directly daily connections to the Selous Game reserve.

We should be pleased to organize all your internal flight, road and train connections and build a tailor made package for you. There is no charge for our service and you will pay published rates for both accommodation and transport as regards to the respective company.

Mikumi National Park

This park plays a very important role in the Tanzanian southern circuit. It consists of vast open grasslands interspersed with patches of acacia woodland and baobab. This park is one of the most accessible as it is just 3 to 4 hours away from Dar es Salaam. It is very close to the more famous Selous National Park and offers similar wildlife, vegetation and sightseeing opportunities.

Wildlife
This park has an abundant concentration of all life throughout the whole year, specially in the floodplain area along the mkata river. There are many large predators like lions, leopards and spotted hyenas. Many other mammals can be found and include the elephant, the buffalo, the zebra, the wildebeest, the impala, the warthog, the waterbuck, the reedbuck, the eland, the greater kudu, the sable and the giraffe.

Birdlife is also very strong in Mikumi with more than 400 recorded species. Some of the most prominent ones are: black-bellied bustard, bateleur eagle, ground hornbill, lilac-breasted roller, fish eagle, white-faced duck, long-tailed fiscal, yellow-throated long claw and the African spoonbill.

Selous Game Reserve

Welcome to the largest game reserve in Africa. This reserve has more than 45.000 square kilometers, making it larger than many European countries like Denmark, Estonia or the Netherlands. This park offers one of Africa's remotest and wildest destinations with very few lodges. The vegetation consists mostly of miombo woodland and is divided into two parts by the river Rufiji, which runs through the reserve from west to east.

Selous is one of Africa's primary safari destinations both because of the wildlife concentration but also because of some very interesting facts: First of all, it offers an opportunity to see very rare animals like the black rhino (extinct in most parks), in very healthy numbers. Another thing is that the lions in this park are different than the others (darker coats and less hirsute manes) and rely on an unusual opportunistic diurnal hunting strategy making Selous the best place in the world for witnessing a lion kill. Besides, the boat rides are fantastic to view the gigantic crocodiles, the huge hippos. It's also one of the few parks in Tanzania where walking safaris are possible and, indeed, very rewarding.

Wildlife
Wildlife is very abundant and the areas by the river and small lakes provide the best viewing opportunities during the dry season. With thousands of elephants, buffalos, giraffes, zebras and other antelopes, safaris are always full of excitement.

Large predators would be the lion, leopard, wild dog and the spotted hyena while other mammals would include the elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, sable, roan, impala, bushbuck, waterbuck, wildebeest, greater kudu, puku, hartebeest and eland. The rivers are also crowded with hippos and crocodiles. Of course, there is also an abundant birdlife including yellow-billed storks, white-crowned and spur-winged plovers, various small waders, pled and malachite kingfishers, African skimmers, fish eagles, palm-nut vultures, carmine and white-throated bee-eaters, trumpeter hornbills, purple-crested turacos and malgasy squacco herons.

Ruaha National Park

The huge Ruaha is the second largest national park of Tanzania. Like Katavi, Ruaha is also a hidden-secret of Africa offering abundant wildlife and pristine wilderness. It's an amazing place to find predators. There is a huge amount of lions but also leopards, cheetah and African wild dogs.

The park landmarks are characterized by the great Ruaha river, which follows the southeast boundary for 160km. This river provides great sights of wildlife when animals come down to drink water from it. The vegetation is a transition between the southern miombo and the eastern savanna. There are also many baobabs in some areas of the park.

Wildlife
This park has an abundant wildlife population. Both predators and ungulates are encountered frequently during game drives. One of the most interesting things is that it has the highest elephant population amongst the parks in Tanzania. There are also great opportunities to view the rare species of cheetah and wild dog. Other predators include lions, leopards, black-backed jackals and hyenas. Ungulate species include the zebra, eland, impala, buffalo, waterbuck, giraffe, lesser kudu, roan and sable.

The birdlife is also one of the greatest in Tanzania with more than 450 recorded species which consist in a mix of both southern and northern species. Some of the more famous bird species would be the black-collared lovebird, the ashy starlings and the crested barbet. The watercourses support a lot water bird variety.

Udzungwa National Park

Udzungwa Mountains National park is part of the eastern arc mountains, sometimes called "the Galapagos Islands of Africa". The main reason is the existence of patches of tropical rainforest and because this park has a high density of endemic species that can only be found in this part of the world. Overall, the park is a very enjoyable location with its waterfalls and exotic allure.

Wildlife
The park is famous for its biologically diverse plants, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, butterflies and insects. Many of the species found are endemic and can not be found anywhere else in the world.