8-Day Southern Tanzania Safari 2026 | Nyerere, Ruaha & Mikumi

8 Days

Duration

Our 8 Days Southern Tanzania Safari is the best package you can do if you want to get a taste of the real wilderness safari away from the crowded parks of the Northern Tanzania. It is a perfect package for someone coming as a repeater safari goer or for someone who would like to experience the untouched African Safari destinations of Southern Tanzania as a first timer but, you wouldn’t like to go to the more prominent parks in the north that can be a little crowded especially if you are coming in the peak safari season.

The safari can be taken from and back to Dar es Salaam as a singular booked tour or as an extension safari from a trip to the Northern Tanzania. The safari can also be easily taken starting from Zanzibar Island.

08 Days South Tanzania Safari – Best time to visit.

The best time to take this 8 days safari in the southern parks of Tanzania is mostly in the drier seasons and you will need as much as possible to avoid the rainy seasons between April and May. The best time would be the drier season between January and March and again in July to September. However other cooler months like June and between October and December are also Ok and with the beautiful landscapes you are sure to have a stunning safari tour in the South of Tanzania.

What to See on the Southern Tanzania Safari – 8 days

This 08 days safari to the South Tanzania Parks includes visits to the Nyerere National Park where you have the advantage of doing other things apart from safari in a 4×4 safari jeep, including; boat safaris and walking safaris in Tanzania. Other Parks include Mikumi National Park and less visited Ruaha National Park which gives you you the right to say you have been to the off the beaten track in Tanzania. You expect to do a walking safari in Ruaha National Park as well and among the animals you expect to see in these parks include huge herds of elephants, zebras, impalas, topis, wildebeests, and rare species like the Kudus and with luck you may see the African wild dogs.

We can easily combine the safari tour with beach extension in Zanzibar in case you wish for a Southern Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar Beach.

Additional information

Age	All Ages
Destination	South Tanzania
Location	Mikumi National Park, Ruaha National Park, Selous Game Reserve
Physicality	Easy

08 Days South Tanzania Safari – Itinerary.

Day 01

Dar es Salaam - Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous

After breakfast, your private driver-guide picks you up from your Dar es Salaam hotel and heads south to Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous Game Reserve) – a smooth 5–6 hour drive on the new road.

Arrive in time for a hot lunch and a short rest at camp.

In the late afternoon, step aboard for a magical sunset boat safari on the legendary Rufiji River. Drift past wallowing hippos, basking crocodiles, drinking elephants and countless birds – fish eagles, kingfishers and flocks of waterbirds – while the sky turns gold and pink.

Return to camp under a blanket of stars for dinner and overnight.

Overnight at Nyerere Tented Camp – comfortable canvas tents right by the Rufiji River. All meals included.

We can customize the the tour with standard luxury lodges or camps if you want a luxury tour.

Day 02

Full Day Game Drives in Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous)

Spend a full day on private game drives inside Nyerere National Park – Africa’s largest national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Named after Tanzania’s first president and once known as Selous Game Reserve, this vast wilderness covers an area larger than Switzerland and remains one of the continent’s last truly untouched frontiers.

Your 4×4 safari vehicle will take you across rolling savannah grasslands, miombo woodlands and rocky outcrops carved by the mighty Rufiji River and its tributaries. Nyerere National Park is home to the world’s highest concentrations of big game – massive elephant and buffalo herds, plus wildebeest, eland, giraffe, waterbuck, zebra, impala, hippo, lion and leopard. It’s also the best place in Tanzania to see endangered African wild dogs in their natural habitat.

Over 350 bird species have been recorded – from fish eagles to giant kingfishers – making it a paradise for birdwatchers too.

Return to camp as the sun sets over the river for dinner and overnight.

Overnight at Nyerere Tented Camp. All meals included.

Day 03

Nyerere National Park – Transfer to Mikumi Township

After breakfast at the lodge you will be taken on a walking safari which may entail a village walk with a local guide and your driver then there after traverse across the Nyerere National Park with game drive son your way to Mikumi Township. Arriving in the late afternoon at your camp just outside the Mikumi National park you will check in for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Overnight at Camp Bastian. All meals included.

Day 04

Mikumi - Ruaha National Park

After breakfast, depart for Ruaha National Park via Iringa. We arrive in time for picnic lunch and an afternoon game drive follows until later at 6.00 Pm when you will be driven to your lodge just near the park for dinner and overnight. Just like the Nyerere you expect to see a lot of big game in the Ruaha National Park but contrary to the northern parks, animals in the Ruaha are still ‘truly wild’ and therefore quite timid. It takes patience and great anticipation and when you spot the animals it is only you and the animals in what is the ‘real African safari’ setting. Overnight at Ruaha Hilltop Lodge. All meals included.

Day 05

Safari Ruaha National Park full day

After breakfast you enter the park again for a full day of game drives at Ruaha National Park with picnic lunch.
Ruaha, with an area of 20,226 sq.km is the currently the largest park in Tanzania after the addition of the Usangu Game Reserve and other important wetlands that surrounded the park prior to their gazettement into a part of the Great Ruaha. Ruaha is also prominently the second largest elephant sanctuary in Tanzania. The great Ruaha River that flows along its entire eastern border, creating spectacular gorges and scenery, features a large number of hippos and crocodiles. The wide variety of animals include Greater and Lesser Kudu, roan and sable antelope and many other rare animals that can only found in this ‘real wilderness’. Bird life is rich in Ruaha as well, with over 370 species recorded.
Overnight at Ruaha Hilltop Lodge. All meals included.

Day 06

Ruaha - Mikumi National Park

Pick up by your safari driver from Ruaha you will start on your drive to Mikumi National Park via Iringa town again. The park is nestled beautifully nestled between the Uluguru Mountains of the Ancient Eastern Arc Mountains to the East and the Great Rift Valley Escarpments to the parks Southwest. Not very far from Ruaha and on a good tarmac road the transfer from Ruaha to Mikumi takes about 4 – 4.5 hours. You will arrive around noon and go straight for game drives around the park with packed lunch at a picnic site. Later in the afternoon we drive to Camp / the lodge for dinner and overnight. Overnight at Camp Bastian. All meals included.

Day 07

Full Day Safari Mikumi

Spend a full day with game drives around the Mikumi National Park with a packed lunch or do morning and afternoon game drives with a lunch break at the lodge/tented camp. Mikumi National Park is part of the larger Selous Ecosystem together with the Nyerere National Park and harbors remarkable numbers of bird’s species and animals. Among the animals that can be spotted at Mikumi includes giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, hippos, impalas, warthogs, zebras, wildebeests, elands and many other antelopes. Apart from game drives in the park you can also go for a guided walking safari guided by an armed ranger (at extra cost). Overnight at Camp Bastian. All meals included.

Day 08

Mikumi - Dar Es Salaam

After breakfast we can go on a game drive again if you wish until time to Check out of the park around noon and after lunch drive back to Dar es Salaam where the safari ends. You will be dropped at The Ferry or at The Airport Depending on your plans.

We can easily customize this 8 days Southern Tanzania safari package with some mid-range lodges and tented camps or standard luxury lodging in case you want to stay in more luxurious lodging.

08 Days South Tanzania Safari – Best Prices

The price for the this eight days Southern Tanzania safari adventure will be as below depending on how many people are coming with you.

A Group of 2 Persons – USD 2065 per person sharing (Double room or Twin room)

A Group of 4 Persons – USD 1724 per person sharing (2 Double rooms or Twin rooms)

A Group of 6 Persons – USD 1327 per person sharing (3 Double rooms or Twin rooms)

Single Traveler – Ask for price

Group of more than 6 Travelers – Ask for price

Children Prices depend on Age of the child and room configuration.

We can customize the program according to your interests and budget.

The package includes

Pick up / drop off at Dar es Salaam
08 days private safari for 02 – 06 persons
Transport and wildlife drives in modified 4WD Land Cruiser with photographic roof hatch
Services of a professional English Speaking safari guide
All wildlife reserve entry fees
Walking tours at Selous and Ruaha National Park
Boat Safari at Rufiji River in Selous
07 x FB at safari lodges and tented camps as per itinerary
Meals as per itinerary
3 x 0.5 l mineral water per person / day
Tourist Development Levy
Wildlife Management Area Fees
VAT (18%) by Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA)

The Package does not include

International Flights
Airport transfers at Dar es Salaam
All items of a personal nature
Gratuities for safari guide
Travel insurance
Overnight at Dar es Salaam before / after safari
Visa fee (50 US$ /100 US$ for Americans & Irish Passport Holders- to be paid upon arrival)
drinks and beverages in lodges