Classic Safari to the southern parks

Arrive at Dar Es Salaam International Airport, where an East African Voyage Representative will welcome you and will escort you to your hotel in the bustling town of Dar. Despite its name, which means, "abode of peace" in Arabic, Dar es Salaam is Tanzania's largest and busiest city. It is the country's most important business and commercial hub, and is situated right on the Indian Ocean.

Night at Serena Dar-er-salaam Inn

In the morning, you will be transferred to the airport to catch you flight.

You will be transferred to the Dar es Salaam airport for your domestic flight to Selous Game Reserve to start your African safari experience. At 55,000 sq km, Selous is almost twice the size of Belgium and four times larger than the famous Serengeti to the north, covering 5% of Tanzania’s land area. The Selous’ ecosystem as a whole is made up of a few conservation areas, covering in total over 90,000 sq km of pristine wilderness devoid of human influence. Enjoy an aerial perspective of Selous as you head towards the airstrip, where you will be met by a driver who will escort you to the luxury permanent tented camp. You will arrive for some hot lunch at the camp before going out for some afternoon game drive. Embark on an afternoon game drive in the reserve, fed by the mighty Rufiji River. This is the largest river in East Africa and the reserve is home to over 1,000,000 large animals and over half of Tanzania’s elephant population. Return to Camp for dinner and overnight stay.

Night at Roho ya Selous

Today, we leave for a Full Day Game Drive after our nice and healthy breakfast at the lodge. The Selous (pronounced "Seloo") is considered important enough to be World Heritage Site, in which the lucky few can experience a safari in absolutely wild and unspoiled bush. The park varies from rolling grassy woodlands and plains, to rocky outcrops cut by the Rufiji River. Selous contains about one third of all the wild dogs (often called painted dogs), in the world. Their need to roam vast areas and their formidable hunting skills have caused many to be shot by farmers, but here in Selous they have boundless woodlands and savannahs in which to roam. We will return to our lodge in the afternoon to be welcomed with a warm lunch.

Just after the lunch, we again continue with our Game Drive for the day. During the dry season from June to October, the concentration of animals along the river is astonishing. Linked to the Rufiji is Lake Tagalala where Waterbuck, Reedbuck and Bushbuck gather at the water's edge. Magnificent Sickle-Horned Sable and Curly-Horned Greater Kudu tend to keep to the longer grass and wooded shrubby areas. After a well-spent day in the bush and an exciting day of game we return to our lodge for the days rest. Hot dinner will be prepared and served at your convenience.

Night at Roho ya Selous

We wake up the next morning to the wonderful sounds and smells of our surroundings in this massive Game Reserve. We quickly finish with our morning breakfast and leave for a Walking Safari - the exciting sightings in the park awaits us.

After breakfast, accompany an armed ranger on a walking safari in the reserve. The sights and sounds of a walking safari are a special treat that will live long in your memory. Walks leave at 6:30 am accompanied with a watchman and a fully qualified armed guide. It is a gentle stroll through the wilderness with emphasis on the little things that are difficult to experience from a vehicle. The walking concentrates on ecology, tracking, dung identification, medicinal uses of trees, birds and generally interpreting. The bush gives you a much broader understanding of nature. Walks concentrate primarily on the smaller unseen yet no less interesting part of nature however there is always the feeling of wondering if you will bump into something big around the next bush, and frequently it happens. Lion are sometimes seen as well as the elusive wild dogs. Giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, waterbuck, warthog and impala are plentiful and you are very rarely out of sight of an animal. The walks are mostly situated in a very elephant rich area and walking safely in the proximity of these massive mammals is a feeling unrivalled by any other.

We return to our lodge in the afternoon for a hot lunch. After our hot lunch at the lodge in the afternoon, we continue with our next activity for the day - Boating Safari at Rufiji River where Crocodiles, Hippos and grazing game can be seen.

In the afternoon, enjoy a boat safari where you will explore the different channels and lakes of the Rufiji River System, surrounded by hippos and crocodiles. The boat safaris are conducted in sturdy metal boats with a powerful outboard motor on the back and a covered canopy. Each boat safari is guided by a boatman who has grown up on the river and knows all the little nooks and crannies for the boat to sneak through. They are also well aware of hippo and crocodile behaviour having spent so many years safely guiding people between them. The boat safaris provide some of the best water birding in Africa as well as getting up close and personal to hippos and crocs which swarm through the river system, be they wallowing in the water or basking on the banks. A large variety of herons, storks, ducks, stilts, and other water birds may be seen as well as land mammals, such as giraffe and elephants.

Night at Roho ya Selous

After a leisurely breakfast you will driven to the airstrip for your mid-morning flight to the Ruaha National Park. Ruaha is a true unspoiled natural wilderness. Due to its remote location very few people visit this park, but those that do are treated to unsurpassable wilderness and complete isolation. The park is teeming with millions of animals and vast herds characterize the wildlife experience. Upon arrival at the airstrip you will be met by our representatives ready to pick you up and transfer you to the camp. Enjoy a leisurely drive arriving at the camp for some freshly prepared hot lunch.

After lunch you will have some time to relax and freshen up before heading out for some evening game drive. Ruaha remains the Africa of your imagination as there are very few tourists and even fewer cars. The solitude and sheer beauty of the park is breathtaking. In the wet season the park’s open areas of grassland take on an emerald green hue with a stunning backdrop provided by the blue rolling hills that recede into the horizon. The great Ruaha River and other rivers like Mwagusis, Jongomero and Mzombe serve as the life line of the park. This is due to the fact that, during the dry season, these rivers become the major source of water for wildlife, however there are numerous natural springs that serve the same purpose.

In the evening you will be driven back to the camp arriving for dinner and overnight.

Night at Kwihala Camp

Wake up in the morning to the sounds of the surroundings in the massive national park in the south. The highlights of a trip to Ruaha is watching the elephant herds (the greatest concentration in Africa) gathered around the mighty Ruaha River; the lifeblood of the park. Ruaha is a visually stunning park with an undulating plateau about 900m with occasional rocky outcrops and mountains reaching heights of 1900m. Running though the park are "sand rivers" which dry up completely in the dry season and act as roads for the game to move from waterhole to waterhole. We stop at the lodge for our lunch in the afternoon. A warm and delicious lunch will be served upon arrival at the lodge. Just after our lunch, we continue with our Afternoon Game Drive.

Ruaha is well known for its varied dramatic scenery, which includes rolling hills; large open plains; groves of skeletal baobabs and along its southern border, the Great Ruaha River, from which the park gets its name. This is by far the most dominant geographical feature of the park and, for the wildlife it is the most important. Ruaha has a hot, dry climate which means the animals don't tend to stray too far from dependable water sources. This makes predicating game movements far easier particularly in the dry season. Ruaha National Park is a good place for seeing Lion, Buffalo, Elephant and Painted Dog (African Wild Dog). Grants Gazelle, Ostrich and Cheetah may be seen on the plains.

As the sun goes down, we shall call it day and return to our lodge for the nights rest. A warm and nice dinner will be prepared and served as we arrive at the lodge.

Night at Kwihala Camp

Today, we leave for a Morning Game Drive after our nice and healthy breakfast at the lodge. The park is one of the Tanzania birds' paradise with more than 571species and some of them are known to be migrants from within and outside Africa. Migrating species from Europe, Asia, Australian rim and Madagascar have been recorded in the park. Species of interest in the park include Ruaha red-billed hornbill (Tokus ruahae) which is dominant in the area. The recently annexed wetland, the Usangu basin is one of the country's important bird area (IBA) as recognized by Birdlife International. Though birds can be seen all the year around, the best time for bird watching is during the wet season.

We will return to our lodge in the afternoon to be welcomed with a warm lunch. We leave for a visit to the nearby Masaai Village after our lunch at the lodge. According to our past experiences, guests who do a visit to these villages, always find it as an interesting and enriching experience for them. As you arrive at the village, excited children and adults welcome you with song and dance. At certain times, one of the dancers will jump up and down gracefully. The jumps are several feet high! You will be invited to try jumping (dancing) too, to your dismay you will be no match for their levitation act.

You will then be welcomed into of the homesteads in the village. The village huts (called Manyatta) are made of cow dung and clay plastered over stick frames, which is quite practical. The Masaai people maintain cattle herds, and the dung is always in generous supply and it's free. One of your hosts will give you an insight into Masaai life; some of them may not speak English but your Safari guide will interpret for you and the elders so that stories may be exchanged. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the history and lifestyle of these Masaai. You may ask as many questions as you like and take photographs.

Night at Kwihala Camp

After a leisurely breakfast you will driven out to the Ruaha National Park for your last game drive. Ruaha is a true unspoiled natural wilderness. Due to its remote location very few people visit this park, but those that do are treated to unsurpassable wilderness and complete isolation. The park is teeming with millions of animals and vast herds characterize the wildlife experience. You will enjoy a half day game drive safari before returning to the lodge for some hot lunch and short rest. You will then checkout and will be transferred to the Ruaha airstrip where you will board a domestic flight to Dar es salaam where you will connect with your international flight back home.