8 Days Safari Southern Tanzania

After breakfast, pick up from your hotel for the drive to Selous Game Reserve (Nyerere National Park), around 5-7 hours (a flight from Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar is also possible). Arrive at your tented camp on the banks of the Rufiji River, with a sunset boat safari to spot hippos, crocodiles and birdlife. Overnight at Selous Mapumziko Lodge. All meals included.

A full day of game drives across Selous, the largest protected wildlife reserve in Tanzania and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, spanning an area larger than Switzerland. Look out for elephant, buffalo, wild dog and, more rarely, black rhino, alongside around 350 recorded bird species. Overnight at Selous Mapumziko Lodge.

After breakfast, a walking safari including a village walk with a local guide, followed by a game drive on the way to Mikumi. Arrive in the late afternoon at your camp just outside Mikumi National Park. Overnight at Camp Bastian. All meals included.

Depart Mikumi and travel to Ruaha National Park, Tanzania's largest national park, known for large elephant herds and one of the country's healthiest lion populations. Afternoon game drive on arrival, with far fewer vehicles than the Northern Circuit parks. Overnight near the park.

A full day of game drives across Ruaha's varied terrain, from baobab-studded plains to the Great Ruaha River, where wildlife concentrates especially in the dry season. Overnight at your Ruaha camp.

A further day exploring different areas of Ruaha, with morning and afternoon game drives covering ground not reached on the previous day. Overnight at your Ruaha camp.

Depart Ruaha and travel back toward Mikumi, with game viewing along the way. Overnight near Mikumi.

A final morning game drive or nature walk before the drive back to Dar es Salaam, arriving in the afternoon. Transfer to the airport for your onward flight, or to the port for a ferry to Zanzibar.