Southern Explorer 11 Day Tour

After breakfast in your hotel, we will set off with a picnic to Selous Game Reserve. After leaving the bustling city of Dar es Salaam we pass though villages and farming areas with rice and cassava plantations.

We will have lunch and a rest in your accommodation before setting off on an early evening boat safari along the Rufiji River.  This is a tranquil way to observe the wildlife including giraffes, hippos and elephants.

The Selous Game Reserve is one of the largest protected areas in the world, spanning some 54,600 km² and in 1982 was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its diversity in flora and fauna. Animal numbers are the highest in Africa; including elephants, lions, buffaloes, giraffes, hippos and crocodiles, although due to the vastness of Selous, animal densities are lower than parks in the north of Tanzania. The landscape is varied, with vast woodlands, wetlands and stretches of savannah.

Today will be spent exploring this great park, with a picnic lunch in the bush.

After a coffee and a snack early in the camp, we will head into the reserve for a dawn walking safari to learn more about the African bush, including animal tracking, natural medicines and notice the smaller side of safaris – the birdlife, the insects and the flora. Breakfast will be served for when you return. In the afternoon we will head back into the reserve for a game drive, with a picnic lunch.

Today we will leave Selous and drive to the town of Morogoro, on the foothills of Uluguru Mountain Range. Be prepared for a bit of an African adventure today on a rough road! This is off the beaten back for most travellers, so sit back and enjoy the scenery of hills, plains and the Miombo Woodlands.

Morogoro is a bustling urban centre, and is the centre for agriculture for the region.

After breakfast in the morning proceed with half day game viewing of Mikumi Park, This park is situated in the Mkata Plains, dominated by hills, mountains and grasslands. A wide range of wildlife inhabits this National Park along with lion, packs of wild dog that are rare elsewhere in Africa. At the southern end of the flood plain is Kikoboga an area that is home to the Yellow Baboons along with Hippos, which wallow in the hippo pools normally, joined by flocks of open billed stocks.

These forested mountains form part of the Eastern Arc Mountain Range which are known as the ‘Galapagos of Africa’ owing to their high degree of endemism – they cover less than 2% of the land area but include more than 50% of the country’s plant and animal species. Over 300 endemic animals and over 800 endemic plants have been found in the Eastern Arc. The Udzungwa Mountains form one of Africa’s most remarkable biodiversity hotspots and hiking through them is a memorable experience.

Today we will hike to Sanje Falls, where you have the option of swimming in the cool water hole at the base of the falls.

We will leave Hondo Hondo Forest Camp after breakfast and head to the vast Ruaha National Park. The journey passes through the Kitonga hills, villages and various farmlands. The road takes us along the Ruaha River and  then climbs the great Rift Escarpment. Enjoy a picnic lunch along the way.

After a long day’s drive we will arrive into your lodge in the early evening.

After enjoying breakfast overlooking the Great Ruaha River, we will set out on a full day game drive in this huge park. Ruaha National Park is the largest park in Tanzania, spanning some 20, 226 square kilometres. It is named after the Great Ruaha River that runs through it and is a focus point for game viewing.

Previously Ruaha National Park was a haven for elephants, however tragically numbers have plummeted in recent years due to illegal poaching, with some reports stating numbers have dropped from 20,000 to 8,200. However, you will still see these majestic creatures, along with cheetahs, leopards, lions, giraffes and more.

We will share a picnic lunch during the day before leaving the park in the late afternoon.

Early morning – Walking safari. After enjoying breakfast overlooking the Great Ruaha River, we will set out on a full day game drive in this huge park. We will share a picnic lunch during the day. In the late afternoon, we will return to the Ruaha River Lodge for sunset drinks.