01
Day 01
Dar es Salaam to Nyerere
A short flight south to an airstrip in the park, or the road transfer if you prefer. An afternoon game drive through the lake system.
- StayTented camp beside the Rufiji, Nyerere
- MealsFull board
01 · Overview
About this safari
A short southern trip for people arriving through Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar rather than Kilimanjaro. Different country, different rules, almost nobody else there.
Nyerere National Park — carved out of what was the Selous Game Reserve — is enormous, and the Rufiji River runs through it. That river changes what a safari is: you can go out by boat, at eye level with hippo and crocodile and with elephants coming down to drink.
Walking safaris are permitted here in a way they are not in the northern parks. Mikumi, five hours by road from Dar, is the easy add-on: open floodplain that looks like the Serengeti and is busy with buffalo, giraffe and lion.
Tour length5 days / 4 nights
Start / endDar es Salaam → Dar es Salaam
PlacesNyerere, Mikumi
AccommodationTented camp, lodge or tented camp
Meal planFull board
Vehicle4×4 with pop-up roof
Tour typePrivate, on your dates
Group sizeTo confirm
02 · The price
What the price covers — and what it doesn't
Included 7 items
- Park and conservation-area entry fees for every park listed in the route
- Government taxes and concession fees that apply to those parks
- A 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof, fuel and an English-speaking driver-guide
- Accommodation on the basis shown for each night
- Meals as marked on each day
- Drinking water in the vehicle throughout
- Transfers between Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha town and your first night
Not included 6 items
- International flights, and internal flights unless a day says otherwise
- Tanzania visa, passport costs and travel insurance
- Tips for your guide, cook and camp or lodge staff
- Drinks, laundry and other personal spending
- Optional extras — balloon flights, night drives, spa treatments, private vehicle upgrades
- Anything not listed as included
03 · At a glance
Itinerary highlights
- Day 1Dar es Salaam to Nyerere
- Day 2Boat safari and game drive
- Day 3Walking safari, then north
- Day 4Mikumi
- Day 5Back to Dar es Salaam
04 · Prices
Prices and what moves them
Every quote is written for the dates and the number of people travelling, because park fees, season and vehicle sharing move the figure more than anything else. We itemise it: park fees, accommodation, vehicle, meals.
Mid-range
Luxury
Mid-range
Per person, sharing · international flights not includedSingle supplement: To confirm
| Group size | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per person, 2026 | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm |
| Rooms | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3+ |
Luxury
Per person, sharing · international flights not includedSingle supplement: To confirm
| Group size | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per person, 2026 | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm |
| Rooms | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3+ |
Children. Child rates depend on age, the camps and how rooms are shared. Child policy to confirm
05 · The route
The route, day by day
02
Day 02
Boat safari and game drive
The Rufiji by boat in the morning, which is the reason to come here, and a long afternoon drive around the lakes.
- StayTented camp beside the Rufiji, Nyerere
- MealsFull board
03
Day 03
Walking safari, then north
A guided walk at dawn with an armed ranger — tracks, plants, insects and the feeling of being on foot in big-game country — then the transfer north towards Mikumi.
- StayLodge or tented camp near Mikumi
- MealsFull board
04
Day 04
Mikumi
A full day on the Mkata floodplain: buffalo herds, giraffe, elephant and, with luck, the lion that hunt there. The park is crossed by the main highway, which is jarring and also makes it very easy to reach.
- StayLodge or tented camp near Mikumi
- MealsFull board
05
Day 05
Back to Dar es Salaam
A morning game drive, then the road east to Dar es Salaam — about five hours — for an evening flight or the ferry to Zanzibar.
- StayNone — the trip ends today
06 · Camps
Where you stay
Each night gives the kind of place and the area. The property itself is chosen for your month and your budget, and named in your quote.
Nights 1–2
Tented camp beside the Rufiji, Nyerere
Full board.
Nights 3–4
Lodge or tented camp near Mikumi
Full board.
07 · Add-ons
Optional add-ons
Not in the standard price. Arranged on request and priced in your quote.
After the safari
Zanzibar beach extension
A short flight to the coast, for days with nothing to track.
08 · The ground
Where this safari takes you
01
Dar es Salaam
The coastal city the southern parks are reached from, by light aircraft or by road.
09 · Season
Best time to take this safari
Jun – Oct
The dry season
Animals gather along the rivers and the bush thins out — the classic months for the south.
Nov – Mar
The green season
Hot, lush and very good for birds. Some tracks become hard going.
Apr – May
The long rains
Many camps in the south close. Ask before planning these months.
10 · Flights
Flights
Arrive
Dar es Salaam
Julius Nyerere International Airport. You are met at the airport on the first day.
Depart
Dar es Salaam
Tell us your flight time and the last day is planned around it.
11 · Extras
Budget for these extras
Not in the package price, and worth planning for before you travel.
Most visitors need a Tanzania visa. What applies to your passport, and how to apply, is on our visas and vaccinations page.
Take a policy that covers medical evacuation from remote areas. More on our travel insurance page.
Tipping is customary but yours to decide. Our tipping guide sets out what is usual for guides, cooks and camp staff.
Water is provided in the vehicle. Other drinks at camps and lodges, laundry and souvenirs are paid locally.
12 · Why us
Why book this with us
01
Every route is a draft
Add a night, cut a day, finish on the coast. Most trips we run started as one of these and then moved.
02
Every quote itemised
Park fees, accommodation, vehicle and meals, line by line, for your dates and group.
03
Private, on your dates
Your own 4×4 with a pop-up roof and an English-speaking driver-guide.
04
Planned from Arusha
Ask on WhatsApp and you reach the people who plan the trip.
13 · Reviews
Reviews
Guest reviews for this route will appear here. To confirm
14 · Questions
Asked about this trip
Fewer vehicles, more water, boats and walking, and lower game density on the open plains. The north is more reliable for sheer numbers; the south feels wilder.
Very. Both are short flights from Dar es Salaam, which makes this the natural safari for a beach holiday on the coast.
The long rains, late March to May, when tracks flood and several camps close.
Nyerere holds one of the strongest remaining populations on the continent. They are wide ranging and never guaranteed, but a real prospect.
