01
Day 01
Arrive Dar es Salaam
Met at the airport. An overnight in the city, or straight onto a connecting flight if your timings allow.
- StayHotel in Dar es Salaam
- MealsBed and breakfast
01 · Overview
About this safari
Tanzania has a second safari country in the south, and most visitors never see it. It is bigger, emptier and wilder than the north, and you reach it by light aircraft.
Ruaha is the largest national park in the country. It is dry, rocky and dominated by the Great Ruaha River, with big elephant populations, unusually large lion prides and both greater and lesser kudu — a combination you will not find in the north.
Nyerere, cut from the old Selous Game Reserve, is defined by water: the Rufiji, its lakes and its channels. Boat safaris and walking safaris are both permitted, which makes it a completely different day from a northern game drive.
You will see fewer animals per hour than in the Serengeti, and you will usually see them alone. That is the trade, and for repeat visitors it is not a close call.
Tour length7 days / 6 nights
Start / endDar es Salaam → Dar es Salaam
PlacesRuaha, Nyerere
AccommodationHotel, tented camp or lodge, tented camp
Meal planFull board; Bed and breakfast
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 1Arrive Dar es Salaam
- Day 2Fly to Ruaha
- Day 3Ruaha
- Day 4Fly to Nyerere
- Day 5Rufiji by boat
- Day 6Walking safari
- Day 7Fly to Dar es Salaam, and out
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
Fly to Ruaha
A morning light-aircraft flight west into Ruaha. An afternoon game drive along the river, where the elephants and the baobabs are.
- StayTented camp or lodge, Ruaha
- MealsFull board
03
Day 03
Ruaha
A full day in the park with a picnic lunch. Ruaha rewards distance — the further you go from camp, the emptier it gets.
- StayTented camp or lodge, Ruaha
- MealsFull board
04
Day 04
Fly to Nyerere
A morning drive, then the flight east to an airstrip in Nyerere. An afternoon game drive through the lake system on arrival.
- StayTented camp beside the Rufiji, Nyerere
- MealsFull board
05
Day 05
Rufiji by boat
A boat safari at first light — hippo, crocodile, elephants on the bank and fish eagles overhead — and a game drive in the afternoon.
- StayTented camp beside the Rufiji, Nyerere
- MealsFull board
06
Day 06
Walking safari
A guided walk at dawn with an armed ranger, then a long final game drive through the lakes in the afternoon.
- StayTented camp beside the Rufiji, Nyerere
- MealsFull board
07
Day 07
Fly to Dar es Salaam, and out
A last short drive to the airstrip and the flight back to the coast for an onward connection to Zanzibar or home.
- 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.
Night 1
Hotel in Dar es Salaam
Bed and breakfast.
Nights 2–3
Tented camp or lodge, Ruaha
Full board.
Nights 4–6
Tented camp beside the Rufiji, Nyerere
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
Not better — different. Go north for the migration and the crater and sheer density. Go south for boats, walking, wild dog and solitude.
Effectively yes. Ruaha is a very long drive from anywhere and the roads are hard work. The flights are short and scenic.
June to October, when the rivers shrink and the animals concentrate on water. Several camps close in the long rains.
Yes — the 14-day route does exactly that. Ten days is about the minimum to do both without spending the trip in aeroplanes.
