7 days Mikumi, Ruaha & Udzungwa
Move from open savannah and predator-rich plains into the rainforest trails and waterfalls of the Udzungwa Mountains — three landscapes, one road.
Wildlife & Hiking
The Grand Journey through Southern Tanzania
All four southern parks in one road journey, west from the Rufiji to Ruaha and back through the forest. The complete route through Southern Tanzania.
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At a glance
- Destinations
- Nyerere · Mikumi · Ruaha · Udzungwa
- Best for
- Wildlife safari, Hiking
- Travel style
- Mid-range · Drive, Ferry/boat
- Activity level
- Moderate — walking days on forest and mountain paths
- Best time to travel
- June to October usually gives the most consistent access across Nyerere, Mikumi and Ruaha, with drier conditions for the Udzungwa walk. The forest and river activities still need local checks; March to May rain complicates this overland route.
- Start and end
- Starts and ends in Dar es Salaam
Why this journey
- Four parks, four ecosystems, one route
- The Rufiji by boat at the start
- A full day in Ruaha, plus a walking safari
- Sanje waterfall in Udzungwa on the final day
- No flights — the whole route by road
Day by day
Nyerere, Mikumi, Ruaha and Udzungwa in eight days — the whole south, in the order the road takes them. Each park gets a full day, and the last is spent walking up to the Sanje falls.
Day 1 — Dar es Salaam to Nyerere National Park
A morning departure and 5–6 hour drive. After check-in, an afternoon riverboat safari along the Rufiji River observing hippos, basking crocodiles, and an array of vibrant bird species.
Stay Selous River Camp Meals Lunch & Dinner
Day 2 — Full day game drive
After breakfast, a full-day game drive across the park's expanses. Morning scouting precedes a midday picnic lunch within the reserve, with afternoon exploration continuing before the evening return.
Stay Selous River Camp Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3 — Nyerere to Mikumi National Park
After breakfast, a 7–9 hour journey to Mikumi. After check-in, the evening includes an evening hosted by a Maasai family, with music and conversation directly from the community.
Stay Vuma Hill Tented Camp Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4 — Full day game drive in Mikumi National Park
A post-breakfast game drive showcasing the park's highlights, scouting for lions, elephants, and zebras. Midday picnic lunch, then afternoon exploration of different habitats.
Stay Vuma Hill Tented Camp Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 5 — Mikumi to Ruaha National Park
After breakfast, a 5–6 hour transfer. After afternoon arrival and refreshment, the evening offers a rare opportunity to track active leopards, spot bush babies jumping through the canopy, and experience Ruaha's thriving nightlife.
Stay Ikuka Safari Camp / Ruaha Hilltop Lodge / Tanapa Bandas Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 6 — Full day game drive in Ruaha National Park
An extended full-day drive across Ruaha's sweeping landscapes, tracking elephants, prides of lions, and a rich variety of plains game, with a midday scenic picnic lunch within the park and a sunset return.
Stay Ruaha River Lodge Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 7 — Morning wilderness walking safari in Ruaha, then to Udzungwa
A morning walk with a professional ranger studying wildlife tracks, vegetation, and ecosystem dynamics up close. After midday lodge lunch, a 7–8 hour transfer to the Udzungwa Mountains, arriving in the evening.
Stay Udzungwa Forest Tented Camp Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 8 — Hiking to Sanje Waterfall and return to Dar es Salaam
A post-breakfast hike to the iconic Sanje Waterfall with sweeping panoramic views and the cool mist of the falls, then a packed lunch. A 5–6 hour road journey returns travellers to Dar es Salaam by evening for an airport transfer or overnight in the city.
Meals Breakfast & Lunch
Stay and travel
Comfortable mid-range lodges and tented camps, inside the parks wherever the route allows.
A 4×4 with a roof hatch and a window seat for everyone, driven by your guide throughout.
Camps fill, and roads change with the rains. Where something has to change we substitute at the same level and tell you before you travel, not after.
Included and excluded
What is included
- Every activity named in the day-by-day
- Accommodation as listed, or a similar alternative if a camp is full
- Meals as noted against each day
- Transfers between the agreed pick-up and drop-off points
- Park, reserve and conservation area fees
- An English-speaking Tanzanian driver-guide
- A 4×4 with a roof hatch, or the vehicle the route calls for
- Drinking water through the day
- Government taxes
- Boat safari and transfers
- TANAPA armed ranger where the park requires one
Not included
- International flights, airport taxes and visa fees
- Travel, medical and baggage insurance
- Personal spending — drinks, laundry, telephone
- Tips for your guide and crew
- Anything not listed as included
Practical information
- Activity level
- Walking days on forest and mountain paths, some of them steep and often wet underfoot. Ordinary walking fitness is enough.
- Visas, insurance and tipping
- A visa is arranged before travel or on arrival. Travel and medical insurance is a condition of booking. Tipping is customary and we will suggest a range rather than set one.
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Every route here can be changed
Tell us what you would keep, what you would drop and how long you have. We will send back a version that is yours.