17 days Southern Tanzania & Mafia Island
Four southern parks over twelve days, then the boat to Mafia — a marine park where whale sharks feed off the north coast in season.
Wildlife & Hiking
Northern Tanzania & Southern Tanzania in Twenty Days
North to south by road, taking in the Kolo rock paintings on the way through — nine parks and a set of galleries painted thousands of years ago.
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At a glance
- Destinations
- Lake Manyara · Serengeti · Ngorongoro · Tarangire · Kolo · Ruaha · Udzungwa · Mikumi · Nyerere
- Best for
- Wildlife safari, Hiking, Culture & history
- 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 conditions for the northern and southern parks, the Kolo visit and Udzungwa walking. This long road journey is more vulnerable to wet tracks than a single-park stay; confirm Nyerere access in the rains.
- Start and end
- Starts in Arusha, ends in Dar es Salaam
Why this journey
- The Kolo Irangi rock paintings near Kondoa
- Three days in Ruaha with a night drive and a walking safari
- Udzungwa on foot between Ruaha and Mikumi
- The Rufiji by boat at the end
- Nine parks without a single internal flight
Day by day
The reverse of the Grand Safari, starting in Arusha and finishing on the coast, and the only one of our long routes that stops at Kolo Irangi, where rock shelters near Kondoa hold some of the oldest paintings in East Africa.
Day 1 — Arrival
Pickup from Kilimanjaro or Dar es Salaam International Airport with transfer to Arusha lodging.
Stay as listed on the page — Simba Public Campsite Meals Lunch & Dinner
Day 2 — Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park
After breakfast, a 130 km drive on tarmac to Lake Manyara. Morning and afternoon game drives showcase tree-dwelling lions, hippos, elephants, zebra, buffalo, giraffes, Olive baboons, blue and vervet monkeys, warthog. The park hosts About 350 species of birds including ground hornbills and eagle owls.
Stay Migombani Campsite / Lake Manyara Serena Hotel / Kilimamoja Lodge Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3 — Lake Manyara to Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, a game-drive route leads to the Serengeti, undoubtedly the best-known wildlife sanctuary in the world. Afternoon drives reveal great herds of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles or a pride of lions lazing in the shade.
Stay Seronera Public Campsite / Tanzania Bush Camps / Nyikani Camp Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4 — Full day at Serengeti National Park
A full-day game drive with sightings of wildebeest, lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, monkeys, baboons, hippos, rhinos, antelopes, and many birds. Guides stay in contact with other drivers to locate hidden animals.
Stay Seronera Public Campsite / Tanzania Bush Camps / Nyikani Camp Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 5 — Serengeti, Olduvai Gorge and Ngorongoro Crater
A morning game drive with picnic lunch, then departure via Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakeys found remains of Australopithecus Homo habilis and Homo erectus. The landscape was forged from the same tectonic forces which created the Great Rift Valley millions of years ago. Visitors experience a museum, a lecture and a walk to the discovery sites.
Stay Simba Public Campsite / Ngorongoro Serena Lodge / Neptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 6 — Ngorongoro Crater tour to Tarangire National Park
Early breakfast at 06:00 for the crater floor descent. The crater houses the big five: rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo, and elephant with approximately 30,000 animals total. Birds include flamingos on the soda lake, cranes, various kingfishers, ostrich, black kites, vultures. Lunch at the Ngoitoktok swamp hippo pool; afternoon game viewing continues before the drive to Tarangire.
Stay Tarangire Public Campsite / Baobab Tented Camp / Acacia Tarangire Luxury Camp Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 7 — Full day at Tarangire National Park
A full-day game drive with picnic lunch. Tarangire features baobabs across the landscape, and in the dry season Vast herds of wildebeest, zebras, elephants, elands, and Oryx gather at the Tarangire River's permanent waters.
Stay Tarangire Public Campsite / Baobab Tented Camp / Acacia Tarangire Luxury Camp Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 8 — Tarangire, Kolo Irangi rock paintings, Dodoma Town
After breakfast and checkout, drive to Dodoma with a stop at the Kolo Irangi rock paintings — some of the finest examples of rock paintings in the world, which depict the animals and customs of the people at the time.
Stay La Stanar Hotel / New Dodoma Hotel Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 9 — Dodoma town to Ruaha National Park
Drive to Ruaha via the Mtera hydroelectric dam. Iringa is a charming if somewhat down-at-heel town at the heart of Tanzania's tea industry with an eclectic market. Arrival at Ruaha is expected late evening.
Stay Ruaha Old Bandas / Ruaha River Lodge / Ikuka Safari Camp Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 10 — Full day game drives in Ruaha National Park
Drives target roan and sable antelope alongside hippos, crocodiles, waterbuck, reedbuck, and buffalo at the river edges. Predators include lions, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, and jackals. A walk visits one of Africa's most important historical sites, with abundant bird species including Eurasian migrants.
Stay Ruaha Old Bandas / Ruaha River Lodge / Ikuka Safari Camp Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 11 — Wilderness walking safari and night game drives in Ruaha
After breakfast, an armed ranger-guided wilderness walk explores animals and plants along the riverbanks for photography. A midday hot lunch and relaxation precede the evening sunset drive. A night drive from 20:00 to midnight reveals night-active creatures.
Stay Ruaha Old Bandas / Ruaha River Lodge / Ikuka Safari Camp Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 12 — Another full day of game drives in Ruaha
Morning and afternoon game drives. The park has the potential to showcase a good number of bio diversities in just one-third of the park's size. Sightings may include Silver Back Jackal, Elephants, Hippos, African hunting dogs, a pride of 18 lions, Lesser and Greater Kudus as well as rarely Roan and Sable Antelopes. Vegetation features Palm, Fig, Tamarind, and Baobab trees with Over 1600 plant species and over 370 bird species.
Stay Ruaha Old Bandas / Ruaha River Lodge / Ikuka Safari Camp Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 13 — Ruaha to Udzungwa Mountains National Park
An early start with game drives en route, passing the Isimila Stone Age Site.
Stay Twiga Campsite / Hondo Hondo Tented Camp / Udzungwa Falls Lodge Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 14 — Walking in Udzungwa Park, then Mikumi National Park
Breakfast before a walking tour of the park. A bush lunch, waterfall visits and potential endemic red colobus sightings precede the late afternoon departure to Mikumi.
Stay Camping at Camp Bastian / Camp Bastian / Vuma Hills Tented Lodge Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 15 — Full day game drive in Mikumi National Park
Morning and afternoon game drives reveal elephants, lions, wild dogs, zebras, hyenas, buffalo, wildebeest, eland, hartebeest, crocodiles, lizards. Over 300 bird species have been observed.
Stay Camping at Camp Bastian / Camp Bastian / Vuma Hills Tented Lodge Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 16 — Mikumi to Nyerere National Park
A six-hour drive to Nyerere National Park (formerly the Selous Game Reserve) across the Uluguru Mountains, rivers and villages with game sightings en route.
Stay Tagalala Campsite / Lake Manze Tented Camp / Selous Mivumo Luxury Tented Camp Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 18 — Game drive and boat safari in Nyerere National Park
*(The live page skips Day 17.)* A half-day game drive in Selous precedes an evening Rufiji River boat safari for close-range observation of hippos and crocodiles in their natural habitat.
Stay Kituri Tented Camp / Selous River Lodge / Rufiji River Camp Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 19 — Nyerere National Park to Dar es Salaam
An early morning game drive followed by breakfast, checkout and the return drive to Dar es Salaam, arriving early afternoon for check-in and relaxation.
Stay Kipepeo Beach Hotel / Azura Boutique Hotel / Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 20 — Back home
Transfer to Julius Nyerere International Airport for the scheduled departure.
Meals Breakfast
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
- Ngorongoro crater service fee
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.
Related journeys
Every route here can be changed
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