1 day Nyerere in a Day
Four hours out, a full day of game viewing, four hours back. Long in the vehicle, but it puts you inside Tanzania’s largest park without an overnight.
Wildlife
Nyerere from Zanzibar — Fly-In
Off the island by light aircraft, a game drive and a boat safari on the Rufiji, one night in the bush, and back to the beach by the second afternoon.
Opens your browser’s print dialog. Choose “Save as PDF” to keep a copy.
At a glance
- Destinations
- Nyerere National Park · Rufiji River
- Best for
- Wildlife safari
- Travel style
- Mid-range · Fly-in, Ferry/boat
- Activity level
- Easy — most of the day is spent in a vehicle or on a boat
- Best time to travel
- June to October generally gives drier Nyerere game drives after the flight from Zanzibar. Flying avoids the road transfer, but camp access and the Rufiji boat safari still depend on rain and river conditions.
- Start and end
- Flies from Zanzibar, returns the same day two
Why this journey
- Return flights from Zanzibar over the delta
- A boat safari on the Rufiji on the first afternoon
- A walking safari with an armed ranger on the second morning
- One night, so a beach holiday loses two days rather than five
- Tanzania’s largest national park
Day by day
The flight makes this possible: Nyerere is a full day away from Zanzibar by road and ferry, and about an hour by air. One night is enough for a drive, a river safari and a walk.
Day 1 — Zanzibar to Nyerere National Park: game drive and river boat safari
Early morning pickup from your Zanzibar location to the airport for the 07:00 flight. On arrival at Mtemere Airstrip at 08:15, your driver-guide provides a briefing and packed breakfast. A full-day game drive follows, spotting buffalo, hippopotamus, African wild dogs, lions, eland, bushbuck, giraffe, impala, baboon, zebra, crocodiles, greater kudu, and possibly the elusive Sable antelope. A packed lunch is provided during exploration until sunset, then return to the lodge for dinner.
Stay Rufiji River Camp Meals Lunch & Dinner
Day 2 — Wilderness walking and Maasai visit, return to Zanzibar
Begin with a sunrise riverboat safari at 06:00 along the Rufiji River, observing hippos and crocodiles. After breakfast at the lodge, visit a Maasai boma for cultural education and traditional dance. After lunch and relaxation, depart at 15:00 for Mtemere Airstrip, boarding the 16:10 return flight to Zanzibar, arriving 17:35 for the hotel transfer.
Meals Breakfast & Lunch
Stay and travel
Comfortable mid-range lodges and tented camps, inside the parks wherever the route allows.
Light aircraft on the routed sectors, with a road vehicle and guide waiting at each strip.
Camps fill and light aircraft schedules move. Where something changes 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
- Luggage on light aircraft
- Bush flights cap baggage at around 15 kg in a soft bag. Anything else can wait at your first hotel.
- 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
1 day 2 days Nyerere in Two Days — Budget
One night in the largest park in Tanzania: a game drive on arrival, a boat on the Rufiji at first light, and back to Dar by evening.
Wildlife
3 days Nyerere in Three Days — Budget
The cheapest way to get onto the Rufiji. Boat on the first afternoon, a full day driving, and a walking safari before the road back to Dar.
Wildlife
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.