8 days 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.
Wildlife & Hiking
Bush to Beach — Nine Days
The full southern arc — floodplain, miombo, rainforest — then out to Saadani where the game park runs down to the Indian Ocean.
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At a glance
- Destinations
- Mikumi · Ruaha · Udzungwa · Saadani · Bagamoyo
- Best for
- Wildlife safari, Hiking, Beach & marine, 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 generally works well for Ruaha and Mikumi drives, Udzungwa walking and the Saadani coast. Forest paths can still be wet; rain and river conditions may change boat activities, so check each part of the route.
- Start and end
- Starts and ends in Dar es Salaam
Why this journey
- Four parks and one historic coastal town
- Two days at Ruaha with a walking safari
- The Sanje falls in Udzungwa
- A boat safari on the Wami and beach time at Saadani
- Bagamoyo on the final day, on the way back into Dar
Day by day
Nine days that end where no other safari does: Saadani is the one national park on the East African coast, and elephants really do cross the beach there. Bagamoyo, the old caravan and slaving port, is the last stop before Dar.
Day 1 — Dar es Salaam to Mikumi National Park
Pickup at an agreed Dar es Salaam location, lunch in Morogoro town, arrival at Mikumi around 2 p.m., then a sunset game drive. The park hosts elephants, lions, wild dogs, zebras, hyenas, buffalo, wildebeest, eland, hartebeest, crocodiles and lizards, with over 300 bird species documented.
Stay Vuma Hill Tented Camp / Camp Bastian / Tanapa Bandas Meals Lunch & Dinner
Day 2 — Mikumi to Ruaha National Park
An early morning game drive precedes breakfast at the lodge. Then travel to Iringa Town to visit the Isimila Stone Age Museum before continuing to Ruaha.
Stay Ikuka Luxury Tented Camp / Ruaha Hilltop Lodge / Tanapa Bandas Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3 — Full day game drive at Ruaha
A sunrise game drive in the morning, with breakfast on return. The afternoon brings further game viewing in one of Tanzania's largest and most unspoiled parks.
Stay Ikuka Safari Camp / Ruaha River Lodge / Tanapa Bandas Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4 — Wilderness walking safari and game drive at Ruaha
After breakfast, a guided walk with an armed ranger to observe animals, plants and river features for photography. Lunch and relaxation at the hotel, then an evening sunset game drive. The Great Ruaha River holds significant hippo and crocodile populations and attracts lions, leopards, hunting dogs, waterbuck, impala, giraffe, warthog, eland, zebra and elephants; Grant's gazelle, ostriches and cheetahs may appear on the plains.
Stay Ikuka Safari Camp / Ruaha River Lodge / Tanapa Bandas Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 5 — Ruaha to Udzungwa National Park
After breakfast, drive to Udzungwa, arriving late afternoon. A visit to Prince Bernard Waterfall and the village market is possible if time permits.
Stay Udzungwa Falls Lodge / Hondo Hondo Tented Camp / Twiga Hotel Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 6 — Udzungwa to Morogoro Town
Breakfast, then a full-day trek through the Udzungwa Mountains with a packed lunch, traversing the Prince Bernard and Sanje waterfalls. Picnic lunch in the bush; the trek features endemic red colobus monkeys and scenic views, with lunch at the Sanje Viewpoint before the descent and transfer.
Stay Nashera Hotel / New Morogoro Hotel / Arc Hotel Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 7 — Morogoro to Saadani National Park
After breakfast, travel to Saadani. Morning and afternoon activities include a game drive and a foot-walking safari, tracking giraffes through the bush before reaching a beach.
Stay Saadani Safari Lodge / The Vagabond Lodge / Tanapa Bandas or campsite Meals Breakfast & Lunch
Day 8 — Full day at Saadani National Park
After breakfast, a boat excursion on the Wami River, described as probably the best boat safari in Tanzania. The river safari passes flamingo flocks at the estuary mouth before entering the river with abundant wildlife and birdlife. An afternoon return allows leisure and sunbathing on the Indian Ocean beach.
Stay Saadani Safari Lodge / The Vagabond Lodge / Tanapa Bandas or campsite Meals Breakfast & Lunch
Day 9 — Saadani to Bagamoyo and Dar es Salaam
After breakfast, transfer to Saadani Village for a short cultural tour, then on to Bagamoyo for a historical tour of Tanzania's oldest coastal city-state, covering the historic slave marketplace, the Kaole Ruins, the old port and the first East African church. A final drive returns to Dar es Salaam.
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.
Related journeys
Every route here can be changed
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