Southern Tanzania’s
Dry Season Safari
A 7-night tour of the Southern Tanzania circuit exploring lesser visited Selous & Ruaha with superlative wildlife viewing, small bushcamps, walking & fly-camps
- 7 Nights
- June – October
- Tanzania
- £7,230 PP
- Luxury
Trip Overview
Ruaha in the dry season offers some of the best wildlife viewing in Tanzania while the Selous wilderness is a total contrast. This is an ideal itinerary for for families who want to experience a sense of wild Africa with a bit of comfort along the way.
Not only is Southern Tanzania visited by a fraction of the people who travel to the better known parks in the north, it’s also somewhere that bristles with action, particularly between June and October.
Ruaha and Selous combine to provide great contrast and a wonderful experience of wild Africa. Amazingly, these parks still manage to remain somewhat off the main tourist trail today – particularly if you aim for the early season – partly because their riches don’t necessarily reveal themselves all on day one. But to those willing to slow down and look, a safari to this part of the world has a charm all of its own.
Devote more than a flying visit to Southern Tanzania and you cannot fail to be smitten by both Ruaha and Selous.
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- Epic wildlife
- Off the beaten track with a hint of luxury
- Expert guides and wild parks
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Ruaha National Park
In Ruaha’s dry season, massive herds of buffalo graze the flood plains of the Ruaha and Mwagusi Rivers, drinking en-masse in the river beds in the mornings and evenings. At these moments interactions between the buffalo and Ruaha’s very large prides of lion are common. The two enemies are rarely far from each other and marauding attacks (successful or otherwise) are a regular feature of this park.
The river lines and rocky terrain in Ruaha provide exceptional cover for it’s leopard population and the park has deservedly built a reputation as one of the best places to see this illusive predator.
Elephant are a major feature, with large breeding herds gathering in the sand rivers to dig for water during the dry season, while groups of bulls feed their way from Tamarind to Acacia hoovering up nutricious seed pods during the heat of the day. They’re also a regular feature in many of the camps; waking to find a bull elephant gently feeding a few feet from your window makes for a truly unforgettable (if slightly sleepless) night.
Ruaha also has good cheetah and wild dog as well as a good number of the more unusual species if you’re really lucky, such as aardwolf (small bushy hyena-type creature) zorilla and caracal, all of which are present, if rare.
Accommodation
With just six tents, one of which is for families, strung along a generally dry river bed, Kigelia is a classic safari camp, built of canvas and thatch and designed to immerse you deep in to the wilderness.
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Parks & Areas
Selous Game Reserve
Selous is a contrast with Ruaha in almost every way – dominated by the Rufiji River, its tributaries and oxbow lakes, it has a palpably wild feeling and offers not only excellent mammal and bird viewing, but also the chance to walk, boat and fly-camp as well as game driving.
This is Africa’s largest game reserve has a palpable sense of wilderness. It’s home to – and shaped by – the continents largest mammals; elephant and hippo in particular while it’s rivers and lakes team with crocodiles and myriad birdlife.
Accommodation
Open air rooms at Sand Rivers provide a spectacular perspective on the river. Hippo wallow below your room, their honks and laughter a constant backdrop to your stay here. In the morning you’ll wake to the sounds of bulbuls, kingfishers and weavers.
Sand Rivers Selous is a first-class small safari lodge offering top quality safaris by vehicle, foot and boat well away from the crowds.
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Parks & Areas
Much of the attraction of the Selous is its wonderful secret pockets, many of which are best reached on foot. Walk silently with your armed guide along paths swept by the feet of elephant and hippo to emerge in magical openings to find animals quietly feeding. The terrain in the Selous changes quickly in a short distance, which makes for ideal country to explore on foot or using a combination of drives, walks and boat safaris.
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