Southern Expedition
12-day Sample Itinerary
The parks and reserves in Southern Tanzania are for the intrepid traveler seeking a remote wilderness with plenty of game and very few other safari-goers. This itinerary features a wide variety of activities from boating on the rivers, walking safaris and game drives, to fly camping, birding and fishing. Bring your sense of adventure on this journey!
This itinerary can be custom-tailored for you.
Day 1 Dar es Salaam
Day 2 Mikumi National Park
Day 5 Ruaha National Park
Day 8 Selous Game Reserve
Day 12 Begin your journey home
Southern Expedition Itinerary
Day 1 Dar es Salaam
You will be met when you arrive in Dar es Salaam and transferred to a nearby hotel. Get a good night's sleep and dream of the adventures that await you.
1 Night in Dar es Salaam
Day 2 Mikumi National Park
This morning you will depart from Dar es Salaam domestic terminal for Mikumi National Park. Someone will be there to meet you on arrive and transfer you to camp. After lunch you can settle in and later set out on your first game drive.
3 Nights in Mikumi Options include: Foxes Safari Camp or Vuma Hills
Mikumi sits just north of the Selous Game Reserve and is the fourth largest National Park in Tanzania. It is protected by an arc of mountains on all sides. The open horizons and abundant wildlife of the Mkata Floodplain, the popular centerpiece of Mikumi, draw frequent comparisons to the more famous Serengeti Plains.
Day 3
You can choose to go out for the day with a picnic lunch to enjoy out in the bush. Or you can opt for a morning game drive and come back for lunch in camp. Later you can enjoy the swimming pool and relax before heading out again for another game drive in the later afternoon.
Day 4
After breakfast you will set out on a full-day excursion to Udzungwa Mountains National Park, one of 34 “World Biodiversity Hotspots.” There are plant and animal species here that are found nowhere else in the world. The drive to the park takes 90 minutes. Once there you will do a four-hour, slow trek, giving you a chance to see the Sange crested mangabey monkey, the Iringa red colobus monkey, as well as birds endemic to the Udzungwas. You will return to Mikumi National Park in time for sundowners.
Day 5 Ruaha National Park
This morning you will depart with a picnic lunch on a game drive which will end at the airstrip where you will catch the flight to Ruaha National Park. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to the Ruaha River Lodge. Later this afternoon you will begin exploring this new area.
3 Nights at Ruaha River Lodge
Ruaha offers a full range of predators such as lion, cheetah, hyena, leopard, jackal, and Africa wild dog. It also holds a special position in the transvergence zone between northern and southern hemispheres where species (bird migrants, mammal species, and plant species) from both overlap. It is the southern most point for some typical nykia plants such as evergreen and thorny shrubs and some perennial grasses. The varied topography also results in a correspondingly varied diversity of species so that there are 1,600 plant species compared to 600 in the Serengeti and now over 500 bird species which approximates to half that are found in the entire country
Days 6 & 7
Ruaha has a wealth of different habitats to explore, from grassy plains, escarpment woodlands and rocky kopjes. Hippo pools and an abundance of bird life make for many alternative game drives. Alternatively you can take a guided walk (supplement) along the river with a lift back once you reach your destination.
Day 8 Selous Game Reserve 
Enjoy your last morning in Ruaha before heading to the airstrip for your flight to the Selous Game Reserve. The plane swoops over the Rufiji River on its approach to landing, a dramatic arrival to the World Heritage Site and one of the largest Conservation areas in Africa. You will be met upon arrival and transferred by road to camp.
4 Nights in the Selous Game Reserve Options include: Rufiji River Camp, Sand Rivers, Kiba Point
Selous is the world's largest game reserve covering a huge area measuring more than 21,000 square-miles with most of it untouched by human activities. The reserve is bisected by the Rufiji River, a sprawling waterway with a myriad of channels that make for exciting boating safaris. You will find large numbers of buffalo, lion, elephant and a healthy population of African wild dogs. This is also a birder's paradise boasting 440 species of birds, including 2 rare species – the Pel’s Fishing Owl and the White-Backed Heron, which habituate the wooded sections of the river.
Days 9 & 10 & 11
The main feature of Selous is the sprawling river system with linked lakes and channels. Choose between walking, boating or vehicle safaris. Selous is the only location in Tanzania where boating safaris are possible and they are an exciting alternative to the vehicle.
Day 12
Later today you will be taken to the airstrip for your flight back to Dar es Salaam where you will connect with onward flight.
Contact Duffle & Compass to custom-tailor this itinerary for you.
