8 days Safari Mikumi + Udzungwa + Ruaha

Upon arrival at Dar Es Salaam airport, you will meet your Tanzania Specialist guide. This will take you to your hotel and the rest of the day is at leisure, you can relax and enjoy the African atmosphere. Your personal and experienced Tanzania Specialist guide not only knows a lot about the Tanzanian culture, but can also tell you a lot about the beautiful national parks and sights of the country. So don’t be afraid to ask your Tanzania Specialist guide questions – he will be happy to answer them all.

This trip is an exclusive private safari so you can enjoy your trip to the fullest! You can decide for yourself when to leave in the morning and when to return in the evening. You can also observe a specific animal or herd for as long as you like during the safari. You don’t have to be considerate of anyone. Your personal guide will advise you during the safari so that your trip will be an unforgettable experience.

Tomorrow morning your safari will begin!

After breakfast your guide will pick you up at your hotel and you will drive to Mikumi national park. This is a 4 hours drive and upon arrival you will do your first game drive in the park.

Mikumi’s open horizons and abundant wildlife draws frequent comparisons to the more famous Serengeti Plains. The park has a great variety of animals and most visitors come to Mikumi national park aiming to spot the ‘Big Five’ – cheetah, lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino. The chance that you will encounter lions climbing up trees is greater here than in other parks!

Today you have the entire day to explore more of Mimumi national park on a full day game drive.

The Mkata Foodplain is a wide area in Mikumi National Park that is very good for wildlife viewing. Lions survey their grassy kingdom – and the zebra, wildebeest, impala and buffalo herds that migrate across it – from the flattened tops of termite mounds, or sometimes during the rains, from perches high in the trees. Giraffes forage in the isolated acacia stands that fringe the Mkata River, islets of shade favoured also by Mikumi’s elephants.

Mkata Foodplain is perhaps the most reliable place in Tanzania for sightings of the powerful eland, the world’s largest antelope. The equally impressive greater kudu and sable antelope haunt the miombo-covered foothills of the mountains that rise from Mikumi National Park’s borders.

Hippos live in a pair of mud pools and are one of the highlights. These are situated 5 km north of the main entrance gate. They are supported by an ever-changing cast of water-birds.

After breakfast you will have a short 1.5 hours car drive to Udzungwa national park. It has various habitats such as tropical rainforest, mountain and miombo forest, grassland and steppe. There are more than 400 species of birds, thousands species of plants and six species of monkeys – including the rare Iringa red colobus and the Sanje crested mangabey – to be found!

Besides bird and monkey watching, Udzungwa is a magnet for hikers. Udzungwa national park has no paved roads and is only accessible on foot. An excellent network of forest trails includes the popular half-day hike to the Sanje Waterfall, which tumbles 170 meters through a misty spray into the wooded valley below. It is one of the larger waterfalls in Tanzania and lays hidden from the rest of the world in dense rain forest.

During your hike through Udzungwa mountains you will see more variety of wildlife. They are home to many animals, including Abbott’s duiker, Kipunji and unusual animals such as the grey-faced sengi . Elephants are living in the forests along the southern escarpment.

On day 5 you will have a longer drive to drive to Ruaha national park. It is Tanzania’s second largest park and since it has a huge population of African elephants, chances are very good to spot large groups of them roaming around. It is probably home to more elephants than any other parks in East Africa!

Ruaha is also home to great mammals like kudu, sable and roan antelopes which cannot be found in any other national park. Other animals to spot include leopards, cheetahs, giraffes. Many zebras, elands, impala, bat eared foxes and jackals live in the park.

It has nearly 10% of Africa’s lion population and with a bit of luck, you may also see the endangered wild dogs in Ruaha national park!

Have your camera ready for some good pictures…

In the morning you can make another game drive, depending on your accommodation and flight schedule. Then your driver transfers you to the airstrip for your flight to Dar Es Salaam for your departure flight and on day 8 you will arrive back home.

You like to extend your safari to visit more national parks or with a beach holiday? Tanzania offers perfect paradises to unwind after your safari, such as Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia.