8-Day Flying safari in Southern Tanzania visiting Nyerere & Ruaha National Park

This day you will make your way to Dar es Salaam International Airport (transfers can be arranged), where you will catch a flight from Dar es Salaam and head south to the Selous Game Reserve. On arrival at the Mtemere Airstrip ( or other depending on where you are staying), you will be received and welcomed by one of our guides who will transfer you in a nice 4×4 safari jeep to your accommodation for a hot lunch and some rest at your lodge or camp.

In the afternoon you will have a boat ride on River Rufiji as a way of relaxing and having an introduction to this great wildlife habitat. You will encounter some hippos, crocodiles, and various birds during this ride.

You will later return to your accommodation, relax by the campfire, have dinner, and spend the night there.

During the next two days, (Day 2 and Day 3) you will explore the vast Selous Game Reserve in a four-wheel drive safari vehicle (either with a pop-up roof or open on the sides).

Selous also known as the Nyerere National Park covers an area of 30893 square kilometers, which is almost twice the size of the renowned Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania. This is what has been gazetted as the Nyerere National Park and is now under the management of Tanzania National Park (TANAPA), which is now separated from the few hunting blocks that remain around Selous.

In 1982, the Selous was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its vast size and almost pristine wilderness. It’s believed that the Selous is among the largest untouched wilderness on the African continent, and it’s comprised of large plains, forests, rivers, and lakes all of which serve as wildlife habitats.

During the game drives, you will explore all these habitats as you search for Africa’s Big Five animals and the other different wild animals that live here among which are: lions, zebras, elands, impalas, buffalos, bushbucks, elephants, oryxs, crocodiles, waterbucks, hippos, sable antelopes, klipspringers, pukus, duikers, giraffes, greater kudus, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, as well as the occasional leopards and spotted hyenas, not forgetting the largest thriving population of the endangered wild dogs. Rhinos, on the other hand, can only be seen within the southern part of the game reserve. Your driver/guide will be able to stop whenever you want to take photographs so don’t leave your camera behind.

Those of you enthusiastic about bird watching, well the Selous will not disappoint you at all. There are very many bird species found here some living within the forest, the river banks as well as in the swampy areas.

In the evenings at the end of your day’s adventure across the Selous, you will head back to the lodge and have a revitalizing dip in the swimming pool and sundowners near River Rufiji.

Today will be the final morning within the Selous on your 8-day safari in Southern Tanzania. After your breakfast, you will be taken to the nearest airstrip where you will catch a direct flight to Ruaha National Park.

On landing in Ruaha, you will be met by the camp/lodge guide who will drive you to your accommodation. He will brief you on how you are going to spend your days in Ruaha and give you the highlight of your forthcoming adventure in the Ruaha National Park. You will check into your accommodation and have lunch and some rest before heading out for an afternoon safari game drive until later in the evening when you will check back in for dinner and overnight.

The Ruaha National Park is a less popular and hidden safari destination within Southern Tanzania with a rich diversity of flora and fauna. You will get a more secluded safari experience compared to that in the more tourist-crowded parks in northern Tanzania. Some of the animals you will see include herds of elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, wildebeests, various antelopes, and maybe some lions.

Over the next three days, you will spend time exploring this well-kept natural wildlife habitat as you search for different wild animals and birds and learn more about the flora. There are full-day game drives with a picnic lunch in between or half-day game drives with a few hour’s break to return to your accommodation to freshen up and have a nice hot lunch before setting out for the afternoon game drives if you wish.

There are also a number of optional activities such as night game drives and the exciting and very rewarding hot air balloon safaris which will cost you an extra bucks (not included in this safari cost).

Special about Ruaha National Park is that it has one of the largest buffalo and elephant populations in East Africa and an outstandingly big number of predators within its boundaries. It’s alleged that the second largest population of lions in the world is found in Ruaha. A large number of Cheetahs, leopards, and the endangered African Wild dogs are also found within this park. So believe me not there is a lot to see within Ruaha a reason why we have dedicated all these days to game viewing and photography.

Birders, well get ready to be impressed as Ruaha has a record of more than 570 different bird species so you can never fail to identify quite a number of them during your adventure drives. Because the park is seated within the transitional zone where the southern and eastern ecosystems overlap, it supports a remarkably diverse blend of habitats that support very big numbers of bird, animal, and plant species.

Because the park is less visited, chances are that you complete your stay here without encountering any other tourists a thing that will give you a totally private safari experience.

This is the final day of our 8-day safari. You will wake up very early in the morning have a nice breakfast, and then head out for one last game drive in Ruaha National Park on your way as you are transferred to the airstrip where you will catch a flight heading directly to Dar es Salaam. This will end our 8-day Safari to Selous and Ruaha National Park. 

End of the 8-day Southern Tanzania flying safari.