Our insider tip for everyone who wants to experience a private (2 persons) and first-class safari away from the tourist crowds. You will experience the little-visited, wild and rough Ruaha National Park with its spectacular landscape and extraordinary and unique wild animal populations, which is one of the most beautiful and largest national parks in all of East Africa and is constantly growing in popularity. At the end of your safari you fly from Ruaha National Park back to Dar es Salaam.
You will visit the relatively unknown and mostly underestimated Mikumi National Park with its tree and grass savannah, home to a large number of wildlife and known for its large herds of buffalo and elephant. It is also known as the "little Serengeti of the South" because of its high animal population.
We visit the district capital Iringa "the gateway to the Ruaha National Park" and will experience the impressive Isamila Gorge with its heavily eroded sandstone pillars over 15 meters high (Isimila Stone Age Site) and its historical and spectacular Stone Age finds and visit the associated museum on a hike.
You will also experience the pulsating and typically African metropolis of Dar es Salaam with its lively life and its numerous sights.
Individual arrival at Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) named after the first President of the independent Republic of Tanzania in the vibrant and typically African metropolis of Dar es Salaam with its lively life. After completing the customs and immigration formalities, you will be welcomed by your personal guide (driver Malley Simon Gwandu/english speaking) with refreshments at the airport in Dar es Salaam.
This is followed by the transfer (20km) to the elegant and modern Sea Cliff Hotel 5-star luxury hotel, which takes about 35 minutes, depending on traffic. The comfortable Sea Cliff Hotel with its excellent location on the northern tip directly on the cliffs of the Msasani Peninsula offers fantastic views over the Indian Ocean.
The afternoon is at your leisure and you have time to recover from the long journey. Explore the beautiful hotel and lively surroundings. Adjacent to the hotel is the Sea Cliff Village, popular for entertainment and shopping in Dar es Salaam. There is a large selection of shops, supermarkets, ATMs, exchange offices, pharmacies, restaurants and an on-site casino. (Optional: Excursions to Alt Boma, Kariakoo Market, Nafasi Art Space (art scene with its Tinga Tinga paintings), Museum and House of Culture, Oyster Bay (beach).
Relax by the beautiful swimming pool and garden with stunning views of the Indian Ocean and watch the container ships leaving Dar es Salaam from the port. Meals (breakfast next day) and overnight at Sea Cliff Hotel ***** (luxury 5 stars) in Dar es Salaam
Metropolis Dar es Salaam
View of the ships from the hotel poolAfter breakfast in the open restaurant Karambezi at the Sea Cliff Hotel, the first highlight of your safari tour awaits you. We leave lively Dar es Salaam and drive (approx. 4h-5h) on the well-developed T1 road to the Mikumi National Park in Tanzania which is around 315 kilometers southwest from Dar es Salaam where we will spend two nights.
On the varied drive through the city of Chalinze, we will make a stopover with our packed lunch in the beautiful district capital of Morogoro, which lies picturesquely at the foot of the Uluguru Mountains. We will probably reach the park entrance (Mikumi Gate) around 2:00 p.m., where we will already have our first game drives in the afternoon will do.
The relatively unknown and mostly underestimated Mikumi National Park with its tree and grass savannah is home to a large number of wildlife and is known for its large herds of buffalo and high population of elephant. Giraffes, baboons, wildebeest, waterbuck, bushbuck and reedbuck, zebra, eland, sable antelope, impala, python, hyena, warthog (pumba), jackal, monkey, mongoose, bustard, lion and leopard are often found here. We watch the hippos on the Mkata River and Nile monitor lizards. The Africa explorers like Speke, Dr. Livingstone and Grant were fascinated by the breathtaking beauty of Mikumi National Park during their search for the sources of the Nile when crossing.
An evening game drive is accompanied by dramatic sunsets that let the bush landscape shine in atmospheric colors. In the evening we drive back to the stylish Vuma Hills Tented Camp and enjoy a 3 course meal served by the camp's attentive and friendly staff and you can spot galagos (bush babies) and porcupines from the terrace. Meals (B, LB, D = FB) and accommodation at Vuma Hills Tented Camp
Drive to Mikumi on the Tan Zam Highway
Thomson gazelles, baboons, marabou, zebras at a glanceAfter breakfast we will spend the whole day on safari in Mikumi National Park. The park entrance is not far from Vuma Hills Tented Camp. Mikumi National Park is the fourth largest national park in Tanzania and was established in 1964. The Mikumi National Park is also known as the "small Serengeti of the South" due to its high animal population and gives a good impression of the African wildlife of Tanzania.
Occasional sightings of the rare African wild dog are even possible. We will have lunch under an imposing baobab tree and enjoy the breathtaking scenery and its abundant wildlife. In the afternoon, after an exciting safari in the impressive Mikumi National Park, there is the opportunity to rest and relax at the camp's beautiful pool. Meals (B, LB, D = FB) and accommodation at Vuma Hills Tented Camp
Lions in Mikumi National Park
Giraffes in Mikumi National ParkToday we drive 200 km (approx. 3h 30min) via the Tan Zam Highway, where further wildlife viewing is possible in the Mikumi National Park, which divides the park into two halves, further to the picturesque and quiet district capital of Iringa with its pleasant and cool climate.
Iringa is centrally located in Tanzania on a rocky plateau and is surrounded by tobacco and corn fields. Iringa is the gateway to Ruaha National Park, little visited by tourists, which is one of the largest national parks in Tanzania with its spectacular scenery and extraordinary and unique wildlife populations.
In the afternoon we will do a short hiking activity (1.5h) to visit the historic and spectacular Stone Age finds of Isamila with its heavily eroded 15 meter high sandstone pillars (Isimila Stone Age Site) and its beautiful gorge and adjacent museum. The Isamila Stone Age site is a miniature version of Bryce Canyon in Utah (USA).
Optional excursions are available to visit the Igeleke Rock Painting, which is very similar to the Kondoa rock painting and is only 7 km from Iringa are reachable. Also very impressive is the north-eastern Gangilonga rock, the "speaking stone" on which the chief Mkwawa meditated and received visions and advice from the Gangilonga rock and learned there that the German protection troops were looking for him. The name "Gangilonga" means "stone speeches" in the language of the Hehe. In the evening we return to our hotel in Iringa for dinner and let the evening end comfortably. Meals (B, LB, D = FB) and accommodation at Mount Royal Villa Hotel at Iringa
Wildlife in Mikumi National Park
Isimila Stone Age SiteAfter breakfast at 9:00 a.m. we drive about 130 km (2h 30min) to our next highlight of your safari tour and visit one of the most beautiful national parks in Tanzania, the "Ruaha National Park".
Ruaha National Park is the largest national park of Tanzania in the entire area of ??East Africa and is steadily growing in popularity. Ruaha National Park far surpasses Serengeti National Park in incorporating the adjacent buffer zone of Usangu, Kizigo, Muhesi and Rungwa Game Reserves. The exceptional Ruaha National Park with its biodiversity allows the few visitors a private safari experience in the rugged beauty of the park, which can be visited all year round.
After reaching the park entrance (Msembe Gate) of Ruaha National Park we start our game drives en route to the tasteful Ruaha River Lodge with its exceptional location with its own veranda directly on the Great Ruaha River with views of elephants, hippos and crocodiles. After lunch at Ruaha River Lodge we will continue to explore Ruaha National Park on a game drive and return to the lodge for dinner. Meals (B, L, D = FB) and accommodation at Ruaha River Lodge
Entrance to Ruaha National Park
Greater kudu in Ruaha National ParkToday the whole day is available for extensive game drives in the Ruaha National Park. In the early morning there is also the possibility (optional) to go on a walking safari (bush safari) and for all anglers to go hunting for tiger fish in the Ruaha River. These optional activities are guided and accompanied by a trained ranger.
The fault zone of the Ruaha Rift Valley runs straight through the park, dividing the Ruaha National Park into two parts. Be amazed by the dramatic landscape of miombo forests and tree savannas with the majestic ancient baobab trees.
The heart of the Ruaha National Park in the center of Tanzania is the Great Ruaha River, where wild animals are concentrated in the dry season and sensational animal observations are possible. Ruaha National Park is known for large herds of elephants and for its population of the impressive greater and lesser kudu antelope, unique in East Africa.
Other special features of the Ruaha National Park are the packs of wild dogs, sable and roan antelopes, cape buffalo, lions and leopards that can be found here and one of the most species-rich bird life.
We will have lunch at the lodge in the beautiful restaurant that has been spectacularly built into a large kopjes (granite rock) and offers a breathtaking view of the Great Ruaha River from the terrace. Followed by more game drives in the wild Ruaha National Park in the afternoon. Meals (B, L, D = FB) and accommodation at Ruaha River Lodge
In the kingdom of the lions in Ruaha National Park
Very rare giraffe gazelle (gerenuk) in Ruaha National ParkThis morning we will further explore the Ruaha National Park with its extensive ecosystem of 40,000 km² on game drives with its extraordinary wildlife and drive to the most impressive point of the Ruaha River where a large number of hippos and crocodiles stay and admire the Nyamakuyu rapids at a bridge.
We return to Ruaha River Lodge for lunch and the afternoon is at leisure or further game drives. Enjoy your accommodation and watch numerous animal and bird species that come to the river to drink from your veranda directly over the Ruaha River and enjoy the breathtaking sunset on the Ruaha River one of the largest rivers in Tanzania with a cool drink. Meals (B, L, D = FB) and accommodation at Ruaha River Lodge
Optional: On day 7 there is the possibility to go on a balloon safari (US$ 599 per person) in the Ruaha National Park, followed by a champagne breakfast in the open savannah. An impressive and unforgettable adventure to experience the beautiful scenery of Ruaha National Park from a bird's eye view.
Great Ruaha River
Lesser kudu with Thomson gazellesAfter breakfast we take you later in the day to Msembe Airstrip for your flight (approx. 2h 30min) from Ruaha National Park back to Dar es Salaam.
Your personal driver and representative of Ndoto Safari awaits you in Dar es Salaam with refreshments for the transfer to the 5-star luxury hotel "The Kilimanjaro", which takes about 35 minutes, depending on traffic. The hotel is the premier address and landmark of Dar es Salaam. You spend the night in the historic luxury hotel where some famous actors and pop stars as well as important people from politics and society have already moved into their quarters.
The afternoon is at your leisure and you have time to rest and absorb the last impressions of the African atmosphere. Explore the beautiful hotel and the lively surroundings with the nearby Askari monument and relax at the beautiful infinity pool with a fantastic view over the bay with its port of Dar es Salaam and the Indian Ocean. Meals (Breakfast at Ruaha River Lodge) and accommodation at Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam “The Kilimanjaro” ***** (5 star luxury) in Dar es Salaam
Msembe Airstrip for flight to Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam by night from The Kilimanjaro HotelAfter breakfast, unfortunately, it is time to say goodbye to beautiful Tanzania. Since this is the last day of your unique safari tour in beautiful Tanzania after your culture and wildlife safari, we will accompany you to Julius Nyerere International Airport for your onward flight home or for your individual safari extension or bathing in Zanzibar with unforgettable impressions and countless stories in luggage. Meals (B)
Sunset on the great Ruaha River in Ruaha National ParkOur tip: After your exciting trip, extend it with one of our fantastic Tanzania safari round trips or short safaris. Experience the Northern National Parks with the world famous Serengeti, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Arusha National Park and the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater. If you want to explore fascinating Tanzania actively and intensively outside of the classic routes, we recommend hiking to the beautiful Matertuni waterfalls or a day hike through fairytale tropical ancient mountain rainforest with clear streams on the first section on the way to the top of Kilimanjaro. Experience the wildly romantic Mkomazi National Park with its incomparably beautiful and dramatic landscape with an almost private safari experience with guaranteed encounters with the rare wild dogs and the black rhino. Visit the chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park on picturesque Lake Tanganyika, the extraordinary rock paintings of Kondoa or spend time on the unique Lake Victoria. Relax with a swim on the secluded, fine sandy beaches of Ushongo Beach in Pangani or Bagamoyo. We are happy to help with desired safari extensions and with the selection of accommodation.
Our individual and personal travel planning is a non-binding offer and is based on our contractual conditions. We refer to the relevant passages in our contract terms for the statutory limitation period for the assertion of claims, the statute of limitations for claims and other obligations to avoid loss of claims. We reserve the right to adjust the trip to equivalent hotels/lodges/camps etc. due to local changes.
