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6 Days · Tanzania Safari

6 Days Mikumi, Nyerere, and Udzungwa Safari

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From $1930 PP
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Tour Overview

This six-day safari in southern Tanzania combines classic savannah wildlife, river ecosystems, and tropical rainforest exploration in one seamless journey from Dar es Salaam.

You begin in Mikumi National Park, often called the smaller Serengeti for its open plains and excellent lion and elephant sightings. From there, the landscape shifts dramatically into the Udzungwa Mountains, a biodiversity hotspot known for waterfalls, endemic primates, and lush forest trails.

The journey concludes in Nyerere National Park, Africa’s largest protected wildlife area, where boat safaris along the Rufiji River and vast, untouched wilderness create a more remote and exclusive safari atmosphere. This itinerary offers game drives, walking experiences, and river exploration.

Route Summary

Mikumi • Udzungwa Mountains • Nyerere National Park

Day 1: Dar es Salaam → Mikumi National Park (afternoon game drive)
Day 2: Full day safari in Mikumi → transfer toward Udzungwa
Day 3: Udzungwa Mountains hike → transfer to Nyerere
Day 4: Nyerere National Park (game drive + boat safari)
Day 5: Full day safari in Nyerere (optional walking safari)
Day 6: Return to Dar es Salaam → departure

Highlights

  • Duration
  • Tour Price
US $1930
  • Best Time
,
  • Group Size

Safari Itinerary

1 DAY

Day 1 - Dar Es Salaam to Mikumi National Park

Destination

MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK

Mikumi lies within the greater Selous ecosystem and forms part of the ancient Miombo woodland belt. Its defining feature is the Mkata Floodplain, an open savannah landscape often compared to a miniature Serengeti due to its visibility and predator-prey interactions.

Elephants move between woodland and plains, giraffes browse along acacia clusters, and lion prides patrol the floodplain. Mikumi is also known for its high population of eland — Africa’s largest antelope — rarely seen in many other parks.

Day 1 - Dar Es Salaam to Mikumi National Park

Day Activity

After a 5–6 hour drive via the Morogoro corridor, you enter the park for an afternoon game drive. Wildlife often gathers near water sources in late afternoon, increasing the chance of active sightings.

Expected Sightings
• Elephant herds
• Buffalo
• Zebra and wildebeest
• Lion and possibly leopard
• Hippos in water pools

Accommodation: Camp Bastian Mikumi

Meals: FB

2 DAY

Day 2: Mikumi to Udzungwa Mountain National Park

Destination

Udzungwa forms part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot. Unlike most Tanzanian parks, Udzungwa has no game drives — it is a forest and hiking ecosystem rich in endemic primates and plant species.

The contrast from dry savannah to tropical forest is dramatic and ecologically significant.

Day 2: Mikumi to Udzungwa Mountain National Park

Day Activity

DAY ACTIVITY

Early morning game drive in Mikumi when lions and hyenas are most active.

After late breakfast, depart for Udzungwa (approx. 2–3 hours drive) and spend afternoon at leisure near the forest edge.

Accommodation: Hondo Hondo Camp

Meals: FB

3 DAY

Day 3: Rainforest Trek in Udzungwa - Nyerere National Park

Destination

Udzungwa protects endemic primates such as the Sanje Mangabey and Iringa Red Colobus. It is also botanically unique, with species found nowhere else in Africa.

Day 3: Rainforest Trek in Udzungwa - Nyerere National Park

Day Activity

The morning begins at the forest gate with a professional park ranger and local guide leading the ascent toward Sanje Waterfalls, one of the highest cascades in Tanzania.

The trail winds gradually upward through mature rainforest canopy, where sunlight filters through towering trees and the forest floor carries the scent of damp earth and wild orchids. Along the route, guides identify endemic plant species and track signs of Udzungwa’s rare primates, including the Iringa red colobus and Sanje mangabey.

The hike unfolds in stages, revealing multiple waterfall tiers. The final viewpoint opens across the Kilombero Valley — a vast agricultural plain stretching toward distant mountain ridges. On clear days, the contrast between rainforest and savannah below becomes striking.

This is not a game drive day — it is an immersion into one of Africa’s oldest mountain ecosystems, experienced entirely on foot.

Accommodation: Selous Mapumziko Lodge

Meals: FB

4 DAY

Day 4 - Riverside Safari & Open Woodland Exploration in Nyerere National Park

Destination

Nyerere National Park forms the northern core of the historic Selous ecosystem and remains one of the largest protected wildlife areas in Africa. Covering over 30,000 square kilometres, it is defined less by open plains and more by a complex mosaic of river systems, floodplains, lakes, and miombo woodland.

At the heart of the park lies the Rufiji River, Tanzania’s largest river, which shapes the movement of wildlife across the landscape. Seasonal channels, oxbow lakes, and palm-lined lagoons create year-round water access, supporting large populations of elephant, buffalo, hippo, and crocodile.

Unlike the more open savannah parks, Nyerere offers a quieter, more dispersed safari experience where wildlife is encountered in woodland clearings, riverbanks, and natural corridors rather than in concentrated plains. The park is also known for sustaining one of East Africa’s significant populations of African wild dogs, alongside lion, leopard, and a strong diversity of birdlife linked to its aquatic habitats.

The combination of riverine ecosystem and expansive wilderness gives Nyerere a distinct character — one where both land and water shape the rhythm of safari movement.

Day 4 - Riverside Safari & Open Woodland Exploration in Nyerere National Park

Day Activity

Morning game drive through woodland and floodplain areas.

Afternoon boat safari on the Rufiji River — offering close observation of crocodiles, hippos, fish eagles, and riverbank wildlife.

Accommodation: Selous Mapumziko Lodge

Meals: FB

5 DAY

Day 5: Deep Wilderness Immersion at Nyerere National Park

Destination

Less-traveled areas reveal seasonal migration patterns, predator territories, and river corridors.

Day 5: Deep Wilderness Immersion at Nyerere National Park

Day Activity

Full-day game drive with picnic lunch.

Optional early walking safari with armed ranger (subject to park regulations).

Accommodation: Selous Mapumziko Lodge

Meals: FB

6 DAY

Day 6 - Nyerere National Park to Dar Es Salaam

Day 6 - Nyerere National Park to Dar Es Salaam

Day Activity

It is a great experience traveling by road in Tanzania

Meals: FB

Safari Itinerary

1 DAY

Day 1 - Dar Es Salaam to Mikumi National Park

Destination

MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK

Mikumi lies within the greater Selous ecosystem and forms part of the ancient Miombo woodland belt. Its defining feature is the Mkata Floodplain, an open savannah landscape often compared to a miniature Serengeti due to its visibility and predator-prey interactions.

Elephants move between woodland and plains, giraffes browse along acacia clusters, and lion prides patrol the floodplain. Mikumi is also known for its high population of eland — Africa’s largest antelope — rarely seen in many other parks.

Day 1 - Dar Es Salaam to Mikumi National Park

Day Activity

After a 5–6 hour drive via the Morogoro corridor, you enter the park for an afternoon game drive. Wildlife often gathers near water sources in late afternoon, increasing the chance of active sightings.

Expected Sightings
• Elephant herds
• Buffalo
• Zebra and wildebeest
• Lion and possibly leopard
• Hippos in water pools

Accommodation: Camp Bastian Mikumi
Meals: FB
2 DAY

Day 2: Mikumi to Udzungwa Mountain National Park

Destination

Udzungwa forms part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot. Unlike most Tanzanian parks, Udzungwa has no game drives — it is a forest and hiking ecosystem rich in endemic primates and plant species.

The contrast from dry savannah to tropical forest is dramatic and ecologically significant.

Day 2: Mikumi to Udzungwa Mountain National Park

Day Activity

DAY ACTIVITY

Early morning game drive in Mikumi when lions and hyenas are most active.

After late breakfast, depart for Udzungwa (approx. 2–3 hours drive) and spend afternoon at leisure near the forest edge.

Accommodation: Hondo Hondo Camp
Meals: FB
3 DAY

Day 3: Rainforest Trek in Udzungwa - Nyerere National Park

Destination

Udzungwa protects endemic primates such as the Sanje Mangabey and Iringa Red Colobus. It is also botanically unique, with species found nowhere else in Africa.

Day 3: Rainforest Trek in Udzungwa - Nyerere National Park

Day Activity

The morning begins at the forest gate with a professional park ranger and local guide leading the ascent toward Sanje Waterfalls, one of the highest cascades in Tanzania.

The trail winds gradually upward through mature rainforest canopy, where sunlight filters through towering trees and the forest floor carries the scent of damp earth and wild orchids. Along the route, guides identify endemic plant species and track signs of Udzungwa’s rare primates, including the Iringa red colobus and Sanje mangabey.

The hike unfolds in stages, revealing multiple waterfall tiers. The final viewpoint opens across the Kilombero Valley — a vast agricultural plain stretching toward distant mountain ridges. On clear days, the contrast between rainforest and savannah below becomes striking.

This is not a game drive day — it is an immersion into one of Africa’s oldest mountain ecosystems, experienced entirely on foot.

Accommodation: Selous Mapumziko Lodge
Meals: FB
4 DAY

Day 4 - Riverside Safari & Open Woodland Exploration in Nyerere National Park

Destination

Nyerere National Park forms the northern core of the historic Selous ecosystem and remains one of the largest protected wildlife areas in Africa. Covering over 30,000 square kilometres, it is defined less by open plains and more by a complex mosaic of river systems, floodplains, lakes, and miombo woodland.

At the heart of the park lies the Rufiji River, Tanzania’s largest river, which shapes the movement of wildlife across the landscape. Seasonal channels, oxbow lakes, and palm-lined lagoons create year-round water access, supporting large populations of elephant, buffalo, hippo, and crocodile.

Unlike the more open savannah parks, Nyerere offers a quieter, more dispersed safari experience where wildlife is encountered in woodland clearings, riverbanks, and natural corridors rather than in concentrated plains. The park is also known for sustaining one of East Africa’s significant populations of African wild dogs, alongside lion, leopard, and a strong diversity of birdlife linked to its aquatic habitats.

The combination of riverine ecosystem and expansive wilderness gives Nyerere a distinct character — one where both land and water shape the rhythm of safari movement.

Day 4 - Riverside Safari & Open Woodland Exploration in Nyerere National Park

Day Activity

Morning game drive through woodland and floodplain areas.

Afternoon boat safari on the Rufiji River — offering close observation of crocodiles, hippos, fish eagles, and riverbank wildlife.

Accommodation: Selous Mapumziko Lodge
Meals: FB
5 DAY

Day 5: Deep Wilderness Immersion at Nyerere National Park

Destination

Less-traveled areas reveal seasonal migration patterns, predator territories, and river corridors.

Day 5: Deep Wilderness Immersion at Nyerere National Park

Day Activity

Full-day game drive with picnic lunch.

Optional early walking safari with armed ranger (subject to park regulations).

Accommodation: Selous Mapumziko Lodge
Meals: FB
6 DAY

Day 6 - Nyerere National Park to Dar Es Salaam

Day 6 - Nyerere National Park to Dar Es Salaam

Day Activity

It is a great experience traveling by road in Tanzania

Meals: FB

Tour Cost

The prices below are shown per person and vary depending on the number of travellers and accommodation category selected. Each range reflects real operating costs, including park and conservation fees (with VAT and other applicable taxes), vehicle use, crater service fees, and accommodation in the chosen category.

 

Because lodge rates and availability can vary seasonally, we present a minimum–maximum range rather than a fixed number. As group size increases, shared costs are reduced, which lowers the overall price per traveller. Final quotations are confirmed based on exact travel dates and selected lodges.

Tour Cost Includes

  • All park and conservation entry fees (including applicable taxes)
  • Ngorongoro Crater service fee
  • Private safari vehicle with pop-up roof
  • Professional English-speaking driver-guide
  • Accommodation as indicated (based on selected category)
  • All meals during the safari (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
  • Bottled drinking water during game drives
  • All government taxes related to listed services

Tour Cost Includes

  • International flights
  • Travel insurance
  • Visa fees
  • Optional activities (balloon safari, cultural visits, etc.)
  • Personal expenses (laundry, souvenirs, tips)
  • Any services not specifically mentioned as included

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