A 9 day safari to the more remote national parks in the southern circuit of Tanzania. Departing from Dar- es-Salaam. Parks to visit include Mikumi, Udzungwa, Selous and Ruaha.
Trip rating 7.0/10 from 1 trip review
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Overall operator rating 9.4/10 from 111 trip reviews
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This trip: Southern Tanzania Safari inc.Selous and Ruaha
Rating:
rating 7/10
Comment:
We had a fantastic trip to Southern Tanzania, however there were a couple of area's of concern. While initial email contact with the company was prompt and efficient, we felt that things slowed down once we had committed to the trip and paid the deposit (50%).
Upon arrival in Dar es Salaam we had not yet received our e-tickets for internal flights. Luckily we checked our email at the hotel as the e-tickets were emailed after we had already arrived in Tanzania. We had difficulty printing the tickets at the hotel business centre so emailed the company to ask them to fax the tickets to the hotel or have the driver bring them when picking us up the following morning. This did not happen and when we called the company we were told that our representative was on leave but was in Dar es Salaam so we should call her ourselves (on her cell phone).
We were supposed to be collected from our hotel at 9am, however at 9.30 our driver had not shown up. It seems he went to the wrong hotel. When he did arrive he did not speak English which made communication very difficult. While a pleasant young man, his driving became increasingly reckless as the trip progressed which was quite disconcerting - especially when we narrowly missed a head-on collision while passing another vehicle in a dangerous manner.
Despite the initial problems, the rest of the trip went off without a hitch and they delivered exactly what was promised in their itinerary. Each camp was very nice and met or exceeded our expectations.
The staff at all camps were exceptional and the game viewing was wonderful. I would highly recommend the Ruaha River Lodge.
Not only was the accommodation fantastic, elephants, hippo's, waterbuck and baboons all literally walk past the banda's on a regular basis. It also seemed that we could get closer to the animals at Ruaha National Park than the other parks we visited.
So while there were some hiccups with our trip, it was wonderful and the operator was certainly very competitive in terms of costs compared to some of the other safari companies.
The Southern Tanzania parks are definitely not as busy in terms of tourists compared to the Northern Parks which makes the experience feel more "real
Tour Operators Reply:
Thanks for your feedback,we are pleased that, despite a few problems, the clients enjoyed their safari.
We apologise for the initial problems for which we fully accept responsibility, we do hundreds of transfers each season and very rarely make such a mistake. We will make our best efforts to ensure that it does not occur in the future.
Itinerary
I T I N E R A R Y
Day 1: Fly to Dar es salaam Airport and transfer to the hotel for dinner and overnight
Day 2: Transfer from Dar es salaam to Mikumi by road for a game drive. Mikumi National Park is the closest National Park to Dar es Salaam and is nestled between the Uluguru Mountains to the northeast, and the Rubeho mountains, Udzungwa mountains and Rift Valley escarpment to the south west. As part of the Selous ecosystem, it benefits from the highest game density of the entire conservation area. Dinner and overnight at Vuma Hills tented Camp
Day 3: After breakfast drive to Udzungwa excursion area for full day game drive. Udzungwa landscape includes several small isolated mountain ranges. Each of these have a unique mixture of habitats and animal species and none more so that the Udzungwa Mountains National Park. Home to at least ten species of primate and several recently discovered species of bird, a rainforest trek here will be one you never forget. Lunch at Udzungwa. Returning to Vuma Hills at night
Day 4: Fly from Mikumi to Ruaha for the full day game drive. Ruaha National Park, remote with a dramatic topography of mountains, river and plains. It’s ragged beauty is only outmatched by the variety and density of wildlife and exotic birdlife. Dinner and overnight at Ruaha river Lodge.
Day 5: After breakfast continue with the game drive at Ruaha. Dinner and overnight at Ruaha River Lodge.
Day 6: After breakfast continue with the game drive at Ruaha. Dinner and overnight at Ruaha River Lodge.
Day 7: Fly from Ruaha to Selous game reserve for full day game drive. Selous is the largest game reserve in Africa - 4 times the size of the Serengeti. It possesses a diverse landscape from hot volcanic springs, sporadic lakes, channels from the Great Ruaha and Rufiji rivers. Walking is permitted (with an armed ranger) which with over 350 species of bird and 2,000 species of plants to see makes this the most heavenly sanctuary to explore. Also Selous is famous for its elephant, hippopotamus and rhino.
The park has a broad range of game: buffalo - the largest population in Africa; Nyasaland gnu; brindled gnu; hartebeest; Greater Kudu; sable antelope; eland; reedbuck; bushbuck; waterbuck; warthog; zebras; giraffe; and wildebeest. Also: lion, leopard, the spotted hyena and hunting dog are in abundance; cheetah are rare; there are over 350 species of bird and reptiles such as crocodiles and various snakes and lizards. Dinner and overnight at Rufiji River Camp
Day 8: After breakfast continue with the game drive with your packed lunch at Selous game reserve. Dinner and overnight at Rufiji River camp.
Day 9: After breakfast fly back to Dar to connect to your flight back home.
END OF TOUR
Price Includes: Park fees Transport and transfers in safari. Accommodation based on 3 meals a day Camping fees
Price Excludes: International flights, but we can arrange it on request. Cigarettes and tips And all not mentioned.
