11 DAYS, 10 NIGHTS – SELOUS GAME RESERVE, MOROGORO, UDZUNGWA MOUNTAINS, RUAHA & MIKUMI
DAY 1: DEPART TO SELOUS GAME RESERVE & AN EVENING BOAT SAFARI
Pick you up at the hotel, Dar es Salaam in the morning around 7:30 am, and drive 5 – 6 hours to Selous, arriving at lunch.
After lunch, go for an evening boat safari through the Great Rufiji River. Here you can experience the aquatic life mostly crocodiles and hippos, also you can see some animals come for drinking, also you can see uncountable number of bird species since the reserve has over 440 known species of birds while enjoying an amazing reserve’s sunset.
Back in the late evening for hot dinner and stay the night at Selous Kinga Lodge (lunch & dinner included)
DAY 2: FULL DAY GAME DRIVE AT SELOUS GAME RESERVE
Early breakfast at 07.00 am , drive to the Selous Game Reserve. Enjoy an all day game drive in a specially modified safari vehicle with a professional guide, in which you should see and learn much about a large number of animals, including all the great favorites – lion, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, zebra, impala – and all the other major species including the now rare African hunting dog. Great variety of bird species, wonderful scenery, with varied topography: wetlands, dry grassland, light acacia forest and higher ground with long views to far-off mountains.
Packed lunch and time to rest: Your guide will select a location with shade and water nearby to watch animals coming to drink – a place with a clear view all round so that no predator can creep up unseen! Back to the camp by 6.30 pm for sunset and hot dinner when you’re ready at Selous Kinga Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 3: AN EARLY MORNING WALKING SAFARI AT SELOUS & DEPART TO MOROGORO (with an On-Route Game Drive)
An early morning walking safari with a Bushman across the reserve’s environment to learn various histories (including traditional trees for used for medicines and healings, various animals’ footprints and other small animals which you cannot see during the game drive). You may also be able to spot some animals heading to the river for drinking and hippos returning to their dwelling after their forage.
Back to the camp for breakfast, thereafter drive for 6 – 7 hours to Town of Morogoro with packed lunch boxes while crossing in the middle of the Selous Game Reserve – this once again provides you a chance to enjoy and experience the abundant wildlife of the Selous, arriving Morogoro in the late evening.
On arrival check in and later have a hot dinner and stay the overnight at Mbuyuni Farm Retreat (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 4: DEPART TO TOWN OF IFAKARA FOR CANOE SAFARI AT KILOMBERO RIVER
After breakfast, depart to Town of Ifakara (a 5 hours drive), arriving in the early afternoon. On arrival, collect your lunch boxes while waiting for the set up of your canoe safari.
With the start of canoeing, you can relax while you are punted upstream with a long pole. Its likely you’ll see hippos, crocodiles, Nile monitor lizards and many many birds, including the endemic Kilombero Weaver and if you’re really lucky, a shoebill. The canoe trip can be as long as you wish, from just half an hour, to a full day with a picnic on a sandbank. You’ll see many fishermen, The Wandamba tribe in their smaller dugout boats fishing. The canoe safari in Kilomero River is excellent for birding enthusiasts!
In the late evening, drive back to the lodge, get your hot dinner and spend the overnight at Udzungwa Falls Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 5: HIKING TO UDZUNGWA MOUNTAINS & THE POPULAR SANJE WATERFALLS
After breakfast, hiking through the beautiful forests and landscape scenery of Udzungwa with packed lunch boxes with a professional guide, on the way you will learn about various trees used for traditional healings, a bird life and then heading to the top for a great and an amazing view of the ‘Sanje Waterfalls’ And while on top of the Waterfall, you can have a great view of the enormous Kilombero Sugarcane Valley (one of the biggest Tanzania’s sugarcane plantation).
Back in the late evening for hot dinner and stay the night at Udzungwa Falls Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
Udungwa Mountains National Park: It is an exclusive hiking and walking safari park. Udzungwa is the magnet for hikers which offer an excellent network of forest trails including the popular “Sanje Waterfalls”
DAY 6: DEPART TO RUAHA NATIONAL PARK (with On-Route Short Local Tours/Visits)
After breakfast, depart with packed lunch boxes to Ruaha National Park. Drive for 4 – 5 hours to Iringa and stop for lunch.
Then, after lunch pay a local and a social visit of about 15 – 20 minutes to “Neema Crafts Centre” – The Centre was founded in 2003 by the Diocese of Ruaha, to provide training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities through handicrafts in the Iringa region of Tanzania. It also aims to change negative attitudes towards people with disabilities in the local society.
You’ll then pay a little visit of about 15 minutes to ‘Iringa Local Market’ – a market built by the Germans during their colonial rule era.
After a local visit tour, drive for 2 -3 hours to Ruaha National Park, arriving in the late evening.
On arrival – check in and having a hot dinner and spend the overnight at Ruaha River Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 7: FULL DAY GAME DRIVE AT RUAHA NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, go for a full day game drive across the enormous national park in the country with packed lunch boxes to experience its abundant wildlife until sunset. Back in the late evening for dinner and stay the overnight at Ruaha River Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
Ruaha National Park: This is the largest national park in the country, currently bigger than The Serengeti; magnificent mammals such as both greater and lesser kudu can be spotted here. The park has high diversity of plants and animals including elephants, buffalos, antelopes and some of rare and endangered species like wild dogs with a great number of birdlife of about 570 species.
DAY 8: FULL DAY GAME DRIVE AT RUAHA NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, go for another full day game drive through the park with your packed lunch boxes to once again experience the wildlife until sunset. Back in the late evening for hot dinner and spend the overnight at Ruaha River Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 9: VISIT TO ISIMILA STONE AGE HISTORICAL SITE & DEPART TO MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, drive for 2 – 3 hours to Isimila Stone Age Historical Site with packed lunch boxes.
On arrival, visit the “Isimila Stone Age Historical Site” – A Walk through The Canyons – It is well-known for its archaeological sites, some of these sites yielded very important fossils that enlighten us about the origin of mankind.
Later, drive for another 4 – 5 hours to Mikumi National Park, arriving in the late evening, check-in and have your hot dinner and spend the overnight at Vuma Hills Tented Camp (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 10: FULL DAY GAME DRIVE AT MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, depart for a full day game drive across the enormous beautiful plains of Mikumi National Park with packed lunch boxes until sunset. The Mkata river floodplain is an attractive point of the park where you can easily spot a large number of animals.
Back in the late evening, hot dinner when you are ready, and spend the overnight at Vuma Hills Tented Camp (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
Mikumi National Park: During game drive at the park, you can see a rich variety of bird species, as well as large numbers of giraffe, buffalo and elephants. You may also be able to spot lions, leopards and African wild dogs. Likely to be seen animals include zebras, hippos, hartebeest, wildebeest, impala, warthog, eland and antelope.
DAY 11: A HALF DAY GAME DRIVE AT MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK & DEPART TO DAR ES SALAAM
After breakfast, depart for a half day game drive until noon, thereafter drive for about 5 – 6 hours back to Dar es Salaam, with lunch break on the way, arriving in the late evening and take you back to your hotel/catch a flight back home (breakfast & lunch included)
