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Itineraries  /  Southern Tanzania Big Five
TZ30 · Tanzania · Southern Tanzania

Southern Tanzania Big Five

Nyerere National Park · Ruaha National Park
Duration
12 Days · 11 Nights
The route
Nyerere National Park · Ruaha National Park
Style
Southern Tanzania
Best season
Year-round · migration moves Dec–Oct
Image — add in editor
What you're tracking

What you'll see

Lion
Serengeti and Ngorongoro prides.
Elephant
Tarangire's baobab herds.
Leopard
Seronera's river-line cats.
Rhino
Black rhino on the crater floor.
Buffalo
Buffalo
Herds across the plains.
Day by day

The journey, one day at a time

01Dar es Salaam → Ruaha

Into Ruaha

Tanzania's wild, empty giant.

Fly from Dar es Salaam into Ruaha, the country's largest park, where big prides hunt the sand rivers far from any crowd.

02Ruaha

Along the Great Ruaha

Lions, kudu and baobabs.

Full days on Ruaha's sand rivers — exceptional lion country, greater and lesser kudu, and almost no other vehicles.

03Ruaha

Along the Great Ruaha

Lions, kudu and baobabs.

Full days on Ruaha's sand rivers — exceptional lion country, greater and lesser kudu, and almost no other vehicles.

04Ruaha

Along the Great Ruaha

Lions, kudu and baobabs.

Full days on Ruaha's sand rivers — exceptional lion country, greater and lesser kudu, and almost no other vehicles.

05Ruaha

Along the Great Ruaha

Lions, kudu and baobabs.

Full days on Ruaha's sand rivers — exceptional lion country, greater and lesser kudu, and almost no other vehicles.

06Ruaha

Along the Great Ruaha

Lions, kudu and baobabs.

Full days on Ruaha's sand rivers — exceptional lion country, greater and lesser kudu, and almost no other vehicles.

07Ruaha → Nyerere

Into Nyerere

A river wilderness in the south.

Fly on into Nyerere National Park — the vast former Selous — and take a first drive along the Rufiji channels.

08Nyerere

River and bush

Boat safari and big herds.

Full days mixing game drives with boat safaris on the Rufiji — hippo, croc, elephant and strong wild-dog odds.

09Nyerere

River and bush

Boat safari and big herds.

Full days mixing game drives with boat safaris on the Rufiji — hippo, croc, elephant and strong wild-dog odds.

10Nyerere

River and bush

Boat safari and big herds.

Full days mixing game drives with boat safaris on the Rufiji — hippo, croc, elephant and strong wild-dog odds.

11Nyerere

River and bush

Boat safari and big herds.

Full days mixing game drives with boat safaris on the Rufiji — hippo, croc, elephant and strong wild-dog odds.

12Nyerere → home

Journey's end

Wheels-up over the plains you crossed.

A short flight back to Arusha connects to your onward journey.

When to travel

The season changes what you see.

Dec – Mar

Calving in the south

The herds gather on the short-grass plains of Ndutu and the southern Serengeti to calve — daily births and intense predator action.

Jun – Oct

Northern river crossings

The migration pushes north and the Mara River crossings begin — the headline months, and the busiest. Book well ahead.

Destinations

Where this journey goes

Wildlife you may see
Elephant Leopard Lion Rhino

Make it yours.

Add nights, swap a park, extend to the coast — this route is a starting point, not a fixed menu. Tell us how you travel and we'll route the rest.

Field notes, now and then.

Where to go · When to go · Wildlife in season

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