Countries: Tanzania
Destinations: Dar es Salaam , Nyerere National Park (Selous Game Reserve) , Ruaha National Park , Mafia Island
Group Size: 0
Duration (days): 13
Number of Adults: 0
Number of Children: 0
A superb 13 day safari which includes two of the best camps in Southern Tanzania, Beho Beho and Kichaka Zumbua. It finishes off at the Robinson Crusoe-like Chole Mjini on Mafia Island.
Itinerary Outline
Day 1 : Dar es Salaam
You will be met at Julius Nyerere International Airport and transferred to Dar es Salaam Serena to spend 1 night on a bed and breakfast basis.
A land full of icons, with the names Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro and Zanzibar immediately evoking images of exotic locations and abundant wildlife. A Tanzanian safari is an experience for all of the senses, and caters for every kind of traveller.
Tanzania is a country which was seemingly designed with the word "safari" in mind. There are enough national parks and different safari activities to keep travellers coming back year on year, with the added benefit of easily combining beautiful tropical beaches with the wildlife rich plains.
A Tanzanian safari is a journey in the true sense of the word, with each itinerary feeling like an exploration out into the wilderness. Moving from park to park, either by road or air, the countryside offers something new at each stop.
The plains of the Serengeti have become synonomous with an African safari, and by visiting the right areas and camps, you will be able to see the legendary wildebeest migration as it moves across the grasslands in constant search of fresh grazing and water.
To the south of the country are the remote reserves of Selous and Ruaha, while in the west you can trek into the mountains to witness chimpanzees along the shores of the mystical Lake Tanganyika.
Founded by the Sultan of Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam remained only a small port until the German East Africa Company established a station there in 1887. During the German occupation in the early 20th century, Dar was the centre of colonial administration and the main contact point between the agricultural mainland and the world of trade and commerce in the Indian Ocean and the Swahili Coast. It served as the capital of German East Africa (1891 to 1916), Tanganyika (1961 to 1964) and Tanzania (1964 to 1974,) when Dodoma was designated Tanzania’s national capital.
Buildings in Dar often reflect the city’s colonial past and display a rich mix of architectural styles incorporating Swahili, British, German and Asian traditions. Post World War II modernisation and expansion brought contemporary multistoried buildings including a hospital complex, a technical institute and a high court. Educational facilities comprise the University of Dar es Salaam (1961), several libraries and research institutes as well as the National Museum. Other historical landmarks include St Joseph’s Cathedral, the White Father’s Mission House, the Botanical Gardens and the old State House, which make for an interesting walking tour around the waterfront and city centre.
Dar’s natural, nearly landlocked harbour is the outlet for most of mainland Tanzania’s agricultural and mineral exports and is also a transit port for the Congo River. The city is the terminus of a rail line west to Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika, north to Mwanza on Lake Victoria and south to Zambia.
Experience urban living at its most cosmopolitan at Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel, located at the heart of the city centre business district, just moments from sandy Indian Ocean beaches, a bustling fish market and eclectic crafts markets, boutiques and restaurants. A garden oasis of tranquillity and charm, our five-star Dar es Salaam hotel promises the warmest of welcomes, vibrant experiences and vivid memories of your stay.
For discerning business and leisure travellers with a taste for the very finest, our distinctive five-star hotel is a place to call home. Exceptional security and impeccable service as well as world-class amenities and cuisine create the perfect retreat within a thriving metropolis.
Acclaimed as one of Tanzania’s most prestigious hotels, Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel offers a perspective that is the essence of the city itself: diverse and stylish yet exceedingly relaxed and down-to-earth.
Day 2 : Nyerere National Park (Selous Game Reserve)
You will be transferred back to Julius Nyerere International Airport to board a light aircraft to Beho Beho airstrip on the western side of Nyerere National Park (formerly
the Selous Game Reserve). You will be met and taken to Beho Beho to spend 4 nights on a fully inclusive basis. You will have your own personal itinerary for your stay, planned by the camp management.
Nyerere National Park (Selous Game Reserve)
Originally named after the legendary hunter and explorer Sir Frederick Selous, the Selous Game Reserve, now known as Nyerere National Park, is one of the largest in the world, at over 50 000 square kilometers. Being on the less touristed southern circuit of Tanzania, Nyerere allows you to get off the beaten path, and enjoy an active and exclusive safari.
With the Rufiji River delta flowing through Nyerere and out into the Indian Ocean, the park offers activities on the river, including boat cruises and fishing trips, and another plus is that it is well located to take a short flight to one of Tanzania's tropical islands.
Visiting the less-touristed southern circuit of Tanzania offers you a very different experience to the northern parks of the country, and the Nyerere National Park is an exciting and activity laden destination.
Being about an hour flight from Dar es Salaam, or a 3 hour flight from Arusha, Nyerere is far removed from the main Tanzanian parks, and for this reason is a great place to wander away from the tourist track and enjoy a Tanzanian safari with a difference. While not being able to offer the same volume of wildlife sightings, and also being quite seasonal, Nyerere works on a basis of quality over quantity, and offers some of the higher ranges of safari experiences in Tanzania.
Beho Beho was the first camp to be sited in The Selous Game Reserve (now Nyerere National Park), not on the banks, or the flood plains of the mighty Rufiji River, but in the cooler highlands so as to enjoy the 'cooling breezes' from which its name derives. Always designated as a 'private camp' it has fiercely protected its individuality and privileged location as one of the most 'magical' places it is possible to visit in safari Africa.
Beho Beho is not really a camp in the true sense of the word, as it has individual bandas or stone built, palm-leaf thatched cottages, rather than the tented accommodation one might more readily associate with a camp. But also it is not really a safari lodge as it has only eight bandas, four on one side of the main house and four on the other, one tends to think of a safari lodge in terms of something quite a good bit larger. So we like to think of Beho Beho as being more of a home, a very private home situated in the middle of the African bush.
Owned by the Bailey family for over forty years, they are now prepared to share their 'home in the bush' with a fortunate few who are able to share their enjoyment of Beho Beho, one of their favourite places in the world.
Day 3 - 5 : Nyerere National Park (Selous Game Reserve)
You will have early morning and late afternoon open-sided vehicle game drives, guided game walks, and a shaded boat trip on Lake Tagalala for very good, close up sightings of hippos, crocodiles and water birds.
Day 6 : Ruaha National Park
Fly from Beho Beho in a light aircraft to Msembe airstrip in the Ruaha National Park, to spend 4 nights at Kichaka Zumbua Camp on a fully inclusive basis.
Depending on plane schedules, your first game drive into the wilderness begins immediately
with a bush lunch and with refreshments en route you will arrive at the camp late afternoon or early evening to settle in after a warm welcome.
Also on the southern circuit, but even further removed than the Selous, Ruaha National Park provides a wild and game rich safari experience, with an incredible dry season concentration of animals.
With its variety of landscapes, and excellent sightings, as well as the remote location far from any major human habitation, Ruaha has made a name for itself as one of Africa's great game reserves.
A unique mix of species is found in Ruaha, with the park being located in the transitional zone between the acacia savannah of East Africa and the miombo woodland belt of Southern Africa.
Flowing along the eastern border of the park, the great Ruaha River is the lifeblood of the area, being the only source of water during the dry season, and therefore attracting an enormous concentration of wildlife.
Our newest and most luxurious product, this permanent tented camp has now become the main base of Kichaka Expeditions operations.
Situated atop a remote ridge in the Eastern Corner of Ruaha, this stunning and luxurious camp blends in perfectly with its rocky backdrop overlooking perhaps the most scenic section of the entire Ruaha River valley.
About as comfortable as it is possible to get in such isolation, our elegant yet rustic rooms share sweeping views and are the perfect dwelling away from the hot sun when not out on safari. Each room consists of a central airy and spacious tent with thatched roof and raised platform base, open in the day to allow for views and breeze, but closed in the night for safety and complete bug protection. Adjoining each tent sits a lavish bathroom complete with flushing loo, bathtub and outdoor shower and because there is never too many options on how one can refresh oneself, on the other side of the tent is your own personal plunge pool for that instant gratification after your morning activities.
Day 7 - 9 : Ruaha National Park
Your mornings will be spent on slow-paced walking experiences and for afternoon activities
there is a choice, from learning about tracking, short walks into the vast Kopje and Inselberg
systems (huge rock outcrops), specialist birding, and normal game drives.
Day 10 : Mafia Island
This morning fly from Msembe airstrip to Mafia Airport. You will be transferred to Chole Mjini Lodge to spend 3 nights on a full board basis, with relaxation on the beach starting as soon as you have settled in.
Chole Mjini is a unique eco-lodge in an stunning destination offering open tree house accommodation and a complete retreat from the pace of modern life…live with less, experience more…with no electricity or running water, no radio or TV, no wireless, no cars, no sirens just the purity of the natural ebb and flow of African island living. For true adventurers who are looking for a beach holiday with a side of rustic luxury – this is the perfect chance to escape.
Wake up to the bird calls and the haunting call to prayer and as dawn floods your tree house and the light breeze billows your mosquito net enjoy your morning cup of tea or coffee, which was winched up to your tree house in a basket. During the day take advantage of one of the largest variety of included excursions from snorkeling and dhow sailing to sandbar trips and sunset cruises. Or simply take the opportunity to relax, read a book and watch the world go by from your swinging hammock under the shade of a frangipani tree.
And after experiencing our ingenious private outdoor showers, unwind with one of our island cocktails while watching the nightly migration of the native fruit bats. Lit by hurricane lamps and a canopy of stars enjoy either a convivial communal dinner with your fellow guests or a romantic dinner in various authentic locations around the Lodge. Go to sleep with the sounds of the ocean set against the still of the African night and the thoughts of the lazy day to follow.
