After breakfast your driver will pick you up at your hotel and you will drive to Mikumi national park. This is a 4 hours drive and upon arrival you will do your first game drive in the park.

Mikumi’s open horizons and abundant wildlife draws frequent comparisons to the more famous Serengeti Plains. The park has a great variety of animals and most visitors come to Mikumi national park aiming to spot the ‘Big Five’ – cheetah, lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino. The chance that you will encounter lions climbing trees here is greater than in other parks!

You will stay in Camp Bastian https://campbastian.com

Camp Bastian is a super fun place to stay during a visit to Mikumi National Park. The camp has a camp ground and 7 cottages in a very green environment so you always wake up to the sounds of nature around you. There is a swimming pool where you can cool down with a drink after a dusty safari. The food is all freshly prepared and made from local products. The staff is very friendly. In short, the ideal place to stay during a visit to Mikumi.

Today you have the entire day to explore more of Mimumi national park on a full day game drive. The Mkata Foodplain is a wide area in Mikumi national park that is very good for wildlife viewing. Lions survey their grassy kingdom – and the zebra, wildebeest, impala and buffalo herds that migrate across it – from the flattened tops of termite mounds, or sometimes during the rains, from perches high in the trees. Giraffes forage in the isolated acacia stands that fringe the Mkata River, islets of shade favored also by Mikumi’s elephants. Mkata Foodplain is perhaps the most reliable place in Tanzania for sightings of the powerful eland, the world’s largest antelope. The equally impressive greater kudu and sable antelope haunt the miombo-covered foothills of the mountains that rise from Mikumi national park’s borders.

Hippos live in a pair of mud pools and are one of the highlights. These are situated 5 km north of the main entrance gate. They are supported by an ever-changing cast of water-birds.

You will stay in Camp Bastian https://campbastian.com

Camp Bastian is a super fun place to stay during a visit to Mikumi National Park. The camp has a camp ground and 7 cottages in a very green environment so you always wake up to the sounds of nature around you. There is a swimming pool where you can cool down with a drink after a dusty safari. The food is all freshly prepared and made from local products. The staff is very friendly. In short, the ideal place to stay during a visit to Mikumi.

After breakfast you will leave Mikumi national park to drive to Ruaha national park. This is a 5 hours drive and upon arrival you can do an afternoon game drive to explore Tanzania’s second largest park!

The Great Ruaha River flows through Ruaha national park and is the most important river in the park. Since it has a huge population of African elephants, chances are very good to spot large groups of them roaming around. It is probably home to more elephants than any other parks in East Africa and it has nearly 10% of Africa’s lion population!

Have your camera ready for some good pictures…

You will stay in Ruaha River Lodge https://www.ruahariverlodge.com

 Ruaha River Lodge is set on one of the most stunning stretches of the Great Ruaha River. You can see game throughout the day from the comfort of your veranda. The chalet rooms with a feel of African wilderness feature a sitting area, writing desk, comfort beds and large bathrooms decorated with found timber, a shower and double basins. The long restaurant by the side of the river offers delicious meals with quality services. Breakfast is the perfect time to watch the game meander down for a drink. River Ruaha Lodge is definitely a place to relax and explore nature.

On today’s game drive through Ruaha national park you will probably notice the big variety of plants and trees. It is mainly characterized by its acacias and the many baobab trees. There are over 1,650 plant species that have been identified.

Besides Ruaha’s huge population of African elephants it is also home to great mammals like kudu, sable and roan antelopes which cannot be found in any other national park. Other animals to spot here include leopards, cheetahs, giraffes. Many zebras, elands, impala, bat eared foxes and jackals live in the park.

With a bit of luck, you may also see the endangered wild dogs in Ruaha national park!

You will stay in Ruaha River Lodge https://www.ruahariverlodge.com

Ruaha River Lodge is set on one of the most stunning stretches of the Great Ruaha River. You can see game throughout the day from the comfort of your veranda. The chalet rooms with a feel of African wilderness feature a sitting area, writing desk, comfort beds and large bathrooms decorated with found timber, a shower and double basins. The long restaurant by the side of the river offers delicious meals with quality services. Breakfast is the perfect time to watch the game meander down for a drink. River Ruaha Lodge is definitely a place to relax and explore nature.

After breakfast you will start your boatsafari to explore a lot of the Rufiji river and its lakes. From the boat you will spot a lot of animals that come to the water to drink or to cool down. Very commonly seen are giraffes, impalas, waterbucks, kudus, warthogs and sometimes bathing elephants. You will enjoy a picknick lunch at the edge of one of the lakes. The view and nature is absolutely amazing and you can enjoy the sounds of the many habitant birds. The full day boat tour is highly recommended and the easiest way to get as close to the animals as possible.

You will love it!

You will stay in Selous River Camp https://www.selousrivercamp.com

Selous River Camp is beautifully situated on the Rufiji River and is adjacent to the Selous game reserve. The camp has a sun terrace and a swimming pool overlooking the river. Here you have the choice to sleep in a tent with beds where the bathroom is further away, or in a mud hut where you have an en-suite bathroom. After a safari day, enjoy the beautiful sunset around a fire with a refreshing drink.

In the morning you can make another game drive or walking safari in the game reserve, depending on your accommodation and flight. Then your driver transfers you to the airport for your departure flight and on day 9 you will arrive back home.

You like to extend your safari to visit more national parks or with a beach holiday? Tanzania offers perfect paradises to unwind after your safari, such as Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia.