Wild and quiet: discovering Tanzania’s southern parks
Nyerere, Ruaha, Mikumi and Udzungwa offer big wildlife, few vehicles and a real sense of wilderness. Here is how they compare.
Most first-time visitors to Tanzania head north to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro. They are famous for good reason, but the south of the country holds some of Africa’s largest and least crowded wild places. Here you can spend a whole morning with a pride of lions and never see another vehicle.
Nyerere National Park
Nyerere, once part of the Selous Game Reserve, is one of the largest protected areas in Africa. The Rufiji River runs through it in a maze of channels and lakes, which means you can explore not only by vehicle but also by boat, gliding past hippos, crocodiles and elephants coming down to drink. It is also one of the best places in Tanzania to look for African wild dogs.
A buffalo bull, one of the Big Five, on the dry plains.
Ruaha National Park
Rugged and remote, Ruaha is a land of baobab trees, rocky hills and the wide Great Ruaha River. It is known for very large herds of elephants and for its big cats: lions, leopards and cheetahs all hunt here. Few visitors make the journey, so it feels wonderfully wild.
In the south, the silence is part of the experience. You hear the bush before you see it.
Mikumi and Udzungwa
Mikumi is the easiest southern park to reach from Dar es Salaam, which makes it ideal for a short safari. Its open floodplain is home to elephants, giraffes, zebras and lions, often seen in a single drive.
Next door, the Udzungwa Mountains are a complete change of scene: thick rainforest, rare monkeys found nowhere else on earth, and forest trails that lead to the beautiful Sanje waterfall. It is a park you explore on foot.
Ancient baobabs stand over the dry country of the south.
Choosing your southern safari
Each park is wonderful on its own, and they also combine well. Mikumi with Udzungwa makes a short and varied trip; Nyerere with Ruaha gives you river and wilderness; and the remote western parks of Katavi and Mahale are there for the truly adventurous. Tell us how much time you have and we will help you choose.