Southern Tanzania Safari

Rufiji River Wild é 4-Day Nyerere Safari

Four days deep inside Africa's largest national park é the vast Nyerere wilderness where 50,000 square kilometres of miombo woodland and the mighty Rufiji River harbour elephant, lion, wild dog, hippo, crocodile and the richest birdlife in Tanzania. Boat safari at sunset. Walking safari at dawn. Game drives through landscapes few tourists ever see.

4
Jours
3
Nights
Dar es Salaam
Gateway
À partir de 950$
Per Person
Home Southern Safaris Rufiji River Wild é 4-Day Nyerere Safari
Aperçu

Rufiji River Wild é 4-Day Nyerere Safari é Southern Tanzania

4 jours / 3 nuits
Durée
Dar es Salaam
Gateway City
Parc national de Nyerere
Parcs visités
Easy
Difficulty
Véhicule privé
Style de groupe
5+ years
Min Age

Four days deep inside Africa's largest national park é the vast Nyerere wilderness where 50,000 square kilometres of miombo woodland and the mighty Rufiji River harbour elephant, lion, wild dog, hippo, crocodile and the richest birdlife in Tanzania. Boat safari at sunset. Walking safari at dawn. Game drives through landscapes few tourists ever see.

Haven Trails operates this itinerary in a private 4x4 Land Cruiser with a 360é pop-up roof, an expert English-speaking southern circuit guide, and all accommodation, park fees, and safari meals included. The Southern Circuit is Tanzania's hidden gem é wilder, less crowded, and in many ways more rewarding than the more famous Northern Circuit. This is the Africa that most visitors never see.

Rivière Rufiji
Sunset boat safari
Safari à pied
Dawn wilderness walk
Wild Dogs
Africa's most endangered carnivore
Hippos
Largest population in Africa
Birdlife
~450 species recorded
3 Nights
Selous Safari Lodge
La faune que vous rencontrerez
?? African Elephant ?? Lion ?? Leopard ?? Wild Dog (African) ?? Hippopotamus ?? Nile Crocodile ?? Masai Giraffe ?? Cape Buffalo ?? Plains Zebra ?? Spotted Hyena ?? 450+ Bird Species
Les Destinations

The Parks é Ce qui attend

Parc national de Nyerere

Formerly the Selous Game Reserve, Nyerere National Park is Africa's single largest protected area é 50,000 square kilometres of largely untouched miombo woodland, grassland, and wetland bisected by the Rufiji River. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and harbours the largest elephant population in East Africa, the most significant remaining African wild dog population, enormous hippo and crocodile concentrations, and exceptional birdlife. Because Nyerere is a game reserve as well as a national park, walking safaris and boat safaris are permitted é activities impossible in most of Tanzania's national parks. This is wild Africa at its most elemental and most private.

50,000 kmé
Area
Largest
Elephant pop. E.Africa
~450
Bird species
Africa
Best wild dog habitat
Jour après jour

Le Itinéraire

1
Dar es Salaam ? Nyerere é Rufiji Boat Safari
4-hr drive via Kibiti Evening boat safari é Rufiji River Sleep: Selous Safari Lodge

Morning pickup from your hotel or airport in Dar es Salaam at 8:00 AM for the four-hour drive south into the Nyerere wilderness via Kibiti, where a lunch stop breaks the journey. The drive itself is an introduction to the southern Tanzania landscape é increasingly remote, increasingly wild. You arrive at the park in the afternoon and check into Selous Safari Lodge, then head straight out for an evening boat safari on the Rufiji River. The Rufiji at sunset is one of southern Tanzania's great experiences: hippo pods yawning as the temperature drops, crocodiles on the sandbanks, fish eagles crying from the trees overhead, and the first stars appearing over the vast miombo woodlands on the opposite bank.

Safari en bateau en soirée sur la rivière Rufiji Hippo Pods at Sunset Nile Crocodiles on Sandbanks African Fish Eagles
Accommodation: Selous Safari Lodge
Meals: Déjeuner ? (en route) Dinner ? (lodge)
2
Journée complète de safari à Nyerere
Full day game drive é all habitats Déjeuner pique-nique dans le parc Sleep: Selous Safari Lodge

A full day in Nyerere's extraordinary interior é wetlands, dry grassland, light acacia forest and higher ground with far-off mountain views. The park's varied topography means dramatically different wildlife in different zones. The wetland edges are where elephant herds congregate in the dry season. The open grasslands are where lion prides hunt in the early morning and again at dusk. The dense riverine woodland along the Rufiji tributaries is where leopards are sometimes spotted draped in the canopy. And the open woodland is where Nyerere's famous wild dog packs patrol their vast territories. Packed picnic lunch at a scenic spot inside the park.

Lion Pride on Open Grassland African Wild Dog Pack Elephant Herds é Wetland Edge Leopard é Riverine Forest
Accommodation: Selous Safari Lodge
Meals: Breakfast ? Lunch ? (picnic) Dinner ?
3
Another Full Day é Deep Nyerere Exploration
Second full game drive é new circuits Journée de concentration sur la photographie Sleep: Selous Safari Lodge

A second full game drive explores entirely different circuits é the eastern sector, the lake systems, the remote miombo zones that few vehicles reach. Nyerere is so vast that two full days of game driving barely scratches the surface é each day brings completely new landscapes and completely new sightings. Your guide works the circuits intelligently, responding to real-time wildlife information and reading the landscape for signs. Afternoon rest at the lodge before a sunset drive along the Rufiji as the golden light hits the water.

New Circuits é Eastern Sector Lake System Game Drives All Major Predators Exceptional Bird Diversity
Accommodation: Selous Safari Lodge
Meals: Breakfast ? Lunch ? (picnic) Dinner ?
4
Safari à pied à l'aube ? Retour à Dar es Salaam
Safari à pied tôt le matin Return drive to Dar es Salaam Drop-off at hotel/airport/ferry

The final morning begins before dawn é a walking safari in the Selous Forest with your armed ranger guide. Walking safari in Nyerere is one of the most primal wildlife experiences available in Tanzania: tracking lion paw prints in the sand, reading elephant pathways through the grass, observing birds and insects at the scale and pace that only human feet allow. Return to the lodge for breakfast, then the four-hour drive back to Dar es Salaam, dropping you at your hotel, the ferry terminal, or the airport for your onward journey.

Safari à pied avec des rangers armés Tracking é Prints & Spoor Forest Bird Walk Return to Dar es Salaam
Accommodation: N/A
Meals: Breakfast ? Lunch ? (packed)
Ce qui est inclus

Inclusions & Exclusions

Ce qui est inclus
  • Retour en 4x4 Land Cruiser (toit ouvrant) depuis Dar es Salaam
  • Expert English-speaking naturalist guide
  • Tous les frais d’entrée et de conservation dans les parcs nationaux
  • Tous les hébergements (3 nuits, selon l'itinéraire)
  • Tous les repas du safari selon l'itinéraire
  • Eau en bouteille et boissons gazeuses dans le véhicule quotidiennement
  • Government taxes
  • Prise en charge et retour à l'hôtel/à l'aéroport de Dar es Salaam
Non inclus
  • Vols internationaux vers/depuis la Tanzanie
  • Visa touristique pour la Tanzanie (required é approx. $50 USD)
  • Assurance voyage et médicale (fortement recommandée)
  • Alcoholic beverages throughout
  • Pourboires du guide du safari et de l'équipage (facultatif)
  • Activités facultatives non répertoriées dans l'itinéraire
  • Objets personnels et souvenirs
Pourquoi réserver avec nous

Pourquoi Haven Trails Adventures

Guides experts du circuit du Sud

Nos spécialistes du circuit sud ont beaucoup guidé à Nyerere, Mikumi, Ruaha et Udzungwa. Ils connaissent les meilleurs itinéraires de safari, les concentrations d'animaux sauvages selon la saison et les coins cachés de ces vastes parcs intacts.

Private 4x4 Land Cruiser

All southern safaris depart in a private, custom-built 4x4 Land Cruiser with a 360é pop-up roof é never shared with strangers. Your vehicle, your pace, your experience.

La route la moins fréquentée

The Southern Circuit is Tanzania's most undiscovered safari destination é fewer tourists, wilder landscapes, and wildlife encounters with depth and intimacy impossible in the Northern Circuit's busier parks.

Based in Tanzania

Haven Trails is based in Moshi, Tanzania é not a booking platform abroad. Our local team has deep knowledge of road conditions, seasonal wildlife movements, and the best lodges throughout the Southern Circuit.

Fully Customisable

Chaque safari dans le sud peut être prolongé, combiné, amélioré ou adapté à votre groupe. Ajoutez l'expérience de randonnée d'Udzungwa, prolongez avec la plage de Kilwa ou combinez-la avec le circuit du Nord. Racontez-nous votre vision.

Responsible Safari

Haven Trails fonctionne dans le strict respect des réglementations TANAPA et TAWIRI. Nous utilisons des lodges communautaires lorsqu'ils sont disponibles et soutenons les initiatives anti-braconnage à Nyerere et Ruaha.

FAQ

Common Questions

Qu’est-ce que le parc national de Nyerere ?
Nyerere National Park é formerly the Selous Game Reserve é is Africa's largest single protected area at 50,000 square kilometres. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and harbours the largest elephant population in East Africa, Africa's most significant remaining wild dog population, vast hippo and crocodile concentrations, and over 450 bird species. Unlike the Northern Circuit parks, Nyerere is a combined national park and game reserve é walking safaris and boat safaris on the Rufiji River are both permitted, making it uniquely versatile.
Comment puis-je me rendre à Nyerere depuis Dar es Salam ?
The standard access is a four-hour road drive from Dar es Salaam via the Kibiti junction. Haven Trails departs at 8:00 AM, includes a lunch stop in Kibiti, and arrives at the park in the early afternoon in time for an evening activity. There is also a fly-in option from Dar es Salaam's Julius Nyerere Airport é contact Haven Trails for fly-in pricing.
Qu’est-ce qui différencie Nyerere des parcs du Circuit Nord ?
Three things: scale, solitude, and activity diversity. The park is so vast (50,000 kmé) that visitor density is tiny é you can drive for hours without seeing another vehicle. The permitted activities are broader: boat safaris on the Rufiji and walking safaris with armed rangers are both available, unlike most Northern Circuit parks. And the wildlife is genuinely different: wild dogs, enormous hippo populations, and crocodile concentrations that are rarely matched anywhere in Africa.
Can I see African wild dogs?
Yes é Nyerere has one of the largest and most stable African wild dog populations remaining in Africa. Your guide will use network radio and tracking experience to locate the packs. Sightings are not guaranteed but are significantly more likely here than anywhere else in Tanzania.
Quelle est la meilleure période de l’année pour ce safari ?
JuneéOctober (dry season) is the classic peak: wildlife concentrates around the Rufiji and its tributaries as the bush dries out, game viewing visibility is excellent, and the boat safari reveals the full drama of the dry-season Rufiji. JanuaryéMarch is the green season é lush, dramatic landscapes, fewer tourists, and excellent bird diversity including migrants. Haven Trails advises on timing based on your dates.