4 Days Tanzania Southern Circuit Big Five Midrange Safari Tour

Early Departure from Dar es Salaam

Your Southern Circuit safari begins with an early-morning pickup from your hotel, residence, airport or another agreed location in Dar es Salaam. After meeting your professional driver-guide, you will leave the city and travel west towards Mikumi National Park in a comfortable safari vehicle. Departing early helps reduce delays caused by city traffic and provides enough time to reach Mikumi for an introductory wildlife experience. Your guide will explain the four-day itinerary, provide important safari information and introduce you to the landscapes, wildlife and communities found along the route.

Scenic Journey through Morogoro

The journey follows the Dar es Salaam–Morogoro highway through growing towns, roadside markets, local farms and rural settlements before reaching the beautiful landscapes surrounding the Uluguru Mountains. Suitable stops will be arranged for refreshments, stretching and photography while your guide shares information about the region’s history, agriculture and natural environments. Beyond Morogoro, the surroundings gradually change from densely populated areas to wider valleys, woodland and increasingly natural landscapes as you approach the Mikumi ecosystem.

Introductory Mikumi Game Drive

After arriving at Mikumi National Park, you will begin an introductory afternoon game drive, depending on your arrival time and the park-entry schedule. The activity provides your first opportunity to explore the Mkata Floodplain while searching for elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, impalas, wildebeests and warthogs. Lions may be encountered resting beneath acacia trees or watching grazing animals from the grasslands, while the soft afternoon light creates favourable conditions for landscape and wildlife photography. The game drive concludes before the official park closing time.

Attractions: Uluguru Mountains, Morogoro countryside, Mkata Floodplain, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes and zebras
Road distance: Approximately 300 kilometres
Driving time: Approximately 5–6 hours
Game-drive duration: Approximately 2–3 hours, depending on arrival time

Destination:

Mikumi Natinal Park

Overnight:

Angalia Tented Camp

  mid rage 3 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Lunch, Dinner

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Morning Wildlife Search

Your full-day Mikumi safari begins early, when temperatures are cooler and many animals are still active after the night. Your guide will explore the Mkata Floodplain and surrounding woodland while searching for elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, elands, impalas and warthogs. Lions may be observed returning from an overnight hunt, resting under trees or quietly watching grazing herds from the grasslands. Leopards are present in Mikumi but remain difficult to locate because of their secretive behaviour and preference for areas with thicker vegetation.

Hippo Pool and Birdwatching

The game drive continues towards the Hippo Pool and other productive wildlife areas, where hippos can often be seen resting in the water while crocodiles and waterbirds occupy the surrounding banks. Your guide will help identify African fish eagles, ground hornbills, lilac-breasted rollers, oxpeckers, storks and other bird species found within Mikumi. You will also learn how seasonal water availability influences animal movements and how different species compete for food, water and territory across the national park.

Afternoon Predator and Elephant Tracking

During the afternoon, your guide will select alternative game-viewing routes according to recent wildlife reports, weather and road conditions. The activity may focus on locating elephant families, buffalo herds or predators becoming active as the temperature begins to fall. You may observe animals gathering near water, moving towards evening feeding grounds or interacting across the open floodplain. The golden late-afternoon light provides excellent photographic opportunities before you leave the park at the end of an extensive wildlife-viewing day.

Attractions: Mkata Floodplain, Hippo Pool, lions, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras and birdlife
Morning game drive: Approximately 3–4 hours
Afternoon game drive: Approximately 3–4 hours
Total safari duration: Approximately 7–8 hours, including breaks

Destination:

Mikumi Natinal Park

Overnight:

Angalia Tented Camp

  mid rage 3 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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Final Morning Game Drive in Mikumi

After an early breakfast, you will return to Mikumi National Park for a final morning game drive through areas not fully explored on the previous day. Your guide will follow animal tracks, listen for warning calls and use recent wildlife information to search for lions, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes and large groups of plains animals. The activity also provides another opportunity to photograph favourite species under softer morning light or look for animals that may have been missed during the full-day safari.

Journey through the Kilombero Valley

After leaving Mikumi, you will travel towards Udzungwa Mountains National Park through the fertile Kilombero Valley. The road passes local villages, rice fields, sugarcane plantations and agricultural landscapes before the forested Udzungwa Mountains rise dramatically from the surrounding plains. Your guide will explain how the ancient Eastern Arc Mountains developed and why their isolated forests support endemic plants, birds and primates that cannot be found in Mikumi’s savannah environment.

Introduction to the Udzungwa Ecosystem

Upon arrival in the Udzungwa area, you may participate in a short guided forest-edge walk, village experience or birdwatching activity, depending on your arrival time. The experience introduces you to the park’s rainforest environment, community surroundings and remarkable biological diversity. Udzungwa Mountains National Park does not offer traditional vehicle-based game drives because its main attractions are explored on foot; therefore, the principal activities include guided forest hiking, primate observation, waterfall visits, butterfly identification and birdwatching.

Attractions: Mikumi wildlife, Kilombero Valley, sugarcane plantations, Udzungwa Mountains, villages and forest birds
Morning game drive: Approximately 2–3 hours
Transfer distance: Approximately 70–90 kilometres
Transfer time: Approximately 1½–2 hours
Introductory activity: Approximately 1–2 hours, depending on arrival time

Destination:

Udzungwa Mountains

Overnight:

Asante Luxury lodge

  mid rage 3 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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Guided Udzungwa Rainforest Walk

Your final day begins with an early guided walk in Udzungwa Mountains National Park along a trail selected according to the available time and your physical ability. Accompanied by an authorised forest guide, you will enter the dense rainforest and learn about towering indigenous trees, medicinal plants, insects, butterflies and the conservation importance of the Eastern Arc Mountains. The forest supports several primate species, including the endemic Iringa red colobus and Sanje crested mangabey, although sightings depend on the animals’ natural movements and the selected trail.

Waterfall and Primate Exploration

The guided walk continues towards a waterfall, viewpoint or productive primate habitat, depending on the chosen route. Your guide will help you listen for monkey calls, identify forest birds and search the canopy for primate activity while explaining how Udzungwa’s streams and vegetation support the surrounding ecosystem. The cool rainforest, flowing water and mountain scenery provide a striking contrast to Mikumi’s dry and open floodplains, completing a Southern Circuit safari that combines large mammals with rainforest biodiversity.

Return Journey to Dar es Salaam

After completing the Udzungwa activity, you will begin the return journey to Dar es Salaam through the Kilombero Valley, Mikumi and Morogoro. Suitable stops will be arranged along the route while your driver-guide manages the schedule according to road and traffic conditions. Arrival in Dar es Salaam is expected during the evening, depending on the duration of the forest walk, and you will be dropped off at your hotel, residence, airport or another agreed location.

Attractions: Udzungwa rainforest, endemic primates, waterfalls, butterflies, forest birds and Eastern Arc scenery
Forest activity: Approximately 2–4 hours, depending on the selected trail
Distance to Dar es Salaam: Approximately 350–380 kilometres
Driving time: Approximately 7–8 hours
Drop-off: Hotel, residence, airport or agreed location in Dar es Salaam