6 Days Luxury Safari for Women-Only | Mikumi, Ruaha & Iringa

6:00 AM–7:00 AM: Private Collection and Safari Welcome

Your women-only safari begins with a private morning collection from your hotel in Dar es Salaam. Your professional guide will welcome the group, assist with luggage and provide a short briefing about the journey before you begin travelling inland. With the safari vehicle reserved exclusively for your group, the journey can be enjoyed at a more personal pace. There is room for conversation, photography and sensible comfort stops without having to coordinate with unfamiliar travellers.

7:00 AM–12:30 PM: Scenic Road Journey to Mikumi

Travel from Dar es Salaam towards Mikumi National Park, watching the scenery gradually transform from coastal urban surroundings to villages, agricultural areas and open countryside. Your guide will share information about the regions you pass through and point out interesting features along the route. Stops can be arranged where practical for refreshments, stretching and photographs.

12:30 PM–2:30 PM: Luxury Lodge Arrival and Lunch

Arrive at your luxury accommodation near Mikumi and settle into your rooms. Enjoy lunch before taking some time to refresh and relax. The afternoon has been designed with enough space to recover from the morning road journey before beginning your first wildlife experience.

3:00 PM–6:00 PM: Afternoon Game Drive in Mikumi National Park

Enter Mikumi National Park for your first game drive. Your guide will explore the park's open plains and woodland while searching for elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, wildebeest and antelopes. The private setting is particularly useful for photographers, as the group can spend time at interesting sightings without feeling rushed by a shared vehicle schedule. Your guide will also introduce the group to animal tracks, behaviour and the surrounding ecosystem.

6:00 PM–8:00 PM: Return and Evening Relaxation

Return to the lodge as the day cools. Freshen up before enjoying dinner and a relaxed evening together. The evening can be used to share photographs, talk about the day's sightings and prepare for tomorrow's full-day exploration of Mikumi.

6:30 AM–7:00 AM: Breakfast

Enjoy breakfast before setting out for a full day inside Mikumi National Park. Your guide will discuss the day's route and take into account the group's interests, particularly wildlife photography, birdwatching and specific animals you would like to encounter.

7:00 AM–11:30 AM: Mkata Floodplain Wildlife Drive

Begin the morning exploring the Mkata Floodplain, one of Mikumi's most recognizable wildlife areas. The broad open landscape provides excellent visibility, allowing the group to search for elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, wildebeest and various antelope species. Your guide will explain how different animals use the floodplain and surrounding habitats throughout the year. The group can pause at suitable wildlife sightings for photography and observation.

11:30 AM–1:30 PM: Lunch and Midday Break

Enjoy lunch at an appropriate designated location or return to the accommodation depending on the day's route and park arrangements. Take time to relax, hydrate and review photographs from the morning before continuing into the afternoon.

1:30 PM–4:30 PM: Afternoon Safari and Birdwatching

Continue exploring Mikumi's varied habitats. The afternoon provides another opportunity to look for wildlife missed during the morning while also focusing more closely on the park's birdlife. Your guide will help identify different species, explain their calls and behaviours, and point out interesting details that can easily be missed when simply driving through the landscape. For women interested in photography, this can also be an excellent period for capturing environmental portraits of wildlife and broader landscape scenes.

4:30 PM–6:00 PM: Golden-Hour Wildlife Drive

As the afternoon progresses, continue towards the park exit while watching the changing light across the plains. The softer light can create beautiful photographic conditions and a peaceful conclusion to your full Mikumi day.

Evening: Luxury Dinner

Return to your accommodation for dinner and a relaxed evening. Enjoy time together before the journey towards Ruaha tomorrow.

6:30 AM–7:30 AM: Breakfast and Check-Out

Enjoy breakfast before checking out. Your guide will assist with luggage and prepare the private vehicle for the next stage of the journey.

7:30 AM–12:30 PM: Scenic Journey Towards Iringa

Leave Mikumi and travel towards the southern highlands. The scenery gradually becomes more elevated, with cultivated areas, rural communities and impressive countryside replacing the open plains around Mikumi. The road journey gives the group an opportunity to experience Tanzania beyond the national parks. Your guide will explain local landscapes and communities as you travel.

12:30 PM–1:30 PM: Lunch Stop

Enjoy lunch and take time to stretch before continuing towards Ruaha.

1:30 PM–4:30 PM: Great Rift Valley and Highland Scenery

Continue through the southern highlands, with opportunities to appreciate the dramatic terrain associated with the wider Great Rift Valley landscape. Where practical, your guide can stop at suitable viewpoints for photographs. The group can enjoy the changing scenery without rushing through this important transition between the two national parks.

4:30 PM–5:30 PM: Arrival at Ruaha and Luxury Check-In

Reach the Ruaha area and check into your luxury accommodation. Take time to refresh and relax after the road journey.

5:30 PM–6:30 PM: Evening Game Drive, Time Permitting

If arrival time, daylight and park regulations permit, head into Ruaha National Park for a short introductory evening game drive. This gives the group a first taste of Ruaha's rugged landscape, distinctive vegetation and wildlife before tomorrow's full-day exploration.

Evening: Dinner in the Wilderness

Return to your luxury lodge or camp for dinner. Relax and enjoy the quieter atmosphere of Ruaha before the main safari day ahead.

6:30 AM–7:00 AM: Breakfast

Enjoy breakfast before setting out for a full day exploring Ruaha National Park. Your guide will discuss the day's route and tailor the experience around the group's interests, whether those are elephants, predators, birds, landscapes or photography.

7:00 AM–11:30 AM: Morning Game Drive

Begin your exploration during the cooler morning hours. Ruaha's varied terrain provides opportunities to encounter elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, impalas and other antelope species. Your guide will also search areas where predators may be active, while explaining tracks, animal behaviour and the ecological relationships that shape the park. The private vehicle provides plenty of space for photography equipment and allows the group to enjoy wildlife sightings at a comfortable pace.

11:30 AM–1:30 PM: Scenic Lunch and Rest

Pause for lunch at a suitable designated location or return to the lodge depending on the day's route. This midday break provides time to rest, enjoy refreshments and exchange photographs and observations before continuing the afternoon safari.

1:30 PM–5:30 PM: Great Ruaha River and Baobab Woodland

Continue towards landscapes influenced by the Great Ruaha River. Your guide will explain the river's importance to wildlife and how water availability influences animal movements. The afternoon also introduces the group to Ruaha's extraordinary baobab woodland. These striking trees create some of the most recognizable landscapes in southern Tanzania and offer excellent opportunities for wide-angle landscape photography. Birdwatching will form another part of the afternoon, with the guide helping the group identify species encountered along the route.

5:30 PM–6:30 PM: Evening Return

Begin the return journey towards your accommodation as the light softens over Ruaha. Enjoy the final wildlife sightings of the day before leaving the park.

Evening: Women’s Safari Evening

Return to the lodge for dinner and a relaxed evening. This is an opportunity for the group to share experiences, review photographs and enjoy the atmosphere of the Ruaha wilderness.

5:45 AM–6:15 AM: Early Breakfast and Departure

Begin the day with an early breakfast or suitable morning refreshment before departing for your final Ruaha experience.

6:15 AM–9:30 AM: Morning Game Drive or Guided Walking Safari

Choose between another morning game drive or, where available, a guided walking safari suitable for the group and permitted under current park regulations. A morning game drive offers another opportunity to search for elephants, giraffes, antelopes, buffaloes and birds from the comfort of the vehicle. A walking experience, when conditions and regulations allow, provides a more intimate perspective on smaller tracks, plants, insects and the sounds of the bush. The activity will be selected according to the group's interests, fitness and current conditions.

9:30 AM–11:00 AM: Breakfast, Freshen Up and Check-Out

Return to your accommodation for breakfast and time to freshen up before checking out. Your guide will assist with luggage and prepare the vehicle for the journey towards Iringa.

11:00 AM–2:00 PM: Journey to the Southern Highlands

Travel from Ruaha towards Iringa through changing highland scenery. As you leave the wilderness behind, the landscape gradually becomes more agricultural and settled. Your guide will explain the region's character and arrange appropriate comfort or photography stops during the transfer.

2:00 PM–3:00 PM: Lunch in Iringa

Enjoy lunch before beginning your afternoon heritage experience.

3:00 PM–5:30 PM: Isimila Stone Age Site

Visit the Isimila Stone Age Site, an important archaeological landscape near Iringa. Explore the unusual eroded formations while learning about the area's archaeological significance and evidence associated with early human history. Your guide will provide context for the site and allow time for photographs. This experience adds cultural and historical depth to the safari, giving the group an opportunity to discover a part of Tanzania beyond wildlife.

Evening: Luxury Iringa Stay

Check into your luxury accommodation and enjoy dinner. Relax after the day's safari and cultural experiences while preparing for the final scenic journey to Dar es Salaam.

Destination:

Ruaha National Park

Overnight:

Hans Poppe Hotel

  luxury 5 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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6:30 AM–7:30 AM: Breakfast and Check-Out

Enjoy your final breakfast before checking out. Your guide will assist with luggage and prepare the vehicle for the journey back to Dar es Salaam.

7:30 AM–12:30 PM: Kitonga Escarpment Scenic Drive

Begin the return journey through the southern highlands. The route around the Kitonga Escarpment provides impressive views of valleys, elevated terrain and rural landscapes. This final road journey offers another perspective of Tanzania's countryside and creates opportunities for photographs along the way. Your private vehicle means the group can make suitable comfort stops without having to follow a shared-tour timetable.

12:30 PM–1:30 PM: Lunch and Refreshment Break

Stop for lunch and take time to stretch before continuing towards Dar es Salaam.

1:30 PM–6:30 PM: Return Journey via Mikumi

Continue through the countryside towards the Mikumi region and onward to Dar es Salaam. The afternoon provides time to relax after several days of wildlife exploration. The group can look back through photographs, share favourite sightings and enjoy the final views of southern Tanzania.

6:30 PM–7:30 PM: Arrival in Dar es Salaam

Arrive in Dar es Salaam and conclude your 6-day women-only luxury drive-in drive-out Southern Circuit safari. Your private guide will assist with luggage and transfer you to your preferred hotel, airport or other agreed destination.