6 Days Southern Tanzania Private Midrange Drive-in Drive-out Safari

Your dedicated guide will collect your party early in Dar es Salaam and begin the journey to Mikumi. Discuss your interests during the drive, whether you are particularly keen on photography, birdwatching or learning about animal behaviour. Stop for refreshments and lunch before entering the park for an afternoon game drive. Your guide will introduce Mikumi’s open landscapes and allow time at the sightings that interest you, looking for giraffes, zebras, elephants and antelope. Finish within the park’s operating hours and continue to your midrange accommodation in the Mikumi area for dinner and your first overnight stay.

Distance: Approximately 300–320 km, excluding game-drive tracks.
Attractions: Mikumi grasslands, elephants, giraffes, zebras and antelope.

Time: Around 6–7 hours of road travel; approximately 2–3 hours of game viewing if arrival permits.

After breakfast, explore Mikumi with your private guide and a picnic lunch. The day’s route will reflect current wildlife activity and your interests, allowing you to remain with an interesting herd, wait for a photographic opportunity or move on to another habitat. Search the plains for buffalo and antelope, visit a suitable hippo viewing area and watch woodland edges for possible predators. Pause for lunch at a designated site before continuing the afternoon drive. Because the vehicle is reserved for your party, decisions can be discussed directly with the guide. Return to the same accommodation for dinner and overnight.

Distance: Flexible game-drive routes within Mikumi.
Time: Approximately 7–9 hours, including lunch and viewing stops.
Attractions: Mkata Floodplain, hippo pools, buffalo, birdlife and possible lion sightings

Destination:

Mikumi Natinal Park

Overnight:

Mikumi Wildlife Camp

  mid rage 3 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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Leave after an early breakfast for the journey to Ruaha via Iringa, with practical stops arranged along the way. The drive takes you through changing countryside before the final approach to Ruaha’s woodland landscapes. Lunch will be planned around the route so you can continue without unnecessary delay. If arrival time permits, enjoy a short late-afternoon game drive and begin looking for elephants, giraffes and antelope among the baobabs. Otherwise, continue to your accommodation and prepare for tomorrow’s full outing. Dinner and overnight are at a midrange lodge or tented camp selected as part of your confirmed itinerary.

Distance: Approximately 320–350 km.
Time: Around 6–8 hours by road; up to 1–2 hours of arrival game viewing if time allows.
Attractions: Highland scenery, baobabs, Ruaha woodland and possible large mammals.

Destination:

Mikumi Natinal Park

Overnight:

Ruaha River Lodge

  mid rage 3 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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Spend the day exploring Ruaha with your guide, using recent sightings and accessible routes to shape the game drive. River surroundings may provide elephants, buffalo and hippos, while woodland and rocky areas offer other settings for giraffes, antelope and possible predators. Take time to watch behaviour and appreciate the landscape, with the freedom to discuss whether to linger or continue. A picnic lunch at an approved site allows you to remain out in the park before the afternoon drive. Return to your accommodation before evening, completing a full day focused on your party’s interests and the wildlife encountered.

Distance: Variable game-drive distance within Ruaha.
Time: Approximately 8–9 hours, including lunch and observation stops.
Attractions: Great Ruaha River surroundings, elephants, buffalo, baobabs and possible big cats.

Destination:

Ruaha

Overnight:

Ruaha River Lodge

  mid rage 3 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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Begin with a final morning outing in Ruaha, concentrating on a nearby habitat or interest you would like to explore further. Your guide will keep the route compatible with breakfast, checkout and the onward journey. Afterwards, leave the park area and travel towards Iringa, stopping for lunch according to the schedule. Check into your midrange hotel during the afternoon and enjoy a quieter period after the safari activities. The overnight stay breaks the journey to Dar es Salaam and gives you time to prepare for the final day’s historical visit. Dinner and overnight are in Iringa.

Distance: Approximately 130 km to Iringa from the main park access area, plus local driving.
Time: Around 2–3 hours of game viewing and approximately 3–4 hours for the transfer.
Attractions: Morning wildlife activity, Ruaha scenery and Iringa’s highland setting.

Destination:

Iringa Attractions

Overnight:

Iringa Sunset Hotel

  mid rage 3 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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After an early breakfast, visit Isimila Stone Age Site for a guided introduction to its archaeological importance and distinctive formations. Walk towards the earth pillars where access permits, choosing a manageable route that leaves enough time for the return journey. Afterwards, travel to Dar es Salaam with lunch and refreshment stops planned along the way. This is a long travel day, with an evening or late-evening arrival depending on road conditions and traffic. Your guide will drop your party at the agreed city location, completing the private six-day journey through Mikumi, Ruaha and the Southern Highlands.

Distance: Approximately 540–570 km, including the Isimila visit.
Time: Around 1–1.5 hours at Isimila, plus approximately 9–11 hours of travel and breaks.
Attractions: Isimila archaeological site, earth pillars and highland landscapes.