7 Days Between Nyerere and Ruaha Luxury Fly-In Fly-Out Lodge Safari

Take a scheduled or charter flight into Nyerere National Park, where your safari team will meet you for the transfer to your luxury lodge. After settling in and enjoying lunch, head to the Rufiji River for a boat safari through channels, lagoons and stretches of open water. Watch for hippos surfacing beside the boat, crocodiles resting along muddy banks and elephants approaching the river to drink. Birdlife may include fish eagles, kingfishers, herons and storks. Return to the lodge in the late afternoon for dinner and an overnight stay surrounded by the sounds of the African bush.

Destination:

Nyerere National Park

Overnight:

Serena Mivumo River Lodge

  luxury 4 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Lunch, Dinner

❮ ❯

Set out after breakfast for a full-day game drive across Nyerere’s woodland, open grassland and riverine habitats. Your guide will follow fresh tracks and scan the plains for elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, antelopes and predators. Continue towards seasonal lakes and water channels, where wildlife often gathers and birdwatching adds another dimension to the drive. Stop at a suitable picnic site for lunch before exploring another section of the reserve during the cooler afternoon hours. Return to your lodge for dinner and a restful night.

Destination:

Nyerere National Park

Overnight:

Serena Mivumo River Lodge

  luxury 4 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

❮ ❯

Begin the morning with a guided walking safari, accompanied by a qualified armed ranger where required by park regulations. Learn to identify animal tracks, dung, insects, native plants and other signs that reveal how wildlife uses the landscape. Walking also offers a closer look at the smaller details often missed from a vehicle, from birds in the undergrowth to the marks left by passing elephants. After breakfast and time to relax at the lodge, head out again for an afternoon game drive along different tracks, stopping to observe animals at a respectful distance and photograph the changing scenery. Spend the evening back at the lodge.

Destination:

Nyerere National Park

Overnight:

Serena Mivumo River Lodge

  luxury 4 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

❮ ❯

Enjoy breakfast before transferring to the airstrip for your flight to Ruaha National Park, reducing the long overland journey between the two destinations. On arrival, meet your Ruaha guide and travel towards your luxury lodge, with opportunities to spot wildlife along the way when conditions permit. After lunch and a short rest, head out for an introductory game drive through the park’s rugged terrain, where ancient baobabs, rocky outcrops and dry riverbeds create a different setting from Nyerere’s waterways. Explore areas around the Great Ruaha River, watching for elephants, giraffes, kudu and other animals that frequent the surrounding vegetation. Return for dinner and an overnight stay.

Destination:

Nyerere National Park

Overnight:

Serena Mivumo River Lodge

  luxury 4 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

❮ ❯

Spend the day exploring Ruaha with your guide, following river corridors, open plains and patches of woodland where wildlife movements change with the season. The Great Ruaha River and its tributaries can attract elephants, buffaloes, antelopes and predators, while rocky areas and tall trees provide habitat for a variety of birds. Pause for a picnic lunch at an approved location before continuing into another part of the park, allowing time to observe animal behaviour rather than rushing between sightings. Return to the lodge in the late afternoon for dinner and an evening at leisure.

Destination:

Ruaha National Park

Overnight:

Kichaka Safari Camp

  luxury 4 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

❮ ❯

Join a morning walking safari, where your guide introduces the smaller signs of life that shape Ruaha’s ecosystem, including tracks in the dust, seed pods, medicinal plants and the relationship between vegetation and grazing animals. After returning to the lodge for breakfast, enjoy time to relax, photograph the surrounding landscape or observe birds near the camp. Later, depart for an afternoon game drive through a different habitat from the previous day, looking for wildlife along dry river channels and open clearings. If offered by your lodge and permitted under park rules, finish with a sundowner at a designated scenic spot before returning for your final dinner in Ruaha.

Destination:

Ruaha

Overnight:

Kichaka Safari Camp

  luxury 4 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

❮ ❯

Rise early for a final game drive, taking advantage of the cooler morning hours when wildlife may be active around watercourses and feeding grounds. Your guide will select suitable routes according to recent sightings, available time and your flight schedule. Return to the lodge for breakfast, collect your luggage and transfer to the airstrip for your outbound flight, connecting with your onward travel arrangements. Depart with photographs and memories of two contrasting southern Tanzanian wilderness areas, from Nyerere’s river landscapes to Ruaha’s vast, baobab-studded savannah.