The south and west of Tanzania are often overshadowed by the more famous and iconic Serengeti Safari and Ngorongoro Crater in the north. However these areas offer incredible game viewing and a range of safari activities such as boating/walking safaris and fly camping. The western parks, Katavi and Mahale, are even more remote and wild – and expensive to reach! – thus less frequented by travellers and more exclusive.
We have specialised in tailor-made Tanzania Holidays and Tanzania Safaris since 1998. Our knowledge and experience will guarantee you the very best possible itinerary for your budget and travel dates, and your money is protected by our ATOL bond.
Why go on a Southern Tanzania Safari?
A Southern Tanzania Safari is very highly regarded by safari enthusiasts for a number of reasons. Firstly the game viewing – these areas offer a good variety and density of game, an interesting crossover of eastern and southern Africa species, and plenty of predator action. In addition, open-sided safari vehicles enhance the viewing experience, in contrast to the closed-sided vehicles used in the north.
Secondly, the huge parks and reserves offer visitors an uncrowded and more exclusive game viewing experience with few other vehicles and tourists (the contrast with the more crowded northern parks is stark), and a good sense of the vastness of the African wilderness.
Finally, the south and west of Tanzania offer a wider range of activities than are available in the tightly-regulated national parks of the north – as well as the usual daytime game drives, there are walking safaris, boating safaris, fly camping and even mountain trekking to find wild chimpanzees!
The south and west of Tanzania are often overshadowed by the more famous and iconic Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in the north.
Some agents feel that the south and west are better suited to the seasoned safari-goer and don’t recommend them for a first timer – however we would disagree! We have sent thousands of first timers to southern Tanzania where they have had an excellent safari experience.
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Southern Tanzania Safari Circuit FAQ's
Selous Game Reserve and Ruaha National Park in the south are accessible by daily scheduled light aircraft flights from Dar es Salaam, which makes it very easy to arrange safaris of any duration in these parks and also to combine them with a beach element on either the mainland coast or Zanzibar.
The west of Tanzania is more remote, both geographically and logistically – there are flights only twice a week from Ruaha and Arusha in the north, and these flights are expensive! Reaching the far west can cost over $1,000 per person. Parks here include Katavi and Mahale
The southern and western camps offer good value for money compared to the northern parks with camps from around $450 per person per night up to $1,000 pppn.
The best time to visit southern Tanzania is from June to October when the dry season peaks. Vegetation thins and the daily patterns of wildlife become more predictable as they depend on the few remaining permanent water sources, creating perfect game viewing conditions. From August to October, Ruaha National Park offers some of the best conditions for walking safaris in Africa. Our southern Tanzania safari circuit is a true wildlife wonderland.
The southern Tanzania safari circuit is a wildlife paradise, home to lion, elephant, cheetah, wild dog, and more. Whether you prefer the dry season for easier sightings around waterholes and rivers, or the wet season for lush scenery and abundant migratory birds, take advantage of free inter-camp flights with All Asilia.
Tanzania safari in Southern Tanzania Circuit costs a slow as 200 USD per person / per day depending on; which park you want to visit, which accommodations you want to use, as well as and the number of persons joining you on your safari in Tanzania. The more people are sharing a safari group, the cheaper the price of safari it becomes. Safari price in Southern Tanzania also depends on which parks you visit. Different parks and reserves in Tanzania charges different conservation fee rates (park entrance fees). We at Safari Desire offer the best affordable prices for Southern Tanzania Safaris.
The northern camps vary enormously in price, and as a general rule, the higher the price, the better your camp and game experience. At the lower end of the spectrum are the large permanent lodges like the Serena and the Sopa which have anything from 70 rooms and cost about $500 pppn including game activities, and this is pretty standard for all the parks. There are smaller tented camps such as Kati Kati in the Serengeti which break into this price bracket but are in equally busy areas.
The mid-range choices include some excellent mobile tented camps such as Olakira, Dunia and Ubuntu, at about $650 pppn. The enormous advantage of these camps is that most of them move every four months with the migration thus avoiding the crowds, creating a personal camp atmosphere and delivering a great game experience. Alex Walkers Serian is $850 pppn and quite simply the best mobile operation in the Serengeti, but their frequent special offers put this product into the mid-range price category. These camps work very well with Plantation Lodge or Gibbs Farm in the Ngorongoro Highlands, both about $650 pppn which allow access to the Crater and Manyara whist avoiding the large hotels.
At the higher end of the scale are operators such as &Beyond and Singita which start from $1,000 pppn upwards to $1,600 pppn. Then there are Serengeti Lamai and Sayari which are about $900 pppn. The higher-end product delivers a truly world class safari so if budget is not too much of an issue every penny is justified.
With a few exceptions, no walking is allowed in the northern parks and game viewing is in closed-sided vehicles. However, it is now possible to take good – albeit short – safari walks in the Serengeti with Serian and Nomads from their mobile camps and from Sayari and Serengeti Lamai in the Lamai Wedge.
If you would like to walk or hike properly, it is well worthwhile getting off the beaten track, out of the National Parks and into the less tightly-regulated concession areas. The best of these for walking are around Nduara Camp in the Loliondo region, or with the Hadzabe hunter/gatherers near Eyasi. Guided walks, often led by Maasai, are also rewarding along the top of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, overlooking Manyara.
The starting point for a northern safari is Arusha, which was once a traditional Maasai village. International flights arrive either through Dar, a two hour flight from Arusha, or Kilimanjaro which is only a half an hour drive away. Your northern safari can start with a short flight from Arusha to any of the parks, or even a drive.
Safaris in Southern Tanzania
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