Southern Tanzania Safari Highlights
Southern Tanzania offers a distinctly different safari experience from the popular northern circuit. It’s characterized by vast, wild, and less-visited parks, providing a more rugged and exclusive adventure with diverse activities beyond traditional game drives.
Key Highlights & Parks:
- Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous Game Reserve):
- Africa’s Largest Park: One of the largest protected areas in Africa, known for its vast wilderness.
- Boat Safaris: A major highlight, offering unique perspectives on wildlife from the Rufiji River, including hippos, crocodiles, and elephants.
- Walking Safaris: Common and highly rewarding, allowing for close encounters with the bush.
- Game Drives: Excellent for elephants, buffalo, wild dogs (one of the best places), and various antelopes.
- Less Crowded: Offers a much more exclusive safari experience than the northern parks.
- Ruaha National Park:
- Tanzania’s Largest Park: Known for its rugged, untamed landscapes and exceptional wildlife.
- High Biodiversity: A transition zone where Eastern and Southern African wildlife species overlap.
- Huge Elephant Population: Home to one of the largest elephant populations in East Africa.
- Strong Predator Numbers: Excellent for lions (known for large prides), leopards, cheetahs, and wild dogs.
- Great Ruaha River: The park’s lifeline, concentrating animals during the dry season.
- Remote and Wild: Offers a true wilderness feel with fewer tourists.
Activities (Unique to Southern Parks):
- Boat Safaris: Especially in Nyerere, offering unique viewing opportunities.
- Walking Safaris: More commonly offered and deeper into the bush than in northern parks.
- Fly-In Safaris: Due to the vast distances, most safaris in the south are fly-in, connecting camps by small aircraft.
Best Time to Visit: Dry season (June-October) for concentrated wildlife viewing.