serengeti-ruaha-selous
This authentic 10-day serengeti-ruaha-selous safari itinerary takes you straight into three of Tanzania’s prettiest hidden gems. Kick off your trip in the Seronera, one of the most reliable game-viewing areas in the central Serengeti National Park. It offers East Africa’s best cheetah-viewing opportunities and front-row seats to the predator-action of the Wildebeest Migration from about May to July every year. Your accommodation will be Namiri Plains, a beautiful tented camp.
Then move to the private Kwihala Camp set in a remote corner of Ruaha National Park, Tanzania’s best-kept secret. Experience Africa at its wildest, without sacrificing comfort and luxury. Ruaha is home to the biggest herds of elephant in East Africa and has a fantastic reputation for quality predator sightings. Lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena and endangered wild dog roam here in healthy numbers.
Then travel to Roho ya Selous – the ‘Heart of the Selous’ – and spend your last couple of days at this stylish tented camp overlooking the celebrated Rufiji River, the defining feature of Africa’s biggest game reserve. Nyerere National Park (Selous) is remote and wonderfully wild – a gigantic conservation area almost double the size of Belgium. It is a sanctuary for the Big 5 and Africa’s top predators like lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and spotted hyena. The reserve is also famous for its large buffalo and elephant herds, and sizeable populations of giraffe, hippo and sable antelope.
Highlights
- Stay at an exquisite tented camp along the wildebeest migratory route
- Fantastic predator sightings in the Serengeti’s central Seronera, especially cheetah
- Secluded and private setting in Ruaha
- Savour a unique ‘bonnet breakfast’, prepared on the hood of your safari vehicle
- Day and night game drives in Ruaha
- Game drives, guided walks and river safaris at Roho ya Selous – superb big game viewing and predator action
Overview
This authentic 10-day safari itinerary takes you straight into three of Tanzania’s prettiest hidden gems. Kick off your trip in the Seronera, one of the most reliable game-viewing areas in the central Serengeti National Park. It offers East Africa’s best cheetah-viewing opportunities and front-row seats to the predator-action of the Wildebeest Migration from about May to July every year. Your accommodation will be Namiri Plains, a beautiful tented camp.
Then move to the private Kwihala Camp set in a remote corner of Ruaha National Park, Tanzania’s best-kept secret. Experience Africa at its wildest, without sacrificing comfort and luxury. Ruaha is home to the biggest herds of elephant in East Africa and has a fantastic reputation for quality predator sightings. Lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena and endangered wild dog roam here in healthy numbers.
Then travel to Roho ya Selous – the ‘Heart of the Selous’ – and spend your last couple of days at this stylish tented camp overlooking the celebrated Rufiji River, the defining feature of Africa’s biggest game reserve. Nyerere National Park (Selous) is remote and wonderfully wild – a gigantic conservation area almost double the size of Belgium. It is a sanctuary for the Big 5 and Africa’s top predators like lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and spotted hyena. The reserve is also famous for its large buffalo and elephant herds, and sizeable populations of giraffe, hippo and sable antelope.
Summary
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Tour Duration: 10 Days
Day to day
Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome to Tanzania
ARUSHA, TANZANIA
Day 1: Welcome to Tanzania | 1 Night
ARUSHA, TANZANIA
Rivertrees Country Inn is an excellent way to start your East African travels: a tranquil forest setting in the foothills of Mount Meru with splendid views of Mount Kilimanjaro. Your first night on safari is spent in a well-appointed and spacious room offering wonderful vistas of the estate’s gorgeous gardens. The lodge is conveniently located just under an hour’s drive from both Arusha and Kilimanjaro International Airports, the gateway to Tanzania’s northern safari circuit.
Days 2-5: Explore central Seronera’s ‘big cat’ plains | 3 Nights
SERENGETI, TANZANIA
Travel to a remote location in central Seronera, known as one of the most reliable game-viewing areas in the Serengeti. Check into your Hemingway-style canvas tent at the intimate Namiri Plains, boasting creature comforts like crisp linen, hot-water showers and a flush toilet.
‘Namiri’ is Swahili for ‘big cat’ and you will certainly enjoy unbeatable sightings of cheetah in this area. Go on daily game drives with skilled ranger-and-tracker teams in search of Seronera’s residents, as well as being privy to unusual sightings like aardwolf, serval and endangered pangolin. If you are visiting between about May and July, you will enjoy front-row seats to the Great Migration when thousands of wildebeest make their annual pilgrimage through Seronera.
Days 5-7: Experience Africa in its most raw form
Time marches on and it is time for you to relocate to a private mobile camp set in a secluded corner of Ruaha National Park. Kwihala Camp’s location alternates between two sites, so you will always enjoy an unspoilt setting. Its spacious canvas tents are charmingly furnished and feature shaded verandas with safari chairs.
You go on day and night game drives with local guides and enjoy quality predator sightings like lion, cheetah and leopard. Start your days with delicious breakfasts in Kwihala’s mess tent or for something truly unique, a memorable ‘bonnet breakfast’ can be prepared for you on your safari vehicle’s hood in a wild and off-the-beaten-track location.
Days 7-10: Journey to ‘Heart of the Selous’ | 3 Nights
SELOUS, TANZANIA
The final chapter of your safari adventure will be written in Africa’s biggest game reserve. The sheer size and scale of Selous can be difficult to imagine, but its breathtakingly wild and beautiful landscape will mesmerise even the most seasoned safari goer. The great Rufiji River is the reserve’s lifeblood and teems with birds, elephants and Jurassic-sized crocodiles.
With a name that translates to ‘Heart of the Selous’, Roho ya Selous is perched on a hill within a sensational photographic section of Selous. This luxury tented camp offers sweeping views of the famed Rufiji River and lies close to an area that’s known for offering the best game viewing in the reserve: Lake Manze and Lake Nzerakera. Highly knowledgeable guides will take you out on game drives, guided walks and river safaris to enjoy superb big game sightings and predator action
Inclusions
- Camp to airstrip transfers (vice verse)
- Coastal flight from Arusha to Seronera Airstrip
- Coastal flight from Ruaha to Selous
- Coastal flight from Selous to DAR
- Coastal flight from Seronera to Ruaha
- Concession and conservation fees
- Intercamp transfers
- Park Fees
- Scheduled game drive and walking safari
Exclusions
- International flights
- Airport taxes
- All meals and drinks not specified
- Tips and gratuities
- Items of a personal nature
