Explore the Tanzania Southern safari circuit : There are four safari circuits in Tanzania: the northern safari circuit, the southern safari circuit, the eastern safari circuit, and the western safari circuit. The Northern safari circuit is the most well-known and frequently visited safari circuit because it is home to renowned safari parks like the Serengeti, Arusha, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire national parks. The major issue with the Northern safari Park is that there are always a lot of safari vehicles there, as opposed to other circuits like the southern safari circuit, which is less congested and gives a more secluded safari experience. The Southern Tanzania safari circuit is the epitome of a wilderness experience; it is a region with some of the last unpolluted expanses of African bush, as well as a few exclusive national parks and reserves.
Without as many safari tourist vans as the northern parks of Serengeti national park and Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania’s southern parks provide a true bush experience. Once again, safari parks in southern Tanzania Due to its intimacy and focus on serving small groups, the majority of the lodgings fall into the higher price bracket. Accommodations in Southern Tanzania provide a range of opportunities to observe wildlife, including boat safaris, walking safaris, and camping out beneath the stars.
For first-time travelers, Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are two popular sites on Tanzania’s Northern Safari Circuit. However, the lesser-known (and less-visited) Southern safari Circuit has its own treasures that shouldn’t be disregarded when organizing a safari tour of Tanzania and Africa. The parks and reserves of the Tanzanian Southern Safari Circuit are what adventures are made of, with their secluded landscapes, astounding wildlife richness, and significantly less crowding. Consider going on a chimp trekking through pristine jungle or a safari drive across the savannah with no other cars in sight.
One of the best safaris in Africa is made possible by the Southern Circuit, which provides all of that and more. Therefore, we’ll discuss some of the parks you may visit on the Southern Circuit in this guide, along with the ideal time to visit. Where should you go on your safari in southern Tanzania? The Top Places to Visit on the Southern Safari Circuit in Tanzania are listed below.
- Selous Game Reserve.
The Selous Game Reserve is one of Africa’s largest of its kind, covering over 30,000 square kilometers and is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site. Amazing wildlife diversity may be found there, including countless lions, hippos, wildebeest, zebra, and giraffe, as well as large populations of buffalo, hippos, and hippos.
The Selous Game Reserve is home to about 440 different bird species, including trumpeter hornbills, huge kingfishers, migratory Malagasy squacco herons, and African skimmers. The Rufiji River serves as the focal point for the majority of wildlife and bird sightings, but the reserve also includes Acacia savannah, wetlands, and vast Miombo woods, most of which are unspoiled, Explore the Tanzania Southern safari circuit.
The Selous Game Reserve does not allow night game drive safaris; however, walking safaris are allowed, allowing you to get close to animals that would normally be startled by a jeep’s engine. Aside from going on daytime game drives, you may also go fly camping, where you spend the night in a makeshift camp amid the stunning Selous scenery.
- Ruaha National Park.
One of The largest national park in Tanzania, Ruaha, is located in the country’s geographic center and covers more than 20,000 square kilometers. It was created in 1910 while Germany was in control, and it includes the Great Ruaha River and the marshes of the Usanga Game Reserve, which are home to a variety of birds. Ruaha National Park is much less visited than the Selous Game Reserve despite having a great diversity of animal and plant life. But those who do come here will be rewarded with stunning escarpments and scenery dotted with baobab trees.
In addition to having one of the highest densities of elephants in all of East Africa, Ruaha National Park is home to enormous numbers of predators like lions, leopards, and cheetahs. Along with hippos, wild dogs, and Grant’s gazelle, the park is also home to buffalos, giraffes, and sable antelope. With more than 570 species currently known to exist, Birdlife International has designated the Usanga Basin as an Important Birding Area. While migratory birds fly from as far afield as Australia and Asia to stop and refuel here, Ruaha red-billed hornbills are native to the park.
Ruaha’s magnificent wildlife can be viewed in the early morning or late afternoon, but night safaris are not allowed, and only a few hotels provide walking safaris. It does, however, provide a wide range of upscale campers and lodges with all the amenities you could want for a wonderful visit.
- Mahale Mountains National Park.
Mahale Mountains National Park, which is named after the Mahale Mountains that are located inside its boundaries and is well-known for its chimpanzee population, is located on the beaches of Lake Tanganyika. It’s regarded as one of Tanzania’s most stunning parks and the only location in Africa where chimpanzees and lions are known to live side by side. The park can only be accessed by boat because there are no roads leading in or out, which contributes to its sense of seclusion and lack of crowds, Explore the Tanzania Southern safari circuit.
Yellow baboons, red colobus monkeys, and vervet monkeys are just a few of the numerous primates that may be seen in Mahale Mountains National Park. However, it is the approximately 1,000 chimpanzees that draw tourists, particularly the Mimikere clan, who have become accustomed to the presence of scientists since 1965.
The main way to explore the Mahale Mountains National Park is on guided treks, and the best time to go hiking is typically at the end of the dry season (between August and October), when the trails are the driest and least slick. Depending on where they are that day, viewing chimps in the wild may involve anywhere from a 20-minute stroll to a longer, more difficult walk spanning several hours. Sightings aren’t certain, as they never are with wild creatures. However, you can witness chimpanzee clans foraging, grooming, and caring for their young on the majority of days. This is a truly memorable wildlife experience.
- Udzungwa Mountains National Park.
The Udzungwa Mountains National Park, which is located on the border of Mikumi National Park, spans 1,900 square kilometers and includes tropical rainforest, miombo woodland, grassland, and steppe. With more than 2,500 plant species, 400 distinct bird species, and six different primates, it has an astounding biodiversity. Elephants, buffalos, lions, and leopards are also found on the plateau, along with red colobus from Iringa and Sanje crested mangabey.
The only means of transportation into or out of the park are guided hikes, which can last anything from an hour (the Sonjo journey) to six days (the Lumemo Trail). The Sanje Waterfalls, a 170-metre-high cascade with a plunge pool where you may cool off with a swim, are where most people choose to climb for six hours. Camping is the only form of lodging available within the park, while there are several local guesthouses in the settlement of Mang’ula nearby. The majority of visitors choose to combine a trip to the nearby Mikumi National Park, which is about one hour’s drive to the north, with a visit to the Udzungwa Mountains.
- Mikumi National Park
The Mikumi National Park, one of the easiest to get to from Dar es Salaam city and home to the “Big Five,” spans 3,230 square meters between the Selous Game Reserve and the Udzungwa Mountains. Its landscape is frequently compared to the Serengeti National Park because of the huge grassland and unique palms, baobabs, and acacias that dot it.
Along with a rare giraffe subspecies, it is home to elephants, zebras, wildebeest, baboons, and elephants. Along with more than 400 different bird species, Mikumi is famed for its tree-climbing lions and hippo pools, where you may get up close to these animals. For those with limited time, it is the ideal Tanzania safari vacation choice due to its accessibility and excellent wildlife viewing. It is home to a few lodges and camps where you can spend the night and is crisscrossed by a good network of game-viewing routes for early morning and late afternoon safaris.
WHAT FURTHER LOCATIONS ARE THERE IN TANZANIA’S NORTHERN SAFARI CIRCUIT? The following are extras you can add to your southern safari circuit itinerary:
Saadani National Park offers a wonderful blend of beaches and forest. Saadani, which is located in the Indian Ocean, is reachable from Dar es Salaam by either road or charter airplane. You can view lions, elephants, giraffes, buffalo, warthogs, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, greater kudus, elands, sable antelope, yellow baboons, and vervet monkeys on walking and boat safaris, which are both quite popular.
Zanzibar Island: Unguja, also known as Zanzibar, is the most well-known of the more than 50 islands that make up the Zanzibar Archipelago. Visits to one of the islands are fairly common following a wildlife safari. UNESCO has designated Stone Town, a maze of tiny lanes filled with palaces, mosques, and shops, as a World Heritage Site. The islands’ beaches offer pristine white sand and are palm-fringed. The reefs are excellent for diving and snorkeling, and the sea is shallow and tropical, Explore the Tanzania Southern safari circuit.
WHY SHOULD YOU VISIT THE SOUTHERN TANZANIA SAFARI CIRCUIT?
For a variety of reasons, Southern Tanzania safaris are highly valued by safari aficionados. First off, these places are great for game viewing since they have a fair variety and density of wildlife, an interesting fusion of species from eastern and southern Africa, and a lot of predator activity. In addition, as opposed to the closed-sided vehicles utilized in the north, open-sided safari vehicles improve the viewing experience.
Second, the sizable parks and reserves provide visitors with a better feeling of the size of the African wilderness and an uncrowded, more exclusive wildlife viewing experience with fewer other vehicles and tourists (in contrast to the more congested northern parks). In addition to the typical daytime game drives, the south and west of Tanzania offer a larger variety of activities than the strictly regulated national parks in the north. These include walking safaris, boating safaris, fly camping, and even mountain hiking to find wild chimps.
Tanzania’s more well-known and renowned Serengeti and Ngorongoro Craters in the north frequently cast a shadow over the country’s south and west. However, we would disagree with some agents who say that the south and west are better suited to the experienced safari-goer and shouldn’t be recommended for a first-timer. Numerous first-timers that explored the southern Tanzania had wonderful safari experiences.
HOW TO GET AROUND ON A TANZANIA SOUTHERN SAFARI CIRCUIT?
It is relatively simple to arrange safaris of any length in these parks and to combine them with a beach element on either the mainland coast or Zanzibar because Selous Game Reserve and Ruaha National Park are accessible by daily scheduled light aircraft flights from Dar es Salaam.
Geographically and logistically, the west of Tanzania is more distant; there are only two pricey flights per week from the northern cities of Ruaha and Arusha. It can cost more than $1,000 per person to travel to the far west. There are parks here like Katavi and Mahale. In comparison to the northern parks, the southern and western camps are more affordable, with prices ranging from about $450 per person per night to $1,000 per person per night.
WHEN TO VISIT THE TANZANIA SOUTHERN SAFARI CIRCUIT? BEST TIME TO GO
The dry season, which lasts from June to October, is typically the greatest time to explore the Southern Tanzania safari Circuit since wildlife congregates around the few available water sources in the parks and reserves. There are typically fewer mosquitoes at night than during the rainy season, and the bright, sunny skies make it a great time to go on game drives, Explore the Tanzania Southern safari circuit.
If you have a particular interest in birdwatching, consider visiting during the wet season, which runs from November through May, when migratory birds from all over the world swarm to the wetlands. It’s crucial to be warned that trekking trails in the Mahale Mountains and Udzungwa Mountains National Park can become highly muddy and slippery, even though most parks will encounter brief showers that shouldn’t significantly hinder tourism activities.
