Nyerere NP, Udzungwa Mountains NP, Ruaha NP and Mikumi NP, Tanzania

Day One

Dar es Salaam & Nyerere NP

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Our tour begins with an early-morning pick-up from your hotel in Dar es Salaam, where you will meet your Pictus Safaris representative and local guide. Our initial drive today, will take around six hours, broken up by a break for lunch and photographic opportunities if desired. Arriving during the early afternoon, we set up camp in the grounds of Hippo Camp, a small and neglected camp just outside Nyerere National Park on the banks of the Rufiji River. Whilst Hippo Camp's lodge accommodation is lacking, our basic tented accommodation on the banks of the Rufiji offers real value for money, and we recommend using this afternoon to wander the banks of the Rufiji taking in the impressive view, as well as the local birdlife and primates. Blue Monkeys and Angola Colobus are commonly seen in camp, and previous guests have also seen Black-and-Rufous Elephant Shrew. As the evening sets in, you have the opportunity to head out onto the Rufiji River by boat, taking in the local Hippo pods as they yawn at sunset, making for great photographs. If lucky, Bush Elephants may even make an appearance along the riverbank to drink, although the Elephant population here has sharply decreased in this area in recent years due to rampant poaching. 

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After your boat safari, you will return to camp for dinner before some well-earned rest. Hippo Camp is home to several Thick-Tailed Galagos, whose cries you may well hear as you drift off to sleep. For those who wish to, we offer a drive around Hippo Camp this evening to explore the Buffer Zone and its nocturnal residents. Numerous duiker species, Genet, Civet and even Caracal and Serval have been seen on this short drive previously, although sightings can be sporadic.

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Day Two

Nyerere NP

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This morning we will wake early and head directly through the Buffer Zone to the entrance gate to Nyerere National Park. This vast national park is newly-formed, created in 2019, and consists largely of the area formerly known as Selous Game Reserve. Widely regarded as one of the most impressive expanses of wilderness left on the African continent, the main game-viewing area is set on the banks of the Rufiji River, attracting a wide array of mammals and birds. Guests are often surprised by the setting of this park, dotted with palm trees and other tropical plants, and visiting this park is certainly not a typical safari experience! Our initial efforts will be to locate the prides of Lion resident in this area, often found lounging on the water's edge or in the dappled shade of a palm tree. We may also be rewarded with sightings of Buffalo, Bush Elephant and antelope including Lichtenstein's Hartebeest. 

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As the heat of the day sets in, we will leave the Rufiji River and head inland towards Lake Tagalala, one of the few areas within the national park where camping is permitted. The route to Lake Tagalala is prime game-viewing territory, with large prides of Lion commonly observed here. The few large remaining herds of Bush Elephant also frequent this area, as do clans of Spotted Hyena. If very lucky, we may even encounter some of Nyerere's most famous residents, African Wild Dogs. Along with the Okavango Delta in Botswana, this southern area of Tanzania is one of two true strongholds for this species in all of Africa. Sightings are sporadic, but with the inside knowledge of our local guide we hope to get lucky today.

 

At midday, we will arrive at Lake Tagalala and establish camp. The campsite here is basic, with functional toilets and showers, although these are often left unmaintained. The setting is truly stunning, however, with a view of the lake below and the dense woodland on nearby escarpments. Our afternoon game drive will take us to the lake shore, where Lion and Hyena populations are high, and these keystone species should provide excellent sightings here. The southern side of the lake is also known to harbour a habituated population of Leopards and, despite the fact that Nyerere is not typically a fantastic destination for Leopard sightings, we may be fortunate enough to encounter this elusive cat this evening.

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Day Three

Nyerere NP

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Today we have a full day to explore the area around Lake Tagalala, in search of Leopard, Lion and Spotted Hyena. We may choose to spend a full day on game-drive, allowing us to reach areas further from camp including the grave of Frederick Selous, or instead we might opt to break our day into morning and evening game drives to allow concerted efforts at tracking down the Leopards local to Tagalala. Either way, today usually provides excellent sightings, and we often spend many hours in the presence of hunting Lions or feeding Elephants here. We will again spend the night at the remote campsite at Lake Tagalala.

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Day Four

Morogoro

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This is very much a driving day, although we will start with a final game drive this morning to focus on any species that may have eluded us in Nyerere. We will then drive through the national park to our exit gate, which in itself may present us with game-viewing opportunities. Black Rhino are present in this area and, although they are extremely rare, a sighting may be possible with a great deal of luck. Beware, though, as this drive will certainly lead us to encounter Tsetse flies in their thousands, make sure you have insect repellent!

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Once we have left Nyerere, we will spend the remainder of our day driving to Morogoro, a large town en route to Ruaha. Whilst the town itself is uninspiring, the drive to Morogoro is breathtaking in parts, taking us through the Uluguru Mountains that are dotted with smal villages. At points the road will be lined with ancient Baobab trees, at others we will drive through thick rainforest. Birders should keep an eye out for species as diverse as Secretary Bird and Silvery-Cheeked Hornbill. Mammal-watchers may glimpse Bush Elephants feeding around one of the many rivers we cross, but the highlight today must be the sensational scenery. We will overnight at the basic but comfortable Morogoro Arc Hotel, which offers the chance of a hot shower after three nights of camping.

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Day Five

Ruaha NP

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Leaving Morogoro early, we will make a beeline for Iringa, a bustling town where we will stop for an early lunch. We will then strike out onto the little-travelled roads to Ruaha National Park. Whilst these tracks can be dusty and a little uncomfortable, we will be well-rewarded, arriving in time for an afternoon fame drive around our accommodation at the Ruaha Bandas. 

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Ruaha can provide truly unparalleled game-viewing experiences, and this afternoon we hope to introduce you to some of this national park's most famous residents. The sand rivers that snake through the park are home to large prides of Lion, as well as impressive herds of Buffalo and Bush Elephant. The narrow plains punctuated by Giraffe, Lesser Kudu and Grant's Gazelle are stalked by Cheetah and African Wild Dogs. And the rocky koppies that overlook the park hold one of Tanzania's highest densities of Leopards. This afternoon we may choose to focus on any one of these areas, with great sightings very likely. Once we have returned to the Bandas, we will enjoy a hot dinner before heading back out in a park vehicle for a night drive. The large predators are all possible tonight, but we may opt to seek out more elusive nocturnal wildlife, including Serval, Caracal, Crested Porcupine and Honey Badger.

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Our accommodation tonight will be the Ruaha Bandas, small self-contained units offering en-suite facilities and two comfortable beds.

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Day Six

Ruaha NP

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Perhaps the finest day for game-viewing on this entire itinerary, today we head out for a full-day game-drive taking in all the habitats there are to offer in Ruaha. Our early morning will be spent driving the roads along the bottom of the koppies near the Bandas, a well-known hotspot for Leopards. A sunrise sighting of a Leopardess sunning on a boulder, or laying on the branch of a Baobab, is hard to beat. As the sun rises, we will head to Ruaha's open plains, where coalition of Cheetah and pack of African Wild Dog are reliably seen. And in the heat of the midday sun, we will aim to intercept Lion and Elephant as they head to the rivers to drink. Our afternoon can be focussed as we choose, with guests often opting to head back to areas frequented by Leopards, as these cats often prove to be the most elusive in Ruaha.

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We will again offer an exciting night drive tonight, with the chance to focus on rare smaller mammals in the hours of darkness.

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Day Seven

Ruaha NP

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Much like the previous day, we have a full day to scour Ruaha National Park today, with our focus entirely dependent on the wishes of the group. We will also offer a further night drive to those interested in pursuing some of Ruaha's rarer species.

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Day Eight

Ruaha NP

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A particularly early start today for all, we we head out into Ruaha on foot with a ranger to explore some of the nuances of our surroundings. We will have an opportunity to focus on birds, small mammals, tracks and flora this morning, and the chance to see a number of species on foot. After around two hours on foot, we will have breakfast before our final full-day game-drive into the park to locate any species we may have missed to this point.

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Day Nine

Udzungwa Mountains NP

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This morning we will bid farewell to Ruaha and head for the Isimila Stone Age site. This small archaeological site is a good area for lunch, and also presents an opportunity to learn more about the anthropological history of the area. A little open-air museum provides an introduction to the site, and a local guide will talk us through the site's history.

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After lunch, we will head directly to the densely forested Udzungwa Mountains. Although we won't have time for a walk this evening, the drive into the area is scenic and worth the visit alone. We will overnight at the basic Twiga Hotel - whilst the accommodation here is not luxurious, it is well-located and a good base to explore the park in the coming days.

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Day Ten

Udzungwa Mountains NP

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After breakfast, we will head into the park for our first hike into the Udzungwa Mountains. We will head to the Sanje Waterfall, where you have the chance for a (chilly!) swim in the plunge pool, and the nearby viewpoint with a vista across the Kilombero Valley. One of the highlights in Udzungwa is the diversity of rare primates, amongst the most-prized being Udzungwa Red Colobus, Sanje Mangabey and Kipunji. Sightings of these rare mammals can be hard to come by, but we will head out on an evening walk to maximise our chances.

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Day Eleven

Udzungwa Mountains NP

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Today will be a full-day of trekking on the trails in the national park, with a particular focus on the ultra-rare Abbott's Duiker and Grey-Faced Sengi. For those wanting a more relaxed day, the birding around the hotel grounds is excellent and can also make for a highly-rewarding day.

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Day Twelve

Mikumi NP

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After breakfast at the Twiga Hotel, we will make the two-hour drive to Mikumi National Park. Sometimes omitted from tours of the 'Southern Circuit' due to its relative proximity to Dar es Salaam and reputation for crowds, this national park can actually be hugely rewarding. Lion, Leopard and Ground Pangolin are all possible here, and this is also one of the best locations for Serval and Porcupine in Tanzania. Our afternoon will be spent driving across Mikumi's plains in search of big cats - sadly, despite what many operators say, Wild Dogs are no longer present here. After dinner, we will have another opportunity for a night drive, where we may encounter African Wild Cat, Serval and Civet. Our accommodation in Mikumi will be basic but comfortable tourist cottages.

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Day Thirteen

Mikumi NP

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On our final full day, we will explore the depths of Mikumi. The expansive plains here are a great spot for sightings of relaxed Elephant, and the rich and varied antelope populations support large prides of Lion. The real trophy of Mikumi is the surprisingly obliging local population of Ground Pangolin - whilst sightings are far from guaranteed, this remains one of the better places in Africa to see this iconic species.

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Day Fourteen

Tour end

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After a final morning game drive in Mikumi, we will drive to Dar es Salaam where the tour will end. We recommend flights leaving Dar es Salaam after 22.00, and can arrange accommodation in Dar es Salaam for you for an additional fee should you wish.

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Please be aware that whilst we make every effort to follow the above itinerary as closely as possible, circumstances may

occasionally arise that mean the tour deviates from the itinerary.