Distance: 250 km — approximately 4 hours

Meals: Lunch & Dinner Overnight: Selous / Nyerere area

Depart Dar es Salaam at 6:00 AM driving southwest along the scenic TANZAM highway through the beautiful coastal lowlands and forested hills of southeastern Tanzania toward the vast wilderness of the Selous Game Reserve. Arrive at the Selous in the early afternoon for an afternoon game drive through the extraordinary riverine forest and open woodland along the Rufiji River corridor — searching for elephant, lion, buffalo, wild dog, and hippo. Dinner and overnight at your Selous camp.

Distance: River & park exploration

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Overnight: Selous / Nyerere area

The absolute highlight of the Selous experience — a full day combining the most unique and most extraordinary wildlife activity in the entire Southern Circuit.

Morning — Rufiji River Boat Safari: Board your guided motorboat at dawn for an extraordinary 2 to 3 hour boat safari on the legendary Rufiji River — gliding silently through the extraordinary waterways, channels, and flood plains of one of Africa's most spectacular and most productive wildlife rivers. Encounter enormous hippo pods surfacing around the boat, giant Nile crocodiles basking on sandy riverbanks, fish eagles calling from riverside trees, and occasional elephant and buffalo drinking at the water's edge in scenes of extraordinary African wilderness beauty.

Afternoon — Selous Game Drive: An afternoon game drive through the Selous's diverse woodland and open grassland habitats — searching for the reserve's extraordinary African wild dog packs, lion prides, leopard, and the remarkable diversity of southern Tanzania wildlife species including sable antelope, greater kudu, and waterbuck. Bush picnic lunch served riverside. Sundowner stop beside the Rufiji at sunset before returning to camp.

Distance: 100 km — approximately 2 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Overnight: Udzungwa area

After breakfast depart the Selous northwestward toward Udzungwa Mountains National Park — arriving at the park entrance near Mang'ula town by late morning. Check in to your Udzungwa accommodation and enjoy a relaxed afternoon introduction walk through the park's extraordinary ancient rainforest — your first encounter with the cool, lush, and extraordinarily biodiverse mountain ecosystem of the Eastern Arc Mountains. Dinner and overnight at Udzungwa camp or lodge.

Distance: 10 to 15 km hiking

Meals: Breakfast, Packed Lunch & Dinner Overnight: Udzungwa area

A full and extraordinary day exploring the remarkable natural wonders of Udzungwa Mountains National Park — Tanzania's most biodiverse and most botanically extraordinary protected area.

Morning — Sanje Waterfall Hike: A guided hike through the park's stunning montane rainforest to the magnificent Sanje Waterfall — a breathtaking 170-metre two-tiered cascade plunging through the ancient forest in one of the most spectacular natural settings in southern Tanzania. The trail passes through extraordinary forest habitat with excellent opportunities for red colobus monkey, blue monkey, and the rare Sanje mangabey encounters along the way. Swimming in the crystal-clear pool at the base of Sanje Waterfall is one of the most refreshing and most memorable experiences of the entire itinerary.

Afternoon — Primate Tracking: An afternoon guided primate tracking walk through the forest in search of the extraordinary Sanje mangabey — one of Africa's rarest primates found only in the Udzungwa Mountains — and large troops of the spectacular Iringa red colobus monkey — another endemic species found nowhere else on Earth. Your expert local guide's intimate knowledge of the animals' ranging patterns gives excellent encounter opportunities in the extraordinary ancient forest.

Distance: 350 km — approximately 5 to 6 hours via Iringa

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Overnight: Ruaha National Park
After breakfast depart Udzungwa westward — driving through the beautiful Udzungwa highlands and ascending to the fascinating highland city of Iringa for a lunch stop and brief exploration of this historic town perched dramatically on a rocky escarpment above the surrounding plains. Continue westward descending into the extraordinary Great Ruaha River valley — the road becoming increasingly wild and dramatic as you approach the Msembe Gate of Ruaha National Park.
Afternoon game drive along the extraordinary Great Ruaha River — searching for enormous elephant herds, lion, leopard, hippo pods, Nile crocodiles, and the park's magnificent greater and lesser kudu. Dinner and overnight deep in the Ruaha wilderness.

Distance: 100 to 150 km within park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Overnight: Ruaha National Park

A full and extraordinary day in the vast wilderness of Ruaha National Park — one of Africa's greatest and most authentic safari destinations.

Dawn game drive along the Great Ruaha River — exceptional predator activity at first light with lion prides hunting on the open floodplain and leopards descending from overnight tree perches. Search for the critically endangered African wild dog — Ruaha supports one of Africa's largest and most stable wild dog populations. Bush picnic lunch served riverside. Afternoon game drive through Ruaha's extraordinary miombo woodland searching for sable antelope, roan antelope, cheetah, and the park's exceptional birdlife of 570+ species. Sundowner beside the Great Ruaha River as the extraordinary southern Tanzania sunset paints the sky in breathtaking colours.

Distance: 80 to 120 km within park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Overnight: Ruaha National Park

A second full day in Ruaha — exploring the park's more remote and less visited areas for a deeper and more intimate wilderness experience.

Morning game drive into the park's remote western and southern sectors — vast areas of pristine miombo woodland rarely visited by other safari vehicles where the true frontier character of Ruaha is most powerfully felt. Search for wild dog packs, cheetah on the open plains, enormous buffalo herds, and the extraordinary Ruaha elephant population — one of East Africa's largest at over 12,000 individuals. Afternoon game drive focusing on the extraordinary Ruaha River system — the Jongomero River confluence area is particularly spectacular for dry season wildlife concentrations with multiple predator species active simultaneously around the shrinking water sources. Final Ruaha sundowner stop before dinner and a last extraordinary night under the brilliant southern Tanzania sky.

Distance: 625 km — approximately 8 to 9 hours

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch Overnight: N/A — return to Dar es Salaam

Final early morning game drive along the Great Ruaha River at 6:00 AM — one last magical hour in the extraordinary Ruaha wilderness before departing eastward. Drive through Iringa for a lunch stop before continuing the long but scenic journey through Tanzania's beautiful southern highlands and coastal lowlands arriving in Dar es Salaam at approximately 7:00 to 8:00 PM — concluding eight extraordinary days of southern Tanzania wilderness adventure.