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Annie's guidebook

Southern Tanzanian Safaris

An Introduction to Safaris in the South of Tanzania

Safari in the south and west are at a far more gentle pace than those the North. The parks are much quieter than the Northern parks in terms of visitor numbers and number of camps, yet they still hold impressive densities of Africa's big game. The Selous Game Reserve, pronounced 'Seloo', is Africa's largest and oldest game reserve and is one of the finest places in Africa for boating safaris. Ruaha National Park is an absolutely huge park that has the lowest number of hotels and camps per square kilometre in the whole country. In the West Katavi, with its vast plains and utter remoteness is a safari connoisseurs dream. The final park down here, Mahale, is the finest place in Africa to view chimpanzees and is home to one of Africa's most famous camps, Greystoke.

Regarded very highly by safari enthusiasts the Southern and Western parks of Selous, Ruaha, Katavi and Mahale are unique because they have an interesting cross over of East and Southern Africa's game. They are also great places to explore for people wanting to avoid the crowds. We often speak to clients who have never heard of the parks in the region and have been told by various agents not to go south due to it not being a first timers destination. Over the years however we have sent literally thousands of clients down to these parks on their first safari, and each time the region has delivered exceptional safaris. Without any doubt this is a first timers destination as much as it is for someone who has travelled everywhere.

Southern Tanzania Safari: Why travel South?

There is a lot to be said for the fact that your money goes a lot further down South than it does in the North. There are certainly no lodges over $1,000pppn here where as the Serengeti's and Ngorongoro's finest accommodations come in at easily over the $1,500pppn mark! The parks are also much quieter in terms of tourist numbers, and the camps tend to be smaller and less commercial; there are no large hotels down here or no large commercial beasts!

One of the most attractive reasons to choose the South over the North however is that the diversity of activities on offer in the parks down here are much wider. Boating, walking and fly camping as well as standard game driving are all available. Small camps, true wilderness, untouched parks and a great range of activities make going South or West a genuine area to consider. As a final point, we have never had a client come back and not be impressed with the quality of game viewing on offer!

Southern Tanzania Safari: Activities on offer in Southern Tanzania

One of the greatest selling points of Southern Tanzania is the activities on offer. The parks have a wider diversity of activities on offer than Northern Tanzania. Walking is available in all parks and is exceptionally good at Sand Rivers and Selous Safari Camp in the Selous, and Jongomero and Kigelia in Ruaha. The boating safaris in the Selous are absolutely superb and fly camping trips (nights under the stars!) are an amazing experience. All of these activities considered make the safari on offer in Southern and Western Tanzania much more similar to a safari in a Southern African country like Botswana.

Southern Tanzania Safari: An Idea of Price in the South and West

Unlike the North the parks of the South and West are linked by daily flights and connect through to Dar and Zanzibar. Flights to Selous and Ruaha are reasable but flying further to Katavia and Mahale is expensive. The Lodges in Selous tend to start at about $430 per person per night rising to $650 and at the top $950 pp pn. The Lodges in Ruaha are somewhat cheaper satarting at about $350 per person per night rising to $750 pp pn.

Southern Tanzania Safari: Where to Stay in the South

To read up about all the lodges and hotels on offer in Tanzania's Southern parks link through to the specific park pages below. Each page has an overview of where to stay and also detailed information on all the lodges.
Selous,
Ruaha,
Katavi,
Mahale

Contact Us

Please phone us to discuss your plans with one of our consultants; a Tanzanian safari is always a complex matter to arrange and it really is worth spending the time to get it right. Wherever possible, it is worth coming in to our offices to work through your options in person. Tel +44 (0) 20 7471 8780 or Email Us

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