Almost everybody who comes to Tanzania for a safari goes up to the northern part of the country, home to the world-famous Serengeti and Ngorongoro National Parks. Mount Kilimanjaro is also up in the north. As a result, the northern parks can be extremely busy. It is not uncommon to see 50-plus vehicles surrounding a leopard or lion kill, which can detract somewhat from the sense of wilderness. The lesser-known southern parks are no less stunning and benefit from having far fewer visitors.
This southern circuit route will take you west from Dar-Es-Salaam on the Indian Ocean coast line to Matema on the northern shore of the rift valley Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi). It will take you through the National Parks of Nyerere (Selous), Udzungwa, Mikumi and Ruaha, with options to extend the trip either into Malawi or up to Lake Tanganyika and the national parks of Katavi and Mahale.
Nyerere and Ruaha National Parks are both spectacular places to visit. Udzungwa & Mikumi are less impressive in comparison but are still worthwhile day trips if you are in the area.
A blog of our route is ****LINK NEEDED*** here
Dar es Salaam To Nyerere NP (formerly Selous):
This route takes you from Dar es Salaam to Nyerere National Park down a well-maintained dirt road. Coming this way you will avoid the endless police checkpoints and dangers of the Dar to Morogoro highway. The dirt road was in great condition in 2022 and passes through lush green coastal plantations and pretty villages in rolling hills from Kisarawe becoming ever more remote towards Kisangire. From here you head towards the exclusion buffer for the park, so it will start to feel like you are in the wilderness. Parts of the road were being rebuilt in 2022 so there were many diversions off to the side which required 4WD to get through the sand. It is around a 6-hour drive, but it is a journey to be enjoyed rather than endured.
Mloka village is just a 10-minute drive from the eastern park entrance gate, and also where all of the lower-cost riverside safari lodges are located. If you drive in from Morogoro (early start) you’ll be at the western Matambwe side by lunchtime, and you will need to pay to transit through the park to get to Mloka. You will pay the same high park entrance fees to transit through. Staying inside the park at the luxury lodges is way out of our budget. Tanzania isn’t a cheap place to go on safari!
Places to stay near Mloka:
You are spoilt for choice here, there is a lot of choice to cater for all budgets. We have stayed at the cheaper Butembo Lodge, and also at Selous Mapumziko Lodge. Both are riverside sites, and I’d say Butembo has the better views of the river but it was closed in 2022. Mapumziko has a large grass sandbank in front of it which blocks the river view a little. Both have great friendly staff and decent food. Black and white Colobus, Blue monkeys & Vervet monkeys are ever-present. Rates I can’t fully remember but around USD 150 per night for a 4-berth luxury family canvas tent, all-inclusive. You will want a 3-night stay minimum to have 3 good days’ worth of game viewing.
Wherever you decide to stay you will need to book ahead a few days in advance – Mloka is quite remote so supplies have to be driven in from Dar Es Salaam. They don’t keep staff and supplies on hand to cater for people turning up unannounced.
While at Mapumziko we managed to track down an old friend Felix we knew from Butembo, who is now working as a guide out of Selous Jimbiza camp (also near Mloka). He took us to look around Jimbiza, and it looks fantastic. The camp is located high on a cliff on a bend in the Rufiji River, so the views across the river are spectacular. Next time we go to Selous, we will be staying here.
All lodges will arrange boat trips, where you’ll get to stand on a sandbank in the middle of the river and watch the sunset. You’ll see plenty of birds, Hippos and Nile crocodiles. The boat trip is definitely a worthwhile excursion.
Inside Nyerere National Park:
The vast expanse known as Selous Game Reserve has now been renamed Nyerere National Park. The largest part is the remote inaccessible southern section. All of the game-viewing trails are in the northern part of the park on the north bank of the mighty Rufiji River. It is stunning here. It has a variety of habitats centred around the river: miombo woodland, lakes and semi-open savanna. A diverse range of habitats makes it very interesting to explore – you never know what is around the corner.
The dry season sees large amounts of wildlife congregating around the river and its many nearby lakes and waterholes. Although the park contains the ‘big five’, you will need to be very lucky to see Leopard, Cheetah or Rhino. The Rhino are in the inaccessible southern part of the park so you won’t see them.
With a 4WD and a GPS map it is pretty easy to do a self-drive around Nyerere without needing a guide. There is one main dirt road that runs roughly west to east between the park gates, and the rivers and lakes are south of this main road. Loads of sand tracks and gravel roads branch off south and wind around through open savannah, thorn bushes, baobab trees, pockets of woodland and lakes. Slowly meandering through all of this stunning scenery you’ll come across huge numbers of wildlife: Elephant, Giraffe, Kudu, Warthogs, Zebra, Buffalo, Impala plus Hippos and Crocodiles in and around the lakes.
If you want to see lions then it’s best to arrange a guide through your lodge. The guide will even drive your car so you can spend more time looking out of the window at the wildlife.
Since upgrading to National Park status the entry fees have increased and are now the same as the more famous northern parks like Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
The government are building a hydroelectric power station and dam across Steiglers Gorge south of the western gate. From dawn till dusk heavy trucks are rolling through the park, kicking up thick clouds of dust. Since most of the wildlife isn’t near the main road, it won’t affect any game drives. If you are in an open-top safari vehicle travelling down the main road, the truck drivers have all been instructed to stop until you pass, so as not to cover you in dust. I’m unsure as to when the work will be complete. The effects of damming the river will be to regulate the flow during the wet season. Time will tell as to the long-term effects this will have on the ecosystem.
Nyerere to Morogoro:
You have 3 options to get back to Morogoro, each has its plus points and negatives.
Option 1: Head back the way you came (towards Dar), then turn north to Mlandizi on the A7 Dar to Morogoro Road. This is longer at 6-8 hours, but since you don’t go through the park, you don’t pay any park fees.
Option 2: Head through the park to Matambwe gate, then to Kisaki and the established dirt road to Morogoro. Maybe get up early so you can explore the western part of the park and get some use out of the park entry fees.
Option 3: Again head through to Matambwe and on to Kisaki, but take the less established dirt road to Mikumi. This is more of an adventurous route, and may not be passable. On Tracks 4 Africa it is currently showing as ‘not recommended’. Local advice in Kisaki would be useful before attempting it. It is a drive I will definitely do one day.
Mikumi NP
Ruaha NP
