19 Days Southern Circuit Standard Safari Overview
19 Days Southern Circuit Standard Safari embodied Tanzania in her most virgin form of the compacted pathway, away from the crowds of tourists and the sound of Wild
19 Days Southern Circuit Standard Safari Itinerary
DAY 1: ARRIVAL
Arrive anytime at Julius Kambarage Nyerere International Airport (JNIA). Meet and greet with our representative, then transfer to the hotel where you will spend the night.
Dinner and Overnight at Mediterraneo Hotel.
DAY 2: FLY TO MBEYA TOWN.
Catch a flight at Julius Kambarage Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) and fly to Mbeya, arriving at 14:00 hrs. Upon arrival, your safari guide will pick you up and transfer you to a lodge.
dinner and overnight at UTENGULE SAFARI LODGE(FB).
DAY 3: NGOSI CRATER & BRIDGE OF GOD (DARAJA LA MUNGU).
After breakfast, drive to Tukuyu to visit ‘Ngosi Crater – Africa’s second-largest crater lake.
Upon arrival at the entrance gate, you’ll walk for about 45 minutes to an hour to the starting point of the hiking journey.
The main attraction is the hike to the top of the crater to see the lake. The trail starts in a lush green forest full of wild bananas and massive bamboo. Keep your eyes open to see black and white colobus monkeys and several species of birds, the most frequent being trumpeted hornbills. This area is also famous for the endemic three-horned chameleon.
It should take up to an hour to reach the top. Once at the top, you can see the lake and the crater’s steep forested banks. If the weather is good, you can appreciate the color of the water.
Later, hike to Daraja la Mungu (Bridge of God) – A huge, millions of years old rock that forms a natural bridge over River Kiwira. And just a few kilometers up the valley is the ‘cooking pot’, and the Marasusa Waterfalls.
Dinner and overnight at Kalongo Farm Eco System Homes(FB)
DAY 4: TUKUYU TEA ESTATE & KAPOROGWE WATERFALLS
After breakfast, take a tour of the Tukuyu Tea Estate. On your way to the tea estate, you pass small villages and schools, and you will have the chance to see everyday life in Rungwe. You can finish the tea tour by touring the tea factory. Here, you can see how the tea leaves are processed to pack tea. You might even be able to taste some tea! Your guide, a tea farmer, will tell you anything there is to know about tea. Then break for lunch.
Later, visit the thrilling 25-metre Kaporogwe Waterfalls, which originate from the Kala River, a tributary of the Kiwira River. A trip to these falls would be an exciting moment.
Driving towards the Kaporogwe Falls is an exciting moment as well. It gives a visitor to this area a thrilling moment when passing through green and fertile land, full of interesting off-road diversions. The journey to Kaporogwe Falls gives a visitor a quick view of the perennially lush and bountiful forests of the Livingstone Mountains, adding more travel excitement. There is a natural cave behind the falls and a concrete wall that Germans have built as a fort or a hideout during the First World War. The area around the falls is also a pre-historical site after the discovery of stone tools there. These include knives, scrapers, picks, and axes.
Dinner and Overnight at Kalongo Farm Eco System Homes(FB)
DAY 5: LAKE NYASA (MATEMA BEACH).
After breakfast, drive to the northern shores of Lake Nyasa, where Matema Beach is. A winding road passes through high mountains and tea estates before it descends to the tropical shores of Lake Nyasa.
Dinner and overnight at Matema Lake Shore Resort (FB).
DAY 6: SWIMMING & FISHING AT THE BEACH.
After breakfast, you can make canoe trips with fishermen over the lake to the nearby village where women specialize in pottery and to the mouth of the river to spot elephants, giraffes, hippos, and crocodiles.
You can swim, rest, and unwind at the beach—this beach is one of the most beautiful on the lake, which has been referred to as the most scenic body of water in Africa. It is relatively undeveloped for tourism, giving it an authentic feel and making it suitable for swimming.
Dinner and overnight at Matema Lake Shore Resort (FB).
DAY 7: KITULO NATIONAL PARK.
After breakfast, depart to Kitulo National Park arriving in the late afternoon
Dinner and Overnight at Mwakipembo public campsite (FB).
DAY 8: KITULO NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, depart for a hike to the beautiful Kitulo National Park, The Garden of God, or The Serengeti of Flowers, as the botanists dubbed it.
Orchids, irises, lilies, honey-peas, bell flowers, balsams, and other wildflowers bloom as far as the eye can see. Kitulo hosts more than 350 species of vascular plants, including 45 varieties of terrestrial orchids, which erupt into a riotous wildflower display of breathtaking scale and diversity. Kitulo National Park is a rare botanical marvel.
Dinner and Overnight at Mwakipembo public campsite(FB).
DAY 9: MUFINDI HIGHLANDS (IRINGA).
After breakfast, depart to Mufindi with your packed lunch boxes, arriving in the late evening
Dinner and Overnight at Mufindi Highland Lodge (FB).
DAY 10: MUFINDI HIGHLANDS (full day).
After breakfast, you’ll have as many activities as you prefer.
Surrounded by tea plantations, montane forests, and rural villages, the area is away from any tourist route and maintains a natural charm.
a full day of adventure activities including HORSE RIDING, MOUNTAIN BIKING, TEA TOUR, KAYAKING & FISHING.
Meats, dairy products, and organically grown vegetables are all produced on the working farm and are available.
The whole area is perfect for cycling, with farm tracks, bridleways, and footpaths running through pine plantations, eucalyptus, tea, and coffee. Ancient forests and pristine lakes are also perfect for fishing trips and kayaking.
Dinner and Overnight at Mufindi Highland Lodge (FB).
DAY 11: ISIMILA STONE AGE SITE & RUAHA NATIONAL PARK (with MAASAI BOMA TOUR)
After breakfast, drive for about an hour to the ‘Isimila Stone Age Site’ – A Walk Through The Canyons. The area is well-known for its archaeological sites, some of which yielded very important fossils that enlightened us about the origin of mankind.
After the visit, you’ll drive for about four hours to Ruaha National Park, arriving in the late afternoon. On arrival, you’ll conduct a Maasai Boma Tour. This cultural tour will familiarize you with the Maasai tribe’s culture, occupation, and lifestyle.
Dinner and overnight at Ruaha Hill Top Lodge (FB).
DAY 12: FULL DAY GAME DRIVE AT RUAHA NATIONAL PARK.
After breakfast, go for a full-day game drive at the enormous, beautiful Ruaha National Park with your packed lunch boxes to experience the abundant wildlife of this largest national park in the country until evening.
Dinner and overnight at Ruaha Hill Top Lodge (FB).
Ruaha National Park: This is the largest national park in the country, currently bigger than The Serengeti; magnificent mammals such as greater and lesser kudu can be spotted here. The park has a high diversity of plants and animals, including elephants, buffalos, antelopes, and some rare and endangered species like wild dogs. There is also a great number of birdlife, about 570 species.
DAY 13: FULL DAY GAME DRIVE AT RUAHA NATIONAL PARK.
After breakfast, go for another full-day game drive across the enormous Ruaha National Park with packed lunch boxes until sunset.
Dinner and overnight at Ruaha Hill Top Lodge (FB).
DAY 14:MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK.
After breakfast, drive for about 5 hours to Mikumi National Park, arriving in the early evening,
Dinner and Overnight at Tanswiss Lodge (FB).
DAY 15: FULL DAY GAME DRIVE AT MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, depart for a full-day game drive to this enormous, beautiful national park with packed lunch boxes to experience its rich wildlife until sunset.
Dinner and overnight at Tanswiss Lodge (FB)
Mikumi National Park: During a game drive at the park, you can see a wide variety of bird species, as well as large numbers of giraffes, buffalo, and elephants. You may also be able to spot lions, leopards, and African wild dogs. Animals that are likely to be seen include zebras, hippos, hartebeest, wildebeest, impala, warthog, eland, and antelope.
DAY 16: SAADANI NATIONAL PARK.
After breakfast, depart to Saadani National Park with packed lunch boxes arriving in the afternoon.
Saadani is the only sanctuary in the country bordering the sea.
In the evening, you’ll conduct a boat safari along the Wami River to experience the aquatic life (mostly hippos and crocodiles), rich birdlife, and an amazing sunset view.
A view of the mangrove trees along the Indian Ocean is nicely seen from this comfortable boat safari.
Dinner and Overnight at Saadani Park Hotel (FB).
DAY 17: FULL DAY GAME DRIVE AT SAADANI NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, depart for a full-day game drive at this beautiful park that borders the Indian Ocean to experience its wildlife until early evening. You can have a chance to relax and unwind on its beautiful beaches lying over the ocean after a game drive.
Dinner and overnight at Saadani Park Hotel (FB)
DAY 18: BAGAMOYO.
After breakfast, depart for the Town of Bagamoyo. With its cobwebbed portals and crumbling German-era colonial buildings, Bagamoyo is well worth exploring. You’ll find the old German boma, built in 1897, and Liku House, the German administrative headquarters.
These atmospheric ruins (Kaole Ruins) are just southeast of Bagamoyo. At their center are the remains of a 13th-century mosque, one of the oldest in mainland Tanzania and one of the oldest in East Africa. It was built when the Sultan of Kilwa held sway over coastal trade long before Bagamoyo had assumed any significance.
About 2 km northwest of town and reached via a long, mango-tree-shaded avenue is the ‘Catholic Mission and Museum,’ one of Bagamoyo’s highlights. It has well-labeled displays from Bagamoyo’s heyday. In the same compound is the chapel where Livingstone’s body was laid before being taken to Zanzibar Town en route to Westminster Abbey. The mission dates from the 1868 establishment of Freedom Village, the oldest in Tanzania.
Caravan Serai Museum—This undistinguished museum has a small display documenting the slave trade. It’s at the town entrance. More interesting than the present museum is where it was built, formerly the starting point for slave and trade caravans to the interior.
Dinner and overnight at Travelers Lodge (FB)
DAY 19: DEPARTURE.
After breakfast, depart for Dar es Salaam, arriving in the early afternoon. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel and catch your flight back home Marking the end of your 19 Days Southern Circuit Standard Safari