19 Days Southern Circuit Mid-Range Safari overview
This 19 Days Tanzania Southern Circuit Mid-Range Safari will make you witness the best game viewing these areas offer a good variety and density of game, with an interesting crossover of eastern and southern African species, and plenty of predator action. In addition, open-sided safari vehicles enhance the viewing experience, in contrast to the closed-sided vehicles used in the north.
Also, the Southern Circuit is characterized by huge parks and reserves which offer visitors an uncrowded and more exclusive game viewing experience with few other vehicles and tourists, and a good sense of the vastness of the African wilderness
19 Days Southern Circuit Mid-Range Safari itinerary.
DAY 1: ARRIVAL
Arrive anytime at Julius Kambarage Nyerere International Airport (JNIA). Meet and greet with Kiwoito Africa Safaris representative, followed by a 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), fly to Mbeya, arriving at 14:00 hrs. Upon your arrival at Mbeya Airport, picked up by your safari guide and transferred 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 for the visit of ‘Ngosi Crater – the second largest crater lake in Africa.
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 you are at the top you have a breathtaking view of the lake and the crater’s steep forested banks. If the weather is good then you can appreciate the color of the water.
Later, take a 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 get a view of everyday life in Rungwe. You can finish the Tea Tour with a tour of the tea factory. Here you can see how the tea leaves are being processed to pack tea. You might even be able to do some tea tasting! 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 originates 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 as well, an exciting moment. 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 gets 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 as well, 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 Marking the end of your fifth day in the southern circuit safari
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. Relatively undeveloped for tourism giving it an authentic feel and 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 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 choose to have as many activities to do 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 full of adventure activities including HORSE RIDING, MOUNTAIN BIKING, TEA TOUR, kayaking, and FISHING.
Meats, dairy products, and organically grown vegetables are all produced on the working farm are available.
The whole area is perfect for cycling with farm tracks, bridleways, and footpaths running through plantations of pine, eucalyptus, tea, and coffee as well as ancient forests and pristine lakes 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: It is well-known for its archaeological sites, some of these sites yielded very important fossils that enlighten us about the origin of mankind.
After the visit, you’ll drive for about 4 hours to Ruaha National Park, arriving in the late afternoon. Conduct a Maasai Boma Tour on arrival – this cultural tour aims at familiarizing you with the Maasai tribe – their 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 both 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 with a great number of birdlife of 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 game drive at the park, you can see a rich 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. Likely to be seen animals 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) and a rich birdlife with an amazing view of the sunset.
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 to 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, which served as the German administrative headquarters.
Just southeast of Bagamoyo are these atmospheric ruins (Kaole Ruins). At their center are the remains of a 13th-century mosque, which is one of the oldest in mainland Tanzania and also one of the oldest in East Africa. It was built in the days when the Sultan of Kilwa held sway over coastal trade, and 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, with 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 and is 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 the site at which it is built, which was 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 back to Dar es Salaam, arriving in the early afternoon, and transfer to the hotel/catch your flight back home marking the end of your southern circuit safari.
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