22 Days Tanzania Mid-range Safari Itinerary
DAY 1:ARRIVAL
Arrive anytime at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport. Meet and greet with our representative, followed by transfer to Arusha; when you land at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you might see mountain Kilimanjaro if the day is clear. also, you may have the option to do some activities in Arusha, such as a coffee tour, City tour, museum tour, local market tour, Maasai market tour
Dinner and overnight will be at UNDER THE SHADE SAFARI LODGE.
DAY 2: FLY TO KIGOMA TOWN.
After breakfast, we will pick you up at the hotel and then transfer you to Dar es Salaam International Airport to catch your flight to Kigoma at 10:10 hrs, arriving at 15:20 hrs.
On your arrival at Kigoma Airport, your ‘Safari Guide’ will pick you up and transfer you to a lodge.
Dinner and overnight will be at Kigoma Hill Top Hotel (FB).
DAY 3: BOAT TRANSFER TO GOMBE STREAM NATIONAL PARK & CHIMPANZEE TREKKING
A hot Breakfast followed by a boat transfer to Gombe Stream National Park through the world’s longest and second-deepest lake – Lake Tanganyika.
On arrival, go for trekking of chimpanzees with packed lunch boxes. You’ll also visit the two waterfalls of Gombe, including the ‘Kakombe Waterfalls,’ which have many bird species.
Dinner and Overnight at MBALI MBALI GOMBE LODGE(FB)
Gombe Stream National Park: This is a fragile strip of chimpanzee habitat for Africa’s last remaining wild chimpanzees. The most visible of Gombe’s other mammals are also primates. Trekking the chimps of the Gombe Stream is an exceptionally magical experience.
DAY 4: HALF-DAY CHIMPANZEE TREKKING AT GOMBE STREAM NATIONAL PARK & SNORKELLING
Another half-day chimpanzee trekking with your packed lunch boxes at Gombe Stream National Park until the afternoon.
You will have a chance to experience various activities, such as snorkeling and swimming on the beautiful beaches of the lake (Lake Tanganyika).
Dinner and stay overnight at MBALI MBALI GOMBE LODGE (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 5: BOAT TRANSFER TO KIGOMA TOWN.
After breakfast at the lodge, take a boat and transfer to Kigoma Town (one hour drive); arriving in the early noon, stay overnight at Kigoma Hill Top Hotel (bed & breakfast)
DAY 6: KATAVI NATIONAL PARK.
After breakfast, you will drive to Katavi National Park with your packed lunch boxes, passing through various towns and making a few stops on the way. You will arrive in the late evening.
Dinner and overnight at MBALI MBALI KATAVI LODGE
DAY 7: FULL DAY GAME DRIVE AT KATAVI NATIONAL PARK.
After breakfast, go for a full-day game drive across the enormous Katavi National Park with packed lunch boxes until sunset. Back in the late evening and spend the overnight at Katavi Wildlife Camp (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
Katavi National Park: Katavi’s most singular wildlife spectacle is provided by its hippos. Not only that, but also an estimated 4,000 elephants might converge on the area, together with several herds of 1,000-plus buffalo, while an abundance of giraffe, zebra, impala, and reedbuck provide easy pickings for the numerous lion pride and spotted hyena clans whose territories converge on the floodplains
DAY 8: FULL DAY GAME DRIVE AT KATAVI NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, go for another full-day game drive across the enormous Katavi National Park with packed lunch boxes until sunset.
Dinner and overnight at Katavi Wildlife Camp (FB)
DAY 9: DEPART TO LAKE SHORE (LAKE TANGANYIKA)
After breakfast, depart for Lake Shore Lodge, Lake Tanganyika, with packed lunch boxes. Arrive in the early evening, check in, and have dinner when you are ready.
Dinner and overnight at Lake Shore Lodge (FB).
Lake Shore Lodge is the ultimate place to experience the magic of Lake Tanganyika. It offers beautiful chalets built right at the water’s edge, adventure activities, a relaxing spa, and fine dining.
DAY 10: DIVING, SNORKELING, AND KAYAKING AT LAKE SHORE, LAKE TANGANYIKA
After breakfast, depart for various activities offered by Lake Shore – Diving at the biggest freshwater aquarium on earth, with no currents, no surges, just hundreds of cichlids around you.
Snorkeling is usually conducted at one of the seven islands in front of Lake Shore. There are literally hundreds of different species of cichlids in Lake Tanganyika, but there is one very special endemic cichlid, the Opthalmotilapia Boops (known as the blue neon by hobbyists) at one of the islands. This cichlid is found only in this area.
You’ll also do Kayaking, which is an awesome way to explore the lake. Double and single kayaks are available, and they are very stable and easy to use even for novice kayakers.
Dinner and overnight at Lake Shore Lodge (FB)
DAY 11: VISIT THE OLD KIPILI MISSION, MOUNTAIN BIKING, FOUR-WHEELER QUAD-BIKING & SUNSET CRUISE
After breakfast, take a short walk to visit the ‘Old Kipili Mission’ – The Mission was built by the White Fathers and Congolese slaves between 1890 and 1895. This is one of the oldest churches in Tanzania and is well worth a visit.
You can cycle on gravel tracks past rural farms and through miombo woodlands. This is a lovely way to see the areas around Lake Shore Lodge (You can do this using bicycles or quad bikes). Break for lunch.
In the evening, you’ll have a sunset cruise in a comfortable boat – a perfect way to end a magical day. A trip up the river to do some birding and then a cruise around islands to watch the sun slip behind the Congo Mountains.
Dinner and overnight at Lake Shore Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 12: DEPART TO THE TOWN OF MBEYA
Drive to the Town of Mbeya with packed lunch boxes and fewer stops on the way, arriving in the early evening.
At Utengule, there’s a huge coffee plantation – you might visit it if you have the chance in the evening and also swim at the huge pool available at the lodge.
Dinner and stay overnight at Utengule Coffee Lodge (bed & breakfast)
DAY 13: DEPART TO THE TOWN OF IRINGA TOWN.
After breakfast, drive to Iringa with packed lunch boxes, which arrive in the evening.
On the way, stop for a historical visit at 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.
On arrival in Iringa, you’ll pay a little visit to “Iringa Local Market” – a market built by the Germans during their colonial rule era.
Later, you’ll visit the ‘NEEMA CFAFTS CENTRE’ – The Centre was founded in 2003 by the Diocese of Ruaha to provide training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities through handicrafts in the Iringa region of Tanzania. It also aims to change negative attitudes towards people with disabilities locally.
Dinner and overnight at Sifa Safari Lodge (FB)
DAY 14: RUAHA NATIONAL PARK
Drive to Ruaha National Park with packed lunch boxes.
On your arrival, go for a full-day game drive at the enormous, beautiful Ruaha National Park to experience the abundant wildlife of this largest national park in the country.
Dinner and overnight at Ruaha River Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
DAY 15: RUAHA NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, go for another full-day game drive across the enormous Ruaha National Park with packed lunch boxes until sunset. Back in the late evening and stay overnight at Ruaha River Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
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 16: UDZUNGWA MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, drive for 4 hours to Udzungwa Mountains National Park, arriving in the late afternoon. On arrival, check-in at the camp, dinner when you are ready, and spend the overnight at Udzungwa Forest Tented Camp (FB)
DAY 17: UDZUNGWA MOUNTAINS
After breakfast, hike through the beautiful forests and landscape scenery of Udzungwa with packed lunch boxes with a professional guide; on the way, you will learn about various trees used for the traditional healing of bird life, and then head to the top for a great and an amazing view of the ‘Sanje Waterfalls’ And while on top of the Waterfall, you can have a great view of the enormous Kilombero Sugarcane Valley (one of the biggest Tanzania’s sugarcane plantation).
Back in the late afternoon, depart to Mikumi National Park, arriving in the early evening, Dinner and overnight at Tanswiss Lodge (FB)
Udzungwa Mountains National Park is an exclusive hiking and walking safari park. Udzungwa is a magnet for hikers, offering an excellent forest trail network, including the popular “Sanje Waterfalls.”
DAY 18: MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK
After an early breakfast, depart for a full-day game drive across the Mikumi National Park with packed lunch boxes to enjoy and experience the abundant wildlife of the enormous, beautiful Mikumi until sunset.
Dinner and overnight at Vuma Hills Tented Camp (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)
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 19: SELOUS GAME RESERVE
After breakfast, drive for about 5 hours with an on-route game drive to Selous with packed lunch boxes while passing in the middle of the enormous Selous Game Reserve; during this drive, you’ll be spotting the abundant animals and birdlife of this second largest game reserve in Africa.
dinner and overnight at Selous kulinda Camp (FB)
DAY 20: SELOUS GAME RESERVE
Early breakfast at 07.00 and then drive to the Selous Game Reserve. Enjoy an all-day game drive in a specially modified safari vehicle with a professional guide, in which you should see and learn much about a large number of animals, including all the great favorites – lion, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, zebra, impala – and all the other major species including the now rare African hunting dog. Great variety of bird species. Wonderful scenery, with varied topography: wetlands, dry grassland, light acacia forest, and higher ground with long views to far-off mountains.
Packed lunch and time to rest: Your guide will select a location with shade and water nearby to watch animals coming to drink—a place with a clear view all around so that no predator can creep up unseen!
Dinner and overnight at Selous kulinda Camp (FB)
DAY 21: EARLY MORNING WALKING SAFARI, HALF DAY GAME DRIVE & AN EVENING BOAT SAFARI AT SELOUS
An early morning walking safari with a professional guide across the reserve’s environment to learn various histories (including traditional trees used for medicines and healing, various animals’ footprints, and other small animals that you cannot see during the game drive). You may also be able to spot animals coming for water to the river for drinking (especially elephants) and hippos heading back to their dwelling after their forage. Then, back to the camp for breakfast.
After breakfast, depart for a half-day game drive to once again experience the wildlife of the enormous Selous Game Reserve until afternoon. After a game drive, return to the camp and have a hot lunch.
Go for an evening boat safari through the Rufiji River in the evening. Here, you can experience the aquatic life, mostly crocodiles and hippos. You may also be able to see some animals come for drinking. Also, you can see an uncountable number of bird species since the reserve has over 440 known species of birds while enjoying an amazing reserve sunset.
Dinner and overnight at Selous kulinda Camp (FB)
DAY 22: DEPARTURE
After breakfast, depart to Dar es Salaam (a 5 – 6 hours drive), with a stop for lunch on the way, arriving at Dar in the late afternoon, and transfer you to the hotel/catch your flight back home (breakfast & lunch included)
