12 Days The Grand Safari

Arrive at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam and transfer by road into Nyerere National Park, settling into your lodge on the banks of the Rufiji River. An optional sunset boat ride offers your first wildlife encounter — hippos, crocodiles, and waterbirds at close range.

Full day game drives in the largest national park in Tanzania. Lion prides patrol the open plains, elephant herds move between the river and the woodland, and kudu, giraffe, and buffalo fill the landscape in every direction. The park is genuinely uncrowded — you may go hours without seeing another vehicle.

Morning game drive in the park's more remote woodland areas, then a full afternoon boat safari on the Rufiji River. Hippo pods dominate the sandbars, crocodiles bask on the banks, and dense waterbird colonies fill the trees. Sundowners served on the boat as the river turns gold.

Morning game drive in Nyerere, then drive north to Mikumi National Park. Mikumi provides an excellent transition between the southern and northern circuits — open Mkata plains with elephants, elands, giraffes, and big cats visible from the main road.

Full day on the Mkata floodplain with morning and afternoon game drives. Elephants graze in family groups, lion prides rest beneath the shade trees, and cheetahs scan from elevated termite mounds. The open landscape makes spotting straightforward and rewarding.

Drive west through the scenic southern highland scenery to Ruaha National Park. The landscape shifts from cultivated hills to wild miombo woodland as you enter Tanzania's largest park.

A full day in Ruaha following the Great Ruaha River. Tanzania's biggest populations of lion, leopard, cheetah, and wild dog inhabit this park. Elephant herds number in the thousands. The intimate scale of the camps and the complete absence of crowds make Ruaha the most exciting park in Tanzania for experienced safari travellers.

Morning game drive in Ruaha, then board your light aircraft and fly north over the Tanzanian savannah to Seronera airstrip in the central Serengeti. An afternoon game drive puts you straight into lion and cheetah territory as the evening light casts long shadows across the plains.

Full day in the central Serengeti. The Seronera River junction is one of the most productive wildlife corridors in Africa year-round. Leopards drape themselves in the sausage trees, cheetahs sprint after Thomson's gazelle, and lion prides move in slow processions across the open grassland.

Another full day in the Serengeti, pushing into less-visited areas based on wildlife intelligence. The western corridor and northern plains each offer distinct habitats and species not found in the central zone.

Drive to Ngorongoro and descend 600 metres into the crater for a full day among the Big Five. The enclosed caldera provides some of the most concentrated wildlife viewing on earth. Lion prides hunt in the open, black rhinos graze near the soda lake, and vast buffalo herds move in slow columns across the crater floor. Overnight in the charming highland town of Karatu.

Drive from Karatu to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your international flight home. Twelve days covering Tanzania from its southern wilderness to its northern crown jewels.