Tanzania’s Secret South

Fly from London, via Addis Ababa to Dar es Salam, Tanzania’s largest city, hemming a natural harbour on the Indian Ocean.

Transfer to The Slipway Hotel for an overnight stay.

Swap the city for scenic landscapes as you journey with your driver/guide to the Mtemere Gate of Nyerere National Park (5hrs), for a full-day game drive through the reserve, enroute to a three-night stay at Sable Mountain Lodge, solar powered, set on a hill, and with a freshwater pool, wildlife watching treehouse, and its own waterhole. The landscape here has remained almost as it was before tourism began, it is noticeably quiet compared with the more famous parks of the north and it is still possible at certain times of year to be out all day without seeing another game drive car. 
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About the size of Switzerland, this huge reserve has landscapes from lakes, wetlands, and woodlands to the 100m deep Stiegler Gorge and the banks of the Rufiji River. Hyena and hartebeest, lion and leopard, waterbuck and wildebeest are all here in large numbers. Happily, visitors are not. With your guide and a park ranger, explore your immediate surroundings on a dawn walk, perhaps spotting small antelopes and splendid birdlife. The rest of the day is yours at leisure to enjoy the lodge facilities.
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A full day of discovery in the park begins with a game drive, looking out for big cats, buffalos and elephant herds, giraffes, antelopes, and rare wild dogs; then switches to the waters of Lake Tagalala for a fabulous boat safari. Enjoy your packed lunch aboard, among the huge hippo pods, crocs, and birdlife, returning to the lodge at dusk.
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From Tanzania’s most remote reserve to its most accessible, travel through the beautiful Uluguru Mountains to Mikumi National Park (7hrs), its floodplain habitat supporting 400 species of endemic and migratory birds, along with civets, lizards, zebra, and Africa’s Big Five – leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino. Arrive at the Vuma Hills Tented Camp for an overnight stay, nestled on wooded slopes above the plains. After lunch at the camp, enjoy an afternoon game drive.
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Enjoy an early breakfast at the lodge and take an early morning game drive before driving to Saadani National Park (8hrs), for three nights at Simply Saadani Camp, close to the park, blissfully peaceful, and overlooking the ocean. The park has a diverse range of wildlife with several  lion prides, abundant hippos in the Wami River, giraffe, zebra, and some rare antelope including Roosevelts Sable. This is one of the best places to see large elephant herds. We arrive at the stunning Simply Saadani tented camp in the late afternoon, where you say goodbye to your driver/guide and have time to explore its stunning beachfront location.
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A full day safari in Saadani begins with a drive to the Wami River for a boat trip downstream. Enjoy your packed lunch amongst the hippo pods, look out for crocs lining the bank and marvel at the stunning birdlife along the banks. Back on dry land, traverse the park, south to north, in the game drive vehicle, looking for elephants, lions, buffalo, leopards and much more.
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Enjoy your last day relaxing and enjoying the immediate stunning surroundings of the camp, perhaps spotting sea eagles as you stroll on the sands, or joining one or more of the camp’s complimentary activities, from a guided nature walk to a canoe ride on the Mafui creek (tide permitting), or a visit to the research centre to learn about Simply Saadani’s conservation work.
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Transfer through the park to the airstrip for a flight to Zanzibar, and onward air connection to Dar es Salaam International Airport for your return flight or extend your stay with a beach break on Tanzania’s famous ‘spice island’.
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Arrival in London.