Ref No: | SC19 | ||
Classes: | BUDGET | ||
Activities: | Game, Walking & Boat Safaris, Culture, Beach, Diving | ||
Days: | 17 | Nights: | 16 |
Min Persons: | 2 | Max Persons: | 7 |
Day 1: Dar es Salaam - Ruaha National Park
We set off early for Ruaha with lunch in Iringa Town, then continue to the National Park where we arrive in the afternoon. In the evening you can either go on a short game drive in the park or relax at leisure in the camp.
Day 2: Game drive in Ruaha National Park
Straight after breakfast, we take a full day game drive in Ruaha National Park. Several breeds of gazelle and antelope, including roan and sable as well as buffalo and various bucks go down to the banks of the river to drink. This attracts lion, leopard, hyena and other carnivores. For the avid birder there are also many avian species to observe.
Day 3: A walking safari and a game drive in Ruaha National Park
After breakfast you will be accompanied by an experienced, armed guide on a walking safari. On this walk you experience a true feeling of the African bush, just like the famous explorers before you. Back to camp for lunch. The afternoon is spent game viewing in the park, also a spectacular event.
Day 4: Ruaha - Udzungwa Mountains National Park
Early morning after breakfast, a game drive en route to Udzungwa Mountain’s National Park. Lunch on the way and dinner and overnight at the camp.
Day 5: A rewarding trek in Udzungwa Park
After breakfast in camp you set off for a very rewarding walk in this beautiful park, enjoy the natural beauty of the park. A picnic lunch on the trail and on the way down observe various primates in beautiful landscapes. Later we head off to MIkumi National Park.
Day 6: Enjoy a full day in Mikumi National Park
After breakfast it’s about a one hour drive to Mikumi National Park where we will have a full day game drive. Lookk out for elephant, lion, wild dog, zebra gnus, antelope and much more. Over 300 species of birds have been observed in this park.
Day 7: Mikumi - Selous Game Reserve
An early morning start and we head to Selous Game Reserve via Morogoro over the Uluguru Mountains. We will cross river and pass local villages and farms. The journey, which is full of interest, will take up to seven hours due to road condition but we will take breaks whenever needed. In SElous it will be a game drive en route for the camp.
Day 8: Full day in Selous Game Reserve
Straight after breakfast, we venture on a full day game drive. Selous is home to a large population of elephant, many buffalo and wild dogs. Other species commonly seen are lion, bushbuck, impala, giraffe, eland, baboon, zebra, kudus and crocodile and hippo.
Day 9: Walking and Boat Safaris in Selous
Accompanied by an armed ranger, to get close to the animals, your walking safari will be an unforgettable experience. Please note that armed rangers love the wildlife and are very knowledgeable about it. In the event of dangerous animals coming close, which rarely happens, a shot in the air is enough to see them off. You will have a picnic lunch in the bush and then transfer to Rufiji River for an afternoon boat excursion on the Rufiji River. You will see large family groups of hippos and many crocodiles. Perhaps some elephants or carnivores coming down to drink, and many interesting birds. At sundown a short drive takes you back to your camp.
Day 10: Selous - Kilwa Masoko
After an early morning, sunrise game drive, we drive back to the camp for breakfast. Then we leave with a packed lunch to drive to Kilwa Masoko via Kivinje. Kilwa declined when the Portuguese arrived. At first, the Portuguese, under the leadership of Vasco da Gama, threatened to attack the town unless a tribute was paid. They eventually decided that they wanted Kilwa’s prosperity for themselves and took the island by force in 1505. The Portuguese constructed a large coastal fortress called Gereza. The island was under Portuguese control until an Arab mercenary and his men liberated the island in 1512.
Day 11: Excursion to Kilwa Kisiwani
After breakfast you will embark onto a local dhow to Kilwa island. Kilwa Kisiwani was to become the main trading port of the Indian Ocean. Its wealth came from the exchange of gold and iron from Great Zimbabwe and other parts of Southern Africa. Ivory, slaves from mainland Tanzania, textiles, jewelry, porcelain and spices from Asia were all traded here. By the 13th Century Kilwa had become the most powerful city along the coast, exercising political and trading domination as far as Pemba Island in the north and Sofala, the present day Beira in Mozambique, in the south. An Arab chronicle lists over forty sovereigns who reigned at Kilwa in a period of five hundred years. Pedro Alvares Cabral, the Portuguese navigator, was the first European to visit. His fleet, on its way to India, anchored in Kilwa in 1500. Kilwa was then a large and wealthy city, possessing, it is stated, three hundred mosques.
Day 12: Kilwa - Mikindani
After breakfast, we drive you to Mikindani Village. There is some debate over the origins of the name Mikindani. Some say that the town was named after a man from the Makonde tribe who killed the sister of the first immigrants from the Makonde Plateau. An alternative and more plausible, story is that Mikindani was named for the young palm trees (*mikinda*) that grow around the town.
Day 13: Mikindani - Msimbati - a day of history, culture and interest
Today we explore the village of Mikindani by foot. Mikindani is a fascinating old town with winding streets and an interesting blend of thatched mud houses and coral houses influenced by Arabic architecture. The first settlers to the area were members of the Makonde tribe who settled in the north west of the lagoon. In the 9th century they were joined by Arab immigrant settlers from the Arabian Peninsula. A further influx of Arabs settled in Mikindani in the late 17th century, during the reign of Seyyid Said, Sultan of Oman. In the afternoon we take you on a 35 km drive to Msimbati for dinner and overnight stay directly on the Indian Ocean.
Day 14, 15 and 16: Msimbati
During these days you can explore the unspoiled, untouched natural white sand and azure water of southern Tanzania*s coastline. Msimbati is an exceptional site for nature lovers. It lies in the middle of a marine park. Msimbati has beautiful beaches on a peninsula, close to the the border of Mozambique. The ocean floor is ideal for wet-suit diving as much for the beauty of its underwater scenery as for the fauna (the napoleon or humphead wrasse, turtles, tuna, sea rays, barracuda) and its flora (giant gorgons, coral etc). Msimbati is a wonderful place to combine chilling out with exploring nature.
Day 17: Msimbati - Dar es Salaam
This day depends on the time of the flight; we transfer the clients to Mtwara Airport to catch the flight back to Dar.
*** End of Service ***
PRICES
- All activities as per the itinerary
- All Accommodation as per itinerary – N.B. accommodation mentioned in the itinerary is dependent on availabilty at the time of booking; alternatives of a similar class may be booked instead
- All meals as per itinerary (3 a day unless otherwise stated)
- All transfers to and from agreed pick up and drop off points (e.g. Airport, Bus Station or hotel in town etc)
- All camping gear (if you are camping)
- Service of an English speaking driver/guide
- Safari base 4×4 Vehicle with open roof for game viewing (sometimes a saloon car or other SUV for excursions in town etc.)
- Driver’s salary and allowances and park fees for vehicle and driver
- Bottled mineral water daily
- All Government taxes
- All National Park and Game Reserve Fees
- If included in your itinerary: foot safaris, boat safaris
- TANAPA armed ranger (where needed, eg. on foot safaris, some boat safaris etc.)
- Crater service fees (if visiting Ngorongoro Crater)
- All Nature Trail Fees.
- All Museum Fees.
- All Historic and Culture Site or Event Fees
- Extras, personal expenses i.e. drinks, telephone, laundry etc.
- Optional activities not outlined on the itinerary
- International flights & corresponding taxes
- Visa
- Flying doctors rescue services
- Travel, medical, injury and luggage insurances
- Tips to the driver & guides
- Anything else not mentioned in the inclusions (above).