Duration
6-Day
Nyerere (Selous) National Park, Tanzania
6-Day Southern Tanzania Safari - Selous and Ruaha
Overview
Southern Tanzania sees a fraction of the visitors the northern circuit attracts. Nyerere National Park (Selous) and Ruaha between them cover some of the least-visited wilderness in East Africa, and this itinerary moves through both in small groups, in open vehicles. In Nyerere, a walking safari and a boat trip along the Rufiji River - hippos, crocodiles, and birds. Ruaha brings game drives and a night safari. A bush flight connects the two parks.
Plan snapshot
Quick Facts
Route
Zanzibar to Zanzibar
Via Nyerere NP, Ruaha NP
Country & park
Tanzania / Nyerere (Selous) National Park
Style
Mid-range safari
Group size
1-12 travelers
Starts
Any day if available
Minimum age
12 years
Activities
game drives, evening/night game drives, nature hikes/walks & boat trip
Accommodation
Rufiji River Camp - Mid-range tented bush camp inside Nyerere NP
Meals
Day 1: Lunch & Dinner Included; Day 2: All Meals Included; All Meals Included
Pickup
Airport transfer included
Booking
Request quote
Currency
USD
Rates
Rates Per Person
USD
Start datesSingle2+ people
Jun 1, 2026 - Jun 30, 2026
$5,177 USD
$4,116 USD
Jul 1, 2026 - Oct 31, 2026
$5,697 USD
$4,345 USD
Nov 1, 2026 - Dec 19, 2026
$5,177 USD
$4,116 USD
Dec 20, 2026 - Jan 5, 2027
$5,697 USD
$4,345 USD
Jan 6, 2027 - Mar 31, 2027
$5,177 USD
$4,116 USD
Jun 1, 2027 - Jun 30, 2027
$5,177 USD
$4,116 USD
Jul 1, 2027 - Oct 31, 2027
$5,697 USD
$4,345 USD
Nov 1, 2027 - Dec 19, 2027
$5,177 USD
$4,116 USD
Dec 20, 2027 - Jan 5, 2028
$5,697 USD
$4,345 USD
Before booking
Important To Know
Rates are per person and exclude the international flight from/to your home country.
This tour is offered in US dollars (USD).
This tour accepts children who are 12 years and older.
Quote flow
Request Guidance
We advise requesting quotes from 3 operators ()
Requests are sent directly to the tour operator
If preferred, you can contact the tour operator directly
Route
country
Tanzania
Start
Zanzibar (Day 1)
Day 1-2
Nyerere NP
Day 3-5
Ruaha NP
End
Zanzibar (Day 6)
Tour Features
Mid-range tour
This mid-range tour uses lodges and tented bush camps.
Private tour
This tour will be organized exclusively for you and won't be shared with others.
Can start any day
If availability permits, this tour can start on any day.
Can be customized
You can request minor changes to the accommodations and destinations of this tour.
Suitable for solo travelers
Solo travelers can book this private tour.
12
Minimum age of 12 years
The minimum age for this tour is 12 years.
Activities & Transportation
Activities: game drives, evening/night game drives, nature hikes/walks & boat trip
Game drives: open-sided 4x4 vehicle
Getting around: open-sided 4x4 vehicle & air transfer
This operator can select your international flights, but you'll have to book them yourself
A transfer from and back to the airport can be arranged for an extra cost
Accommodation & Meals
Day 1-2
Rufiji River Camp
Mid-range tented bush camp inside Nyerere NP
Day 1: Lunch & Dinner Included; Day 2: All Meals Included
Day 3-5
Ruaha River Lodge
Mid-range lodge inside Ruaha NP – All Meals Included
All Meals Included
Day 6
End of tour
(No accommodation)
Breakfast Included
Day By Day
Tour step
Arrival
A transfer from the airport can be arranged for an extra cost. Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.
Day 1
Arrival in Nyerere National Park (Selous)
Nyerere National Park forms the core of what was the Selous Game Reserve – at around 54,600 square kilometres, one of the largest protected areas on the continent and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The scale of it shapes the experience: low visitor numbers, vast stretches of savannah, river and forest, and wildlife that moves largely undisturbed. Elephant, lion, leopard and buffalo are all present, alongside large populations of hippo, giraffe, zebra and impala. The park also holds one of the more viable remaining populations of black rhino in Tanzania. What distinguishes Nyerere from the northern parks is the range of ways to move through it. A morning game drive, a walking safari with an armed ranger, and a boat excursion along the Rufiji River can each cover different ground – and each gives the landscape a different character. Mid-range tented bush camp located inside Nyerere NP Lunch & dinner (Breakfast not included) Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Destination: Nyerere National Park Stay: Rufiji River Camp Mid-range tented bush camp located inside Nyerere NP Meals: Lunch & dinner (Breakfast not included) Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 2
Walking & Boat Safaris in Nyerere (Selous)
A second day in Nyerere covers different ground. The boat safari along the Rufiji – Tanzania's largest river – puts you at water level, where hippos, crocodiles and birds of prey are seen differently than from a vehicle. Elephant, waterbuck and buffalo come to the banks to drink, often close enough to watch at length. The walking safari moves at a different pace again. The focus shifts from large game to the detail of the bush – tracks in the soil, birds, plants, mongoose, guinea fowl and vervet monkey. Fresh elephant or buffalo tracks can be followed with the guide, which changes the dynamic of the search entirely. If any of the Big Five proved elusive yesterday, a full day on the ground and water gives the search more time. Mid-range tented bush camp located inside Nyerere NP All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Destination: Nyerere National Park Stay: Rufiji River Camp Mid-range tented bush camp located inside Nyerere NP Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 3
Bush Flight to Ruaha National Park
The morning begins with a bush flight from Nyerere – around an hour and a half in the air, crossing the southern wilderness before landing in Ruaha. The flight itself gives a sense of the scale of what lies below. Ruaha is the second-largest national park in Tanzania – large enough that its remoteness from the northern circuit feels earned rather than incidental. Visitor numbers stay low even in high season, and the effect on the wildlife is noticeable. Lion here are famously unbothered: sprawled across roads, indifferent to vehicles that pull up quietly alongside them. It is one of the better parks in Africa to watch them at length. Elephant, hippo, giraffe and antelope are reliable from the first day. The park also holds striped hyena and sable antelope – species rare enough in Tanzania that a sighting here carries some weight. Mid-range lodge located inside Ruaha NP All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Destination: Ruaha National Park Stay: Ruaha River Lodge Mid-range lodge located inside Ruaha NP Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 4
Day & Night Safari in Ruaha National Park
The Great Ruaha River runs through the park and rewards a full morning along its banks. Hippos gather in the backwaters; crocodiles rest on the river islands; the birdlife along the water is dense and varied. Lunch is at a riverside spot chosen by your guide. The evening brings a night drive – genet, civet, bushbaby and the occasional lion or leopard move through the darkness in ways the daytime doesn't reveal. The park is quiet at night, with few other vehicles, and the sky out here is worth looking up at even when nothing is moving below it. Mid-range lodge located inside Ruaha NP All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Destination: Ruaha National Park Stay: Ruaha River Lodge Mid-range lodge located inside Ruaha NP Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 5
Ruaha National Park
Ruaha is home to so many antelope species that counting and memorizing their distinguishing features is entertainment of its own. The greater and lesser kudu have as-if chalk-drawn thin stripes across their bodies, and males boast beautiful screw horns. The sable antelopes come in glistening coal-black coats and horns like two curved sabers. The roan antelopes wear black masks with white spots around their eyes. Grant's gazelles with their beige coats, white bellies and lyre-shaped horns are one of the most graceful ungulates you will find in the savanna. Antelopes come in many other exciting varieties. If you're lucky, you might even come across a fawn-colored Liechtenstein's hartebeest that has distinctive back-curved S-shaped horns. Mid-range lodge located inside Ruaha NP All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Destination: Ruaha National Park Stay: Ruaha River Lodge Mid-range lodge located inside Ruaha NP Meals: All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 6
Departure from Ruaha
After breakfast, your driver will transfer you to the airstrip for your bush flight out of Ruaha. The flight is not included in the package – your manager can arrange it if needed. Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included) Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Destination: No major destination visited Stay: No accommodation (End of tour) Meals: Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included) Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Tour step
End of tour
Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost. A transfer back to the airport can be arranged for an extra cost.
Included
Park fees (For non-residents)
All activities (Unless labeled as optional)
All accommodation (Unless listed as upgrade)
A professional driver/guide
All transportation (Unless labeled as optional)
All flights during the tour
All Taxes/VAT
Meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)
Drinking water (On all days)
Excluded
International flights (From/to home)
Roundtrip airport transfer
Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
Tips (Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)
Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
Some meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)
Getting There
This tour starts and ends in Zanzibar
This operator can select your international flights, but you'll have to book them yourself
Fly to/from Abeid Amani Karume Airport (ZNZ - Check price) on Zanzibar. Or fly to/from Dar es Salaam (DAR - Check price) . There are daily ferries between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
A transfer from and back to the airport can be arranged for an extra cost
Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour can be arranged for an extra cost
Offered by
Altezza Travel
5.0 operator rating
88 reviews
Altezza Travel is a team of dedicated wildlife specialists, whose mission is to bring your Tanzanian dreams into reality. We are vastly experienced in organizing top-notch Kilimanjaro climbing expeditions and wildlife safaris. Unparalleled safety standards, personal care for each guest and highly professional guides are the foundations of our vision. We will make your adventure a lifetime memory!
Office In
Tanzania
Size
250+ employees (Founded in 2014)
Member Of
IATA, TATO, TTB, KPAP & KIATA
Tour Types
Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
Destinations
Tanzania
Practical answers
Tour FAQs
Are rates charged per person?
Rates are per person and exclude the international flight from/to your home country.
Which currency is this tour priced in?
This tour is offered in US dollars (USD).
Can children join this tour?
This tour accepts children who are 12 years and older.
Can this tour start on my preferred date?
If availability permits, this tour can start on any day.
Can the itinerary be customized?
You can request minor changes to the accommodations and destinations of this tour.
Where do travelers stay during this tour?
Rufiji River Camp - Mid-range tented bush camp inside Nyerere NP. Meals: Day 1: Lunch & Dinner Included; Day 2: All Meals Included
Where does this tour start and end?
This tour starts and ends in Zanzibar
Are airport transfers included?
A transfer from and back to the airport can be arranged for an extra cost
Operator policy
Terms and Conditions
Disclaimer
This tour is offered by Altezza Travel, not SafariBookings.
This operator reserves the right to change rates advertised on SafariBookings.
If you request changes to this tour, the advertised rates will likely change.
The exact order, contents and rates of this tour are subject to availability.
If an accommodation is fully booked, the operator will suggest a comparable alternative.
This tour is subject to the terms & conditions of Altezza Travel.
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