Best Safari Parks and Game Reserves Near Dar es Salaam

Dar es Salaam is the largest city in Tanzania and from where many people will start their trip. The coastal city is often a starting point for those traveling to nearby Zanzibar Island and the popular Northern safari circuit, which includes Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park.

However, the southern game reserves near Dar es Salaam are generally less expensive and less crowded, but they still have stunning scenery and great wildlife-viewing opportunities. These southern parks are ideal for those who like to get off the beaten track. Tanzania is a massive country, but these parks and reserves are all within a day’s driving distance of Dar es Salaam.

422 Safaris From Dar es Salaam

1. Nyerere (Selous) National Park

Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous Game Reserve) is probably the most famous safari park near Dar es Salaam. It’s one of the biggest national parks in Africa. This massive park is a Unesco World Heritage Site and has a range of landscapes including miombo woodlands, savannah and swamps. The Rufiji River provides a water source for the many animals who inhabit the park: lion, leopard, black rhino, hippo and one of Africa’s largest wild dog populations. There are over 400 birds that can be checked off your birding list, too. The migratory species arrive between November and April.

• Driving time from Dar es Salaam: 5 hours. The fastest access route is the 230km/143mi road to Mtemere Gate. The alternative route through Mikumi NP takes longer. Daily flights are available.
• Where to stay: Camps and lodges for various budgets. Most of the accommodations are in the north of the park.
• Activities: Game drives, walking safaris, boat safaris, fishing

286 Nyerere Safaris

2. Mikumi National Park

Mikumi National Park is the closest park to Dar es Salaam and linked by a tarmac road that runs through the park. It’s connected to Nyerere National Park, which lies to the south. As one of the lesser-known wildlife reserves, it’s rarely busy.

On grassy savannah plains dotted with baobab trees, you might spot herds of elephant, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, eland, kudu and impala, alongside giraffe and troops of yellow baboon or vervet monkey. Lions are in the park, but they are not as populous or easy to spot as in Tanzania’s more well-known parks such as the Serengeti. If you’re lucky, there’s a chance of seeing leopard or wild dog.

As a park close to Dar es Salaam, Mikumi is a popular weekend destination for residents. For those on a longer trip, it is often used as a stopover between other southern parks. The best time to visit is from late June to October, when it’s driest and animals are attracted to permanent waterholes, such as those on the Mkata Floodplain.

• Driving time from Dar es Salaam: 6 hours
• Where to stay: Camps and lodges for various budgets (some close during the March to May rains)
• Activities: Game drives, walking safaris

288 Mikumi Safaris

3. Saadani National Park

Saadani National Park is to the north of Dar es Salaam. Set along the Indian Ocean, the park is the only seaside wildlife destination on mainland Tanzania.

Saadani’s stunning beach is fringed by mangrove swamps giving way to woodlands farther inland. The shores are breeding grounds for green turtles. The park is home to four of the Big Five: lion, elephant, buffalo and leopard (no rhino). There are also Masai giraffe, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, yellow baboon, sable antelope and hippo. It should be noted that animals are not as easily spotted here as they are in the more popular Tanzanian parks.

Avoid the long rains from April to May and aim to travel to Saadani in January and February or June to August.

• Driving time from Dar es Salaam: 3 to 4 hours
• Where to stay: Luxury and mid-range lodges and camps
• Activities: Game drives, walking safaris, boat trips

13 Saadani Safaris

4. Ruaha National Park

Ruaha is arguably the best safari park near Dar es Salaam. It is one of the biggest national parks in Africa and the second largest in Tanzania but receives barely a fraction of the visitors that the northern parks do. With a landscape of old baobabs and rocky outcrops, Ruaha is named after the Great Ruaha River that runs through it. The park is the size of New Jersey and there’s an incredible array of wildlife to see. There are more than 450 species of bird (best seen over the migratory period from November to April) as well as cheetah, lion, leopard, hyena, giraffe, hippo, buffalo and wild dog.

Go in the Dry season from June to October. Even at this peak time of the year, you’ll find the park relatively free of crowds. Many people stop off at Mikumi or Udzungwa Mountains National Parks en route to Ruaha National Park.

• Driving time from Dar es Salaam: 10 hours. There are also flights into the park, though this option is much more expensive.
• Where to stay: Lodges and tented camps for various budgets, including some high-end options
• Activities: Game drives, walking safaris

68 Ruaha Safaris

5. Udzungwa Mountains National Park

Udzungwa Mountains National Park is known for its various hiking trails that cut through the tropical rainforest rather than its wildlife. You can take a half-day hike to Sanje Waterfall, which is a popular swimming spot. Or spend a few nights in the park on routes such as the tough 5-day Lumemo trail.

Look out for the Iringa red colobus and the Sanje crested mangabey. Both primates are endemic to the area. In fact, Udzungwa Mountains has the second-highest biodiversity rate of any African national park. There are more than 400 bird species and 10 primates. Buffalo, elephant, leopard, hippo and croc are also present in the park, though these animals are rarely seen by visitors.

Udzungwa Mountains National Park makes a convenient day trip from Mikumi (or the other way around), which is around 90 minutes away.

• Driving time from Dar es Salaam: 6 hours
• Where to stay: Lodges and camps for different budgets and campsites
• Activities: Hiking, swimming

49 Udzungwa Mountains NP Tours

6. Mafia Island Marine Park

Mafia Island Marine Park is the largest marine protected area (MPA) in the Indian Ocean and offers something different from a typical Tanzanian wildlife experience.

Mafia Island is a dream for snorkeling or diving, with over 400 fish species, turtle and dugong living around the reefs and mangrove forests. It’s also a great place to just relax after a hectic safari itinerary around southern Tanzania.

August, September and October are great months in which to travel, with dry, hot weather. June is cooler and July can be windy. There are showers and increasing humidity from November to March, which is the hottest period.

• Transport from Dar es Salaam: The best way to get to Mafia Island is by light airplane
• Where to stay: Mostly luxury lodges with some mid-range and budget options too
• Activities: Snorkeling, diving, boat trips

Mafia Island Packages

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422 Safaris From Dar es Salaam

By Heather Richardson

UK

Heather Richardson is an award-winning travel writer, based in South Africa. She is interested in conservation stories, emerging destinations and adventure travel.

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