Best Southern Circuit Safaris in Tanzania

By Sue Watt

Tanzania has just about everything you could wish for in an African safari holiday. Most visitors travel to what is known as the Northern Circuit. This includes the dramatic Ngorongoro Crater and the vast Serengeti National Park with its world-renowned wildebeest migration. As wonderful as these popular places are, Tanzania has much more to offer than these well-known hotspots. If you want to escape the crowds, head to the country’s little-visited yet stunning and wildlife-rich Southern Circuit. It includes Ruaha National Park and Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous).

520 Southern Circuit Safaris

Nyerere (Selous) National Park

Encountering giraffe on a walking safari in Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous). Photo Credit © Will Whitford

Nyerere National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is Tanzania’s largest national park: spanning some 30,000 km². However, only a fraction is accessible to photographic safaris. But don’t let this put you off. It is a magical place of lush landscapes dominated by the river and a chain of lakes that make for excellent wildlife watching. As a reserve rather than a national park, it allows walking safaris, boat trips and fly-camping, all contributing to that special sense of discovery and a true wilderness experience.

Nyerere Wildlife

One of the best areas for wildlife is around Lakes Manze and Nzerakera to the east of the reserve. On boat trips, make sure you don’t dip your hand in the water – these lakes are home to hundreds of crocodiles which make for fascinating viewing as you sip your sundowner cocktails. Lions wait for prey to come to drink, hippos harrumph and hide underwater and all kinds of aquatic birds gather on the lake shore. Walks around the reserve reveal the smaller creatures of the bush, such as the bugs and birds that you never really get to see in a vehicle. And on game drives, you’ll see plenty of larger creatures too. It’s one of the places where you might spot wild dogs, quirky carnivores with strange saucer-shaped ears and distinctively patterned coats of brown, black and white. Elephants were once prolific until poaching intervened, but look out for babies among the herds, a sure sign that the pachyderms are feeling more settled now. And giraffes are abundant here – they seem to be browsing around every corner.

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Ruaha National Park

Leopards are often spotted in Ruaha National Park.

Spanning over 20,000 square kilometres, Ruaha is Tanzania’s second-largest national park. This vast tract of bush, about the size of New Jersey, is home to ten percent of Africa’s lions and East Africa’s highest population of elephants. They’ve chosen a beautiful home. Skinny palm trees and bulbous baobabs dot the landscape bordered by distant hills and granite outcrops or kopjes. The Ruaha River is the heart of the park. Tumbling across rocky boulders in the wet season and transforming into a broad sand river when it’s dry, it’s a magnet for the wildlife.

Ruaha Wildlife

Ruaha is located on something of a transition zone where East Africa meets the south. As a result, the wildlife here is particularly varied – on game drives and walking safaris, you’ll see greater kudu with their vast spiralling horns, or perhaps roan and sable, all handsome antelopes. The birdlife too is immensely diverse with over 580 species recorded. Despite its scale, Ruaha is one of the best places in Africa to see wild dogs. Leopards are regularly spotted, either resting in the trees during the day or prowling the plains at night. Look out for large prides of lions too, particularly around the Mwagusi and Mdonya Rivers.

68 Ruaha Safaris

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By Sue Watt

Sue is an award-winning writer who specializes in African travel and conservation. She writes for national newspapers, magazines, Rough Guides and Lonely Planet.

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