Serengeti To Southern Tanzania

11 Days: Arusha, Serengeti National Park, Ruaha National Park, Selous Game Reserve

Combining 1 night Onsea House, 3 nights Dunia, 3 nights Kwihala and 3 nights Roho ya Selous

Day 1: Overnight at Onsea House, Arusha

On arrival in Kilimanjaro Airport you will be met by your very own driver who will transfer you to Onsea House in the outskirts of the nearby town Arusha. The rest of the day is at leisure to relax after your flights in the peaceful gardens or beside the pool.

Onsea House

Onsea House is located just outside the town of Arusha, perfectly positioned on the drive from Kilimanjaro Airport. Owner managed and spread out over two levels, the House has an intimate and friendly feel. Add to this the superb staff and a reputation of culinary excellence, and Onsea House is a brilliant pre or post safari stopover.

Day 2: Overnight at Dunia, Serengeti National Park

You will be driven to Arusha airport this morning for your light aircraft flight to the Serengeti, one of Africa’s greatest national parks. You will be staying in the heart of the park, surrounded by seemingly never-ending savannah plains, at the wonderful Dunia and a guide from here will meet you at the airstrip and game drive you back to camp.

Settle in and soak up your new surroundings before enjoying a delicious, fresh lunch in a shady spot. There is time to relax for a couple of hours after lunch, before meeting at the mess tent for afternoon tea and freshly baked cakes and departing on an afternoon game-drive.

The Serengeti is home to a wide variety and high densities of wildlife, making a safari here immensely rewarding. Look for lions lounging on the rocky kopjes, herds of buffalo roaming the plains and lilac-breasted rollers perching on acacia branches.

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Dunia

Dunia is a small, intimate camp that evokes a sense of being immersed in nature while still being able to enjoy the warm hospitality and luxury that the camp has to offer. Attention to detail is balanced with an essence of grateful simplicity that is in harmony with its tranquil and exclusive location.

Dunia offers superb game viewing all year round from its secluded location in the south west corner of the Central Seronera Valley – the heart of the Serengeti. This area is renowned for its abundance of game, especially big cats and is right in the path of the extraordinary annual Great Migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra.

Day 3 & 4: Overnight at Dunia, Serengeti National Park

Explore the Seronera valley and beyond on morning and afternoon game drives with our expert guides, returning to Dunia for lunch and a siesta. If you prefer to travel further one day, you could take a picnic lunch with you to enjoy a full day drive – particularly worthwhile when the Great Migration herds are in the area, so you can spend as long as possible searching for, and hopefully watching, this wildlife spectacle.

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Day 5: Overnight at Kwihala, Ruaha National Park

Today you will bid the team at Dunia goodbye as you fly out of the Serengeti and south to Ruaha National Park. This journey is quicker than it used to be thanks to Coastal Aviation’s Pilatus aircraft, too, so within just two hours you are the other side of Tanzania and in an entirely new environment for the next stage of your safari.

A guide from Kwihala will meet you at the airstrip and give you an introduction to Ruaha on the game drive back to camp, where a warm welcome and cool drinks will await. Enjoy a leisurely lunch here overlooking the Mwagusi River and a siesta after lunch to rest during the heat of the day.

This afternoon set off on a game drive or guided walk to explore this very different national park with your expert guide.

Kwihala

Kwihala combines raw beauty with simple excellence. Situated in the new safari frontier of Ruaha in Tanzania, this is unconstrained Africa where you will find one of the most spectacular concentrations of wildlife set in a beautifully diverse landscape that ranges from baobab forests, granite kopjes and open plains to cooling rivers and woodland valleys.

Largely unexplored, Ruaha is as remote as you can get in East Africa. Few have heard of it and none will forget about it.

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Day 6 & 7: Overnight at Kwihala, Ruaha National Park

Each morning and afternoon you have a choice of activity – game drives or walking safaris, or if you wish, full day game drives with picnic lunches are also possible. A walking safari will offer a lovely contrast to the game drives, the chance to stretch your legs and gain a wider understanding of how the whole ecosystem of Ruaha fits together.

Our guides know Ruaha like the back of their hand, ensuring you the best possible safari experience in this gem of a national park. One tenth of the world’s lion population lives in this park, as well as good numbers of leopard, cheetah and some more unusual species such as sable antelope and lesser kudu.

Day 8: Overnight at Roho ya Selous, Selous Game Reserve

There is time for a final morning game drive before you fly out to the Selous Game Reserve for the final stage of your safari adventure. The Selous is entirely different to the Serengeti and Ruaha, with a network of rivers, lakes and swamps to explore, as well as woodland and plains.

You will be met at the airstrip by your guide from Roho ya Selous, who will game drive you back to camp in time for lunch. Unpack your bags and spend siesta time settling in to your room before the afternoon safari – we highly recommend a boat safari as a wonderful introduction to the Selous, encountering hippos and crocodiles and enjoying sundowners on a pretty sandbank.

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Roho ya Selous

Located in the heart of the Selous Game Reserve, Roho ya Selous is tucked into a shady grove of trees, close to a waterway linking Lake Manze and Lake Nzerakera. There are eight spacious tented rooms, each with shade netting over the main canvas, and Evening Breeze cooling over the beds to keep you cool and comfortable even in the hotter months.

The open-sided mess area has plenty of space to relax during siesta time, or with a drink after dinner, chatting to other guests. Expert guides lead guests on a variety of safari activities to explore this wildlife-rich reserve, with boat safaris, fishing, walking safaris and game drives included in your stay.

Day 9 & 10: Overnight at Roho ya Selous, Selous Game Reserve

Your final days on safari offer plenty of flexibility, with a range of safari activities to choose from each morning and afternoon. Walking safaris are entirely different here to those in Ruaha, exploring the miombo woodland environment with your guide.

In the early mornings, the light is particularly beautiful in the Selous, making for some great photography opportunities as you look for tracks of wildlife that have come near camp overnight. The boat safaris are superb morning or afternoon, watching wildlife come to the water’s edge to drink and getting close to bird colonies, hippos and crocodiles.

You can also enjoy a spot of catch-and-release fishing, too. Game drives are the best way to travel further afield and see some larger game including the predators – the Selous is home to the largest populations of wild dog in Africa, which are a real highlight if you are lucky enough to encounter a pack.

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Day 11: Departure

There is time for one final morning safari activity before you fly out of the airstrip to Dar es Salaam, where you can connect to your international flight home.