Wildlife Tours to Central Tanzania CENTRAL TANZANIA
Photo: Elephant (Malcolm Parker).
2009 Zanzibar extension £545 (*£95). 2010 Zanzibar extension £575 (*£105).
*Single room supplement.
(Costs are per person, full board, based on sharing twin-bedded rooms).
Tour Destinations :
- Selous Game Reserve
- Mikumi National Park
- Udzungwa Mountains National Park
- Ruaha National Park
- Optional extension to Zanzibar
Tour Summary
Central Tanzania
The recent development/improvement of well serviced camps and lodges makes it possible to visit Central Tanzania in comfort and at the same time experience the unique timelessness and tranquillity which characterises this remote area.
Elephants, Hippos and antelope, sometimes in large numbers, will appear and then melt into the bush. Viewing is not as easy as in the open plains of Northern Tanzania but the rewards are considerable with many scarce species such as Wild Dog, Greater and Lesser Kudu and Roan Antelope well represented. Almost all the large mammals are here, together with a dazzling array of birds - and, beyond your group, relatively few other visitors.
It is this pervading tranquillity which makes this tour truly a wonderful adventure.
Itinerary
Day : 1 Flight from London to Dar es Salaam
Your morning flight from the UK will arrive in Dar es Salaam late in the evening and you transfer to your hotel for overnight.
Days : 2, 3, 4 Mikumi National Park
After breakfast you transfer to Dar airport for the ninty minute flight to Mikumi. In the afternoon you will take your first game drive in the park. Day 3 is devoted to a full day exploring the largely open bushlands and woodlands of Mikumi where kills are relatively easily spotted and there is a good population of Lions and Leopards. The area offers great opportunities for close-up photography of game as this is one of the few places in Central Tanzania where animals are used to vehicles.
On Day 4 you will visit Udzungwa Mountains National Park one of Tanzania's most recently protected areas. The diverse forest is host to a variety of endemic plant and animal species and there are ten species of primates amongst it residents including the rare Iringa Red Colobus. It also has a very rich birdlife.
The mammals here are impressive with large numbers of Elephant, Buffalo and Wildebeest present along with, amongst others, Liechtenstein’s Hartebeest, Sable Antelope and Greater Kudu. In addition, there are large concentrations of Crocodile and Hippopotamus whilst Lion and Leopard occur and there is a chance of seeing Hunting Dog.
The birding along the river is also very good but perhaps the most poignant ingredient is the experience of a true sense of wilderness in this vast Reserve.
Days : 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 Ruaha National Park
After a morning game drive in Mikumi you transfer by air to Ruaha National Park and take an afternoon game drive. Ruaha is a hilly Park extending over a huge area of 12,950 sq km at an elevation mainly between 2,500ft and 5,000ft. There are many wonderful views over an often dramatic and endless landscape whose most prominent feature is the dominance, in many areas, of Baobabs. There are also extensive areas of Commiphora and Combretum bush and miombo woodland: also sand rivers with ribbons of water holes, much used by all the mammals.
The areas around Chamgore, Mbuyuni and Mwanambogo Dam are usually rewarding with good numbers of Elephant and also a variety of plains game. The Mkata River flood plain and several hippo pools are also of particular interest for mammals and birds. A good number of bird species occur here which are not found in the Northern Tanzanian parks such as Dickinson’s Kestrel, Violet-crested Turaco and Pale Billed Hornbill.
All the major predators are here, including Hunting Dog, and the bird list for the Park is over four hundred. You will divide your time between exploring the several habitats within easy reach of the camp but you will inevitably concentrate on the prolific wildlife along the Great Ruaha River itself where anything can happen- and frequently does! Above all, this Park is, without exaggeration, a vast tract of unspoiled Africa- an experience which will long remain with you.
Days : 10, 11, 12 and 13 Selous Game Reserve
Following a last morning game drive in Ruaha, you transfer by air in the afternoon to Selous, a flight of just under an hour.
Selous is Africa's largest wildlife Reserve and Tanzania's most extensive protected area. Your four days here will be spent exploring the Rufiji River and lakes by vehicle and boat and on foot. You will also explore the dry, sparse, deciduous miombo woodland together with the marshes, savannah and open plains, in the company of local guides.
Day : 14 A final morning game drive precedes your to Dar International Airport to connect with your return flight to the UK.
Day : 15 Arrive in UK.
Zanzibar Extension
Your tour operates as above until Day 14 when the following itinerary applies.
Day : 14: Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar
After the morning game drive in Selous you will fly directly to Zanzibar where the afternoon will be a leisure.
Days : 15 and 16 Zanzibar
Two days for you to relax and explore Zanzibar, wandering through the fascinating labyrinth of narrow streets of the old stone town.
An excursion will be arranged to the Jozani Forest Reserve, a remnant of the indigenous forest which once covered much of central Zanzibar. It is home to two endemic sub-species, the Kirk’s Red Colobus Monkey and the Zanzibar Leopard. Alder’s Duiker is found only here and at one other location in Kenya. The Red Colobus Monkeys are habituated to visitors so sightings are almost guaranteed.
Days : 17 and 18 Return Journey
You have a final morning in Zanzibar before transferring to the airport for your late afternoon flight to Dar es Salaam and onward overnight flight to the UK where you arrive early on the morning of Day 18.