7 Day Mikumi And Nyerere Safari

Destinations: Tanzania, Mikumi National Park and Nyerere National Park

Over 7 days this route takes in Mikumi and Nyerere, each stop with its own character. Lilac-breasted rollers sit on every third bush, and the birding is strong year round. Unlike the parks up north, Nyerere lets you walk with an armed ranger.

Day By Day

Day 1 Arrival At Mikumi

You set out from Dar es Salaam after breakfast and drive to Mikumi National Park, the country changing as the kilometres pass, reaching camp with time to settle in and take a first look before dark. Zebra, wildebeest, impala and tall Masai giraffe spread across the plain. Lilac-breasted rollers sit on every third bush, and the birding is strong year round. Mikumi is 3,230 square kilometres and the fourth-largest park in Tanzania, reached on the tar road from the coast. You settle into camp as the light goes. You rest through the midday heat and head out again as it cools.

Its Mkata floodplain draws comparisons with the Serengeti for the way lion, buffalo and elephant sit out on open grass. The Hippo Pools in the north hold pods you can watch on foot from a viewing point. The country is quiet here, and on most outings you have it to yourselves. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead.

Hippo pod crowded in a green waterhole — A pod packed into a shrinking pool, the first taste of the water this trip is built around.

Day 2 Game Drives In Mikumi

A full day in Mikumi National Park. You are out on game drives, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. Mikumi is 3,230 square kilometres and the fourth-largest park in Tanzania, reached on the tar road from the coast. Its Mkata floodplain draws comparisons with the Serengeti for the way lion, buffalo and elephant sit out on open grass. The Hippo Pools in the north hold pods you can watch on foot from a viewing point. Back at camp after dark, dinner is under the stars.

Zebra, wildebeest, impala and tall Masai giraffe spread across the plain. Lilac-breasted rollers sit on every third bush, and the birding is strong year round. The morning is cool and the animals are moving, so the first hours out are the busiest. You carry a packed breakfast and stay out while the going is good.

Day 3 Game Drives In Mikumi

A full day in Mikumi National Park. You are out on game drives, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. Its Mkata floodplain draws comparisons with the Serengeti for the way lion, buffalo and elephant sit out on open grass. The Hippo Pools in the north hold pods you can watch on foot from a viewing point. Zebra, wildebeest, impala and tall Masai giraffe spread across the plain. You rest through the midday heat and head out again as it cools.

Lilac-breasted rollers sit on every third bush, and the birding is strong year round. Mikumi is 3,230 square kilometres and the fourth-largest park in Tanzania, reached on the tar road from the coast. You carry a packed breakfast and stay out while the going is good. Around midday the heat sits heavy, and you rest in the shade before heading out again as it cools.

Giraffes and three zebras across distant scrub savanna — The open scrub of the Mkata plain on the last morning before the flight south.

Day 4 Transfer To Nyerere

A short morning out on game drives at first light in Mikumi, then to the airstrip and a light aircraft for the move to Nyerere National Park. The country changes on the way, and you reach Nyerere in the afternoon. You head out out on a boat safari and game drives as the light softens, a first look at the new ground. A boat safari puts you at water level with hippo pods and big crocodiles hauled out on the banks. The park holds big herds of elephant and buffalo, good lion and leopard, and a strong wild dog population. You swap between boat and vehicle as the day allows.

Nyerere is 30,893 square kilometres gazetted in 2019 from the northern Selous and a UNESCO World Heritage area. The Rufiji, the largest river in Tanzania, fans out through the park into channels, sandbanks and lakes. Unlike the parks up north, Nyerere lets you walk with an armed ranger. Around midday the heat sits heavy, and you rest in the shade before heading out again as it cools.

Day 5 Boat Safari In Nyerere

A full day in Nyerere National Park. You are out on a boat safari and game drives, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. The park holds big herds of elephant and buffalo, good lion and leopard, and a strong wild dog population. Unlike the parks up north, Nyerere lets you walk with an armed ranger. Nyerere is 30,893 square kilometres gazetted in 2019 from the northern Selous and a UNESCO World Heritage area. Sundown over the water, with hippo surfacing, closes the day.

The Rufiji, the largest river in Tanzania, fans out through the park into channels, sandbanks and lakes. A boat safari puts you at water level with hippo pods and big crocodiles hauled out on the banks. The guide reads the tracks and the birds, and there is no rush to be anywhere. Late in the afternoon the light turns gold and the game comes back to the open ground.

Nile crocodile half submerged in muddy water among water lettuce — A boat safari puts you at water level with crocodiles and hippo.

Day 6 Boat Safari In Nyerere

A full day in Nyerere National Park. You are out on a boat safari and game drives, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. Unlike the parks up north, Nyerere lets you walk with an armed ranger. Nyerere is 30,893 square kilometres gazetted in 2019 from the northern Selous and a UNESCO World Heritage area. The Rufiji, the largest river in Tanzania, fans out through the park into channels, sandbanks and lakes. The birding from the water is the best of the trip.

A boat safari puts you at water level with hippo pods and big crocodiles hauled out on the banks. The park holds big herds of elephant and buffalo, good lion and leopard, and a strong wild dog population. Late in the afternoon the light turns gold and the game comes back to the open ground. With a drink in hand you watch the day close over the bush.

Day 7 Departure

A final morning out on a boat safari and game drives before you leave, the best window of the trip for anything still on your list. You make the most of the early light, then your light aircraft flies you back toward Dar es Salaam. The park holds big herds of elephant and buffalo, good lion and leopard, and a strong wild dog population. Unlike the parks up north, Nyerere lets you walk with an armed ranger. This 7-day trip links Mikumi and Nyerere, with the travelling done between the wildlife so your days stay on the ground that matters.

Nyerere is 30,893 square kilometres gazetted in 2019 from the northern Selous and a UNESCO World Heritage area. The Rufiji, the largest river in Tanzania, fans out through the park into channels, sandbanks and lakes. A boat safari puts you at water level with hippo pods and big crocodiles hauled out on the banks. Each time out turns up something new, and the pace is yours to set.

What’s Included

All internal flights and road transfers on the route
Full-board accommodation on safari as shown
Game drives and the activities named in the day plan
Park entry fees for the days shown
Airport and airstrip transfers, drinking water in the vehicle

What’s Not Included

International flights and any visa
Travel insurance
Drinks, tips for guides and staff
Activities not listed and items of a personal nature

Why Should You Add This Tanzania Safari to Your Trip?

This trip earns its place because the stops are nothing alike, and seeing them together makes each one land harder. Zebra, wildebeest, impala and tall Masai giraffe spread across the plain. Lilac-breasted rollers sit on every third bush, and the birding is strong year round. Unlike the parks up north, Nyerere lets you walk with an armed ranger. Linking Mikumi and Nyerere in one route means you cover more of Tanzania than a single park allows, and the travelling between them is short. On 7 days you get range without the trip feeling rushed, the set-piece wildlife, the quieter corners, and the change of country from one stop to the next. For a traveller who wants variety over a single famous name, this is a strong, well-balanced way to see the region, and it works whether it is a first trip or a return.

Is a 7 Day Tanzania Safari Enough?

7 days across Mikumi and Nyerere is a well-judged length, though it is a read of each stop rather than a deep stay. You get a full day or more at the main parks, enough to see the headline wildlife and still catch the quieter moments. It suits travellers who value breadth and do not mind moving every couple of days. What this length cannot do is exhaust any one park, the biggest of them could fill a week on their own, so the remote corners stay for another trip. If a single place is your priority, spend the nights there instead. And if you have longer, the route takes an easy add-on, whether that is more time with the wildlife or a stretch on the coast to finish. As it stands, this 7-day trip is balanced and full.

How Much Should You Budget for This Tanzania Safari?

What you pay turns mostly on the camps and the season. In Tanzania, park fees run from USD 35 to 70 per adult per day depending on the park, with the Ngorongoro Crater charged higher. As a rough guide, most trips of this length run from around USD 2,100 to 4,550 per person sharing, higher in the peak dry months and cheaper in the green season. Camp and lodge level is the big lever, from simple tented camps to the smarter river and bush camps, and a shared vehicle between four brings the per-person cost down. Tell an operator your dates, group size and the standard you want and it can be quoted to the figure.