9 Day Mikumi Ruaha And Nyerere Safari

Destinations: Tanzania, Mikumi National Park, Ruaha National Park and Nyerere National Park

This 9-day Tanzania trip runs through Mikumi, Ruaha and Nyerere, linked so the travelling is done between the wildlife. Lilac-breasted rollers sit on every third bush, and the birding is strong year round. As the dry season bites, the shrinking Great Ruaha River pulls elephant, buffalo and antelope down to drink. 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. Back at camp after dark, dinner is under the stars.

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. Nothing is promised in the wild, which is what makes a good sighting count. 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.

Two zebras grazing below the uluguru mountains — Zebra graze below the Uluguru Mountains on the eastern edge of the park.

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. On most drives you will not pass another vehicle.

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. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead. The morning is cool and the animals are moving, so the first hours out are the busiest.

Day 3 Transfer To Ruaha

A short morning out on game drives at first light in Mikumi, then to the airstrip and a light aircraft for the move to Ruaha National Park. The country changes on the way, and you reach Ruaha in the afternoon. You head out out on game drives as the light softens, a first look at the new ground. The park list runs to more than 570 bird species so the river fringe stays busy through the day. Ruaha is the largest national park in Tanzania at over 20,000 square kilometres and it sees a fraction of the vehicles the northern parks do. Back at camp after dark, dinner is under the stars.

As the dry season bites, the shrinking Great Ruaha River pulls elephant, buffalo and antelope down to drink. Greater and lesser kudu, sable and roan show themselves here in ways they rarely do up north. Ruaha is one of Africa’s last strongholds for the endangered African wild dog. Ancient baobabs stand over the sand rivers, glowing gold in the low afternoon light.

Two male lions resting under a tree on the dry golden plain — Male lions sit out the heat under the only shade on the plain.

Day 4 Game Drives In Ruaha

A full day in Ruaha 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. Ruaha is the largest national park in Tanzania at over 20,000 square kilometres and it sees a fraction of the vehicles the northern parks do. The park holds around ten percent of the world’s lions in prides that can top twenty animals. As the dry season bites, the shrinking Great Ruaha River pulls elephant, buffalo and antelope down to drink. You rest through the midday heat and head out again as it cools.

Greater and lesser kudu, sable and roan show themselves here in ways they rarely do up north. Ruaha is one of Africa’s last strongholds for the endangered African wild dog. Ancient baobabs stand over the sand rivers, glowing gold in the low afternoon light. The park list runs to more than 570 bird species so the river fringe stays busy through the day.

Day 5 Game Drives In Ruaha

A full day in Ruaha 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. The park holds around ten percent of the world’s lions in prides that can top twenty animals. As the dry season bites, the shrinking Great Ruaha River pulls elephant, buffalo and antelope down to drink. Greater and lesser kudu, sable and roan show themselves here in ways they rarely do up north. On most drives you will not pass another vehicle.

Ruaha is one of Africa’s last strongholds for the endangered African wild dog. Ancient baobabs stand over the sand rivers, glowing gold in the low afternoon light. The park list runs to more than 570 bird species so the river fringe stays busy through the day. Ruaha is the largest national park in Tanzania at over 20,000 square kilometres and it sees a fraction of the vehicles the northern parks do.

Day 6 Transfer To Nyerere

A short morning out on game drives at first light in Ruaha, 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. 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.

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. The Rufiji, the largest river in Tanzania, fans out through the park into channels, sandbanks and lakes. The guide reads the tracks and the birds, and there is no rush to be anywhere.

Three yellow billed storks wading in floodwater — Waterbirds work the shallows, and the birding from a boat is the best of the trip.

Day 7 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. 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. The birding from the water is the best of the trip.

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. 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 8 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 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 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.

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. With a drink in hand you watch the day close over the bush. Back at camp, dinner is served under a sky thick with stars.

Day 9 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 9-day trip links Mikumi, Ruaha 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. Back at camp, dinner is served under a sky thick with stars.

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

What Are the Reasons to Choose This Tanzania Safari?

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, Ruaha and Nyerere in one route means you cover more of Tanzania than a single park allows, and the travelling between them is short. On 9 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 9 Days Enough for a Safari in Tanzania?

9 days across Mikumi, Ruaha 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 9-day trip is balanced and full.

How Much Does a Safari in Tanzania Cost?

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 2,700 to 5,850 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.