The Ultimate Guide to Southern Tanzania Safaris

While the northern parts of Tanzania are the best known and most popular with tourists, the southfmiku offers many benefits for adventurous travellers who want to get off the beaten track. Due to its lower profile, it’s probably the only area of the country that offers tourists a closer immersion into the African landscape. It’s quite rare in places like Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous) to be surrounded by other safari vehicles – an all too common occurrence in the more popular parks that can ruin the safari experience. Please scroll down to view our current Southern Circuit Safaris.

7 Reasons to VISIT THE SOUTH of TANZANIA

1. Stunning locations – It’s home to many of the most stunning safari locations, with acres of national parks and untamed wilderness areas just waiting to be explored.
2. Selous Camp – Daigle Tours has its own exclusive lodge right next to the Matemere Gate in Nyerere National Park. As it borders the park, it’s not uncommon to see wildlife crossing through the camp! From our own camp, we can maintain the high standards we are renowned for and offer fly camping safaris with full backup into the park. Fly camping is basically supported camping (camp assistant, cook) following the game and overnighting in the most favourable locations. More of a Hemingway type experience.
3. Ample wildlife – in Nyerere National Park for example, it’s possible to see the elusive wild dog. Although wildlife may not be as concentrated due to the larger areas, both wildlife and birdlife are prolific.
4. Fewer tourists – It’s impossible to escape the crowds in the most popular safari spots in Northern Tanzania, where there are often as many safari vehicles as there are animals. The South has far fewer tourists, offering space and tranquillity to those adventurers who do visit. Most importantly, when you do see wildlife it will be a real experience, and you are likely to be the only observers.
5. Convenient and easy to access – International visitors flying straight into Dar es Salaam can start their safari straight away, with less overland travel and more time spent on safari.
6. Save money – Lodges and hotels offer excellent value for money, often with rates up to 15% lower than in the more highly trafficked tourist destinations. As we have our own Selous Camp we can also tailor our pricing to give you the best cost effective safari available.
7. Close to Zanzibar, Mafia and Pemba Islands – Just hop on the ferry or take a short flight from Dar es Salaam or Nyerere National Park and you’ll be able to enjoy a beach holiday on an exotic island in the Indian Ocean before or after your safari. Visiting these islands is a unique cultural experience and the white sand beaches and resorts are world class. We can even organise a day trip to Zanzibar Island if time is short.

Departure points

We leave from Dar es Salaam and we can pick you up from the International Airport or your City Hotel.

Dar also has a few points of interest for visitors and if you have a day in the city we can show you the highlights on a City Tour.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit for a safari is during the dry season from June to October when there is less rain and the wildlife is clustered around rivers and waterholes. Avoid March, April and May which is the peak of the wet season unless you are visiting mainly for bird watching, scenery and wildflowers.

Where to go

All our safaris are custom designed to suit the group size, age, fitness, accommodation choices, length of safari and wildlife viewing requests. We will be happy to help you decide which of these destinations is most suitable for your safari:

• Nyerere National Park;
• Mikumi National Park;
• Ruaha National Park;
• Kitulo National Park;
• Saadani National Park;
• Kilwa ruins;
• Udzungwa Mountains.

Southern Tanzania also contains a few obscure destinations that are not a part of the usual tourist route:

• Kilombero Valley
• Uluguru Mountains
• Ukuguru Mountains
• Unguru Mountains
• Rubeho Mountains
• Rufiji Delta Ecosystem
• Mahenge Mountains
• Wami Mbiki Conservation Area

WHY DAIGLE TOURS?

Daigle Tours is the first choice for the Southern Circuit because:

• We’re based here – Our head office is in Dar es Salaam so we can easily access the best parks in the region, and we know them inside out.
• Exclusive Safari Lodge in Nyerere National Park (formerly known as Selous) – We own and operate a lodge on the border of Nyerere National Park, so you can enjoy the full Daigle Tours experience when you stay with us there.
• True Experts – We can’t think of any other safari companies of our size who share our vast knowledge of the region. We can’t wait to show you around our homeland.

Overnight safaris

As all our tours are custom designed, we can organise a short one or two-night trip or a longer safari where you can visit several of the local national parks and game reserves.

Accommodation options

We offer two options for accommodation on our safaris:

• Staying in safari lodges, hotels or luxury tented accommodation.
• Staying under canvas in a private campsite set up by us to give you the quintessential African safari camping experience.

Our Current Southern Circuit Safaris: