Most visitors to Tanzania will fly in via Dar es Salaam, which means “Haven of Peace”, reflecting the relaxed and informal atmosphere of the city. From here visitors can take a fly-in safari to the game reserves to the south. Less frequented than the national parks in the north, the southern parks provide a sense of African adventure unsurpassed anywhere on the continent.
The principal areas are Selous Game Reserve and Mikumi, Ruaha and the Udzungwa Mountains National Parks.

Mikumi National Park:
Mikumi National Park is one of the most popular parks in Tanzania because of its accessibility and proximity to Dar es Salaam and is an important centre for education where students go to study ecology and conservation.

The Mikumi flood plain with its open grasslands dominates the park together with the mountain ranges that border the park on two sides. Lion is commonly seen as are packs of wild dog, rare elsewhere in Africa. Elephant may be encountered and other animals frequently observed are buffalo, civet, eland, giraffe, impala, kudu, reedbuck, warthog, waterbuck, wildebeest, zebra and Lichtenstein’s hartebeest. Crocodiles, monitor lizard and python are other residents.

At the southern end of the flood plain families of yellow baboon live while wallowing hippos are frequently joined in their pools by flocks of open-billed storks hunting for molluscs. Over 400 species of birds have been observed in the park, many of which are seasonal Eurasian migrants.

Ruaha National Park:
Ruaha National Park is one of Tanzania’s best kept secrets. Previous inaccessibility has ensured it has remained virtually unchanged for centuries, unaffected by the ravages of mankind. It is the country’s second largest park and biggest elephant sanctuary. Its name derives from the Great Ruaha River which flows along its eastern border creating spectacular gorges.

Flowing into the Rufiji River, the Great Ruaha is home to hippo and crocodile. Waterbuck, reedbuck and buffalo venture to the river’s edge to drink, attracting the attention of lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena and African Hunting dog. Various antelope species and Grant’s gazelle and tiny dik-dik thrive in the grasslands bordering the river alongside giraffe, zebra, warthog, mongoose, porcupine, wild cat and civet.

Birdlife is prolific, over 370 species have been recorded, some of which are not found in northern Tanzania. Eurasian migrants flock to Ruaha twice a year joining the resident kingfishers, hornbills, sunbirds, egrets and plovers.

Selous Game Reserve:
The Selous Game Reserve is the largest protected wildlife area in Africa. A UN World Heritage site, this pristine, uninhabited area is larger than Switzerland. Only in the Serengeti will visitors see a greater concentration of wildlife. Selous boasts Tanzania’s largest population of elephant as well as large numbers of lion, leopard, African hunting dog, buffalo and hippo.

Once home to over 3,000 black rhino there are sadly now only a few hundred left. Yellow baboon and vervet and blue monkey are always a common sight, while families of black and white colobus may sometimes be seen moving from tree to tree.

The bird-life in the Selous is prolific and the 400 species recorded include the globally threatened wattled crane and the corncrake.

The Rufiji River, which flows from north to south, provides the lifeblood of the Selous and sailing or rafting down the river is a superb method of seeing game. Crocodiles, hippo and an array of grazing antelope can be seen.