◆ Southern Tanzania · Wilder · Quieter · Deeper
Ruaha, Nyerere and Mikumi — Tanzania's wildest reserves, reached by charter flight and shared with almost no one else. The Big Five without the queue, wild dog country, and boat safaris down the Rufiji.
Private safaris · Fewer crowds · Expert-led · Tanzania specialists
Fewer Crowds
A fraction of the vehicles found further north.
Wild & Untamed
Reserves reached by charter flight, not highway.
More Than Game Drives
Boat safaris, walking trails and mountain treks.
Designed Around You
Private guide, private vehicle, your own pace.
◆ Why Book With Yera
The Southern Circuit rewards local knowledge more than any other part of Tanzania — knowing which stretch of the Rufiji holds the boats-eye sightings, when Ruaha's elephants move to the river, and which camps genuinely earn their remoteness. We've spent two decades learning exactly that, across every experience the south has to offer.
◆ The Southern Circuit
Best for: Boat Safaris & Predators
Africa's largest protected wilderness, threaded by the Rufiji River — boat safaris, walking trails, and one of the last strongholds of the African wild dog.
Best for: Elephants & Baobabs
Tanzania's largest national park, and one of its least visited. Ancient baobabs, the Great Ruaha River, and some of the largest lion prides left in Africa.
Best for: Easy Access & Big Skies
Tanzania's most accessible southern park — a paved road from Dar es Salaam, open floodplains, and a Serengeti-like feel at a fraction of the distance.
Also Part of the Southern Circuit
Udzungwa Mountains
Rainforest peaks, endemic primates, and Tanzania's best montane hiking trails.
Kitulo Plateau
The "Garden of God" — highland grasslands famous for wildflowers and cool-climate walking.
Saadani
Where the bush meets the beach — the only Tanzanian park with an Indian Ocean coastline.
Selous
The wilder, less-visited game-reserve portion of the greater Selous-Nyerere ecosystem.
Rufiji River
East Africa's largest river system, and the artery of every Nyerere boat safari.
Great Ruaha River
Ruaha's lifeline through the dry season — where the game concentrates as the water drops.
Mahale Mountains
Remote, lakeside chimpanzee trekking on the shores of Lake Tanganyika.
Katavi
One of Africa's least-visited parks — vast floodplains and enormous dry-season hippo pods.
Mikindani
A restored Swahili-Arab coastal town, and a quiet historical detour on the way south.
Kilwa
UNESCO ruins and untouched coastline — the deep south's answer to Zanzibar's Stone Town.
Songea & the Southern Highlands
Tea estates, volcanic peaks, and a Tanzania few travellers, let alone tourists, ever see.
◆ Signature Experiences
Hippos, crocodiles and fish eagles from the water — a perspective the Northern Circuit simply doesn't offer.
Some of the largest elephant herds left in East Africa, moving beneath ancient baobabs.
An armed ranger, your own footsteps, and the bush at a pace no vehicle allows.
Ruaha's lion prides and Nyerere's wild dog packs — two of Africa's great predator strongholds.
Rainforest trekking and endemic primates, a world away from the open plains further north.
Trek to habituated chimpanzee troops on the forested shores of Lake Tanganyika.
Cool-climate walking through highland wildflower meadows found nowhere else in Tanzania.
End your Southern Circuit on Zanzibar or the Mafia archipelago — bush and barefoot coast, one trip.
◆ Your Investment
Comfortable, well-run camps in prime positions — every safari fundamental done right, at the most accessible price point.
Ideal for: Travellers who want the south done properly, without the premium price tag.
From $2,800pp
Explore Classic →Most Booked
Handpicked camps chosen for location as much as luxury — private guiding, senior guides, and routes built around the season.
Ideal for: Most of our Southern Circuit travellers — our most-booked way to experience the south.
From $4,000pp
Explore Signature →Private fly-camps, exclusive-use camps, and a route built entirely around you — no fixed template at all.
Ideal for: Travellers who want total control over camps, pace and route.
From $5,000pp
Explore Bespoke →◆ Southern Circuit Itineraries
From $3,600 per person
From $4,200 per person
From $4,200 per person
Fully Tailored
Fully Tailored
◆ Extend Your Journey
Zanzibar
Bush to barefoot beach — the classic pairing.
Mafia Island
Whale sharks and reef diving, off the beaten path.
Kilwa
UNESCO ruins on an untouched stretch of coast.
Northern Circuit
Add Serengeti and Ngorongoro to your itinerary.
Kenya
Extend into the Maasai Mara.
Uganda
Gorilla trekking, seamlessly added on.
Rwanda
Volcanoes, primates, and a second East African chapter.
Burundi
The least-travelled extension of them all.
◆ Travel Styles
◆ When to Go
Jun – Oct
Peak dry season. Wildlife concentrates at rivers and waterholes — the best game viewing of the year.
Nov – Dec
Short rains. Landscapes turn green, camps quiet down, and birding is at its best.
Jan – Feb
A hot, dry pocket between the rains — still-strong game viewing with far fewer travellers.
Mar – May
Long rains. Many camps close; the ones that stay open offer the lowest rates of the year.
◆ What Our Guests Say
"We didn't see another vehicle for two days in Nyerere. Just us, the river, and a guide who seemed to know exactly where every animal on that boat safari was going to be before it moved."
Daniel R. · Canada · 2024
"Ruaha at golden hour, watching a pride of twelve lions with no other vehicle in sight — after the Serengeti, it felt like discovering safari all over again."
Freya & Tom H. · United Kingdom · 2023
◆ Free Download
Parks, seasons, costs and how to combine them — sent straight to your inbox.
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◆ Questions
Yes — for a very different reason than the north. You trade the migration's sheer numbers for solitude: private sightings, boat safaris, and walking trails the Northern Circuit doesn't offer.
There isn't a single best answer. Ruaha for elephants, baobabs and lion prides; Nyerere for boat safaris and the Rufiji River; Mikumi for easy road access from Dar es Salaam. Most itineraries combine two of the three.
We recommend at least 7 nights to properly cover two parks without feeling rushed. Nine to fourteen days lets you add a third reserve or a coastal extension.
Yes — it's one of our most popular combinations. A charter flight connects Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar in under 30 minutes, making a bush-and-beach itinerary easy to build.
If you have 9+ days, yes. They're connected by a short charter flight and offer genuinely different experiences — river and boat safaris in Nyerere, elephants and big cats in Ruaha.
It can be, especially Mikumi given its easy road access. Nyerere and Ruaha work well for families with older children who can handle a charter flight and slightly longer days.
A guided walk with an armed ranger, usually 2-3 hours, focused on tracks, smaller wildlife and the bush at close range — a different rhythm to a vehicle-based game drive, not a replacement for one.
Very much so. Lower visitor numbers mean genuinely private sightings, and several camps offer exclusive-use options for couples who want total privacy.
By charter flight. Nyerere and Ruaha are reached by light aircraft from Dar es Salaam, usually under an hour in the air. Mikumi is the exception — it's accessible directly by paved road.
Journeys start from around $2,800 per person for a Classic itinerary, rising with tier, season and length of trip. Charter flights are typically the biggest single cost difference versus the Northern Circuit.
Available every day of the week — usually a reply within a few hours.
◆ Start Planning
Tell us about the journey you have in mind — we'll take it from there.
Ready When You Are
Tell us your dates and interests — we'll shape a private itinerary suited to you, from the first game drive to the last sundowner.
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