8 Days, 7 Nights - Mikumi National Park, Selous Game Reserve & Town of Kilwa
ItineraryDay 1: Depart to Mikumi National Park & An Afternoon Game DriveStop At: Kinole Waterfall, Morogoro, Morogoro RegionPick you up at the hotel - Dar es Salaam early morning at around 6:00 am, and then drive for 5 - 6 hours to Mikumi, with a stop for lunch on the way. On arrival, go for an afternoon game drive until sunset. Mikumi National Park: Established in 1964, it is the fourth largest park in the country covering an area of 3,230 sq. kms. The landscape of Mikumi is often compared to that of the Serengeti. The road that crosses the park divides it into two areas with partially distinct environments. During game drive at this park, you can see a rich variety of bird species, as well as large numbers of giraffe, buffalo and elephants. You may also be able to spot lions, leopards and African wild dogs. Likely to be seen animals include zebras, hippos, hartebeest, wildebeest, impala, warthog, eland and antelope.In the late evening, you’ll drive to the lodge, rest and later have your hot dinner and stay the overnight at Tanswiss Lodge (lunch & dinner included)Duration: 4 hoursMeals included: • Lunch • DinnerAccommodation included: Tanswiss LodgeDay 2: Full Day Game Drive at Mikumi National ParkStop At: Kinole Waterfall, Morogoro, Morogoro RegionAfter breakfast, go for a full day game drive across the enormous beautiful Mikumi National Park until evening.The Mkata flood plain is an attractive point of the park where you can easily spot a large number of animals including elephants, buffalos, zebras, giraffes, wild dogs, and impala and spot a rich number of bird species. The vegetation of this area consists of savannah dotted with acacia, baobab, tamarinds, and some rare palm. In this area, at the furthest from the road, there are spectacular rock formations of the mountains Rubeho and Uluguru.Back to the lodge in the late evening, rest and later have your hot dinner and spend the overnight at Tanswiss Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)Duration: 8 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerAccommodation included: Tanswiss LodgeDay 3: Deaprt to Selous Game ReserveStop At: Selous Game Reserve, Selous Game Reserve, Lindi RegionAfter breakfast, collect your packed lunch boxes and depart to Selous Game Reserve (a 6 - 7 hours drive). It is a very fascinating drive while crossing in the middle of the enormous Selous Game Reserve for a game drive to experience its abundant wildlife. You’ll be able to spot a large number of mammals and birdlife.You’ll arrive at the lodge in the late evening, rest and later get your hot dinner and spend the overnight at Selous Kinga Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)Duration: 5 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerAccommodation included: Selous Kinga LodgeDay 4: Full Day Game Drive at Selous Game ReserveStop At: Selous Game Reserve, Selous Game Reserve, Lindi RegionEarly breakfast at 07.00 and then drive to the Selous Game Reserve for a full day game drive. All day game drive in a specially modified safari vehicle with a professional guide, in which you should see and learn much about a large number of animals, including all the great favorites.Selous Game Reserve: It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 due to its wildlife diversity and undisturbed nature. Some of the typical wildlife of the miombo inhabits the reserve, such as African bush elephant, black rhino, hippopotamus, lion, East African wild dog, Cape buffaloes, Masai giraffe, Plains zebra, and Nile crocodile. Great variety of bird species, wonderful scenery, with varied topography: wetlands, dry grassland, light acacia forest and higher ground with long views to far-off mountains. It is one of the largest game reserve in Africa, covers an area of 55,000 sq. kms, with 14,000 sq.kms accessible for game drive.Packed lunch and time to rest. Your guide will select a location with shade and water nearby to watch animals coming to drink – a place with a clear view all round so that no predator can creep up unseen! After lunch, go on with the game drive across the enormous Selous until early evening..Back to the camp by 6.30 pm, rest and later get your hot dinner and stay the overnight at Selous Kinga Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)Duration: 8 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerAccommodation included: Selous Kinga LodgeDay 5: Early Morning Walking Safari & An Evening Boat SafariStop At: Selous Game Reserve, Selous Game Reserve, Lindi RegionAn early morning walking safari with a Bushman across the reserve's environment to learn various histories (including traditional trees for medicines, various animals’ footprints and other small animals which you cannot see during the game drive). You may also be able to spot some animals heading to the river for drinking and hippos returning to their dwelling after their forage. Then back to the camp for breakfast.Rest at the camp while enjoying the view of the great Rufiji River and animals coming to drink while waiting for your hot lunch in the afternoon.In the evening, your driver guide will fetch you and transfer to the “Great Rufiji River” for a boat safari. In this relaxing activity, you will experience the aquatic life mostly crocodiles and hippos, also you may be able to spot some animals come for drinking, also you will see quite number of bird species. Over 440 known species of birds have been identified; it is a very comfortable and enjoyable boat safari while experiencing an amazing reserve's sunset from a distance. Your driver guide will come fetch you and transfer you back to the lodge, rest and later get your hot dinner and stay the overnight at Selous Kinga Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)Duration: 4 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerAccommodation included: Selous Kinga LodgeDay 6: Depart to Historical Town of KilwaStop At: Kilwa Kisiwani World Heritage Site, Kilwa Kisiwani Island, Lindi RegionAfter breakfast, depart to Town of Kilwa (a 5 hours drive) with packed lunch boxes, arriving in the early evening. On arrival, check-in at the lodge, then relax and unwind at the beautiful beaches of the Indian Ocean while waiting for your hot dinner to be served, spend the overnight at Kimbilio Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included)Duration: 5 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerAccommodation included: Kimbilio LodgeDay 7: Activities at the Historical Town of KilwaStop At: Kilwa Kisiwani World Heritage Site, Kilwa Kisiwani Island, Lindi RegionAfter breakfast, catch a boat and depart to “Kilwa Kisiwani” which was the center of the Kilwa Sultanate, a medieval sultanate whose authority at its height in the 13th - 15th centuries AD stretched the entire length of the Swahili Coast. Kilwa Kisiwani has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site along with the nearby stone town, Songo Mnara.Kilwa first rose to power in the 11th century, part of the Swahili civilization which flourished in the context of Indian Ocean Trade. Kilwa is a very relaxed and accommodating coastal town, boasting brilliant beaches and historical cultural ruins. There is an attractive historical feel about the place, the town has a good number of old colonial buildings and crumbling remains of an ancient Oman buildings including ‘The Great Mosque of Kilwa’ - which serves a a congregational mosque on the island of Kilwa Kisiwani.Back in the late afternoon, relax and unwind once again at the beach, while the dinner is served, and spend the overnight at Kimbilio Lodge (breakfast, lunch & dinner included) Duration: 4 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerAccommodation included: Kimbilio LodgeDay 8: Depart to Dar es SalaamStop At: Dar es Salaam Marine Reserve System, Dar es Salaam, Dar Es Salaam RegionAfter breakfast, depart back to Dar es Salaam (a 5 - 6 hours drive), with lunch on the way arriving in the late afternoon, take you back to the hotel/airport to catch your flight back home (breakfast & lunch included)Duration: 5 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • LunchNo accommodation included on this day.
