5-Day Safari: Mikumi & Selous Game Reserve from Dar es Salaam

Two reserves, five days of game drives and wildlife on foot

This 5-day safari departs Dar es Salaam and splits time between Mikumi National Park and Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania's largest protected wildlife area. You'll spend two days on game drives through Mikumi (home to elephants, lions, giraffes, buffaloes and leopards), then three days in Selous, where you drive, walk and boat the Rufiji River to spot hippos, crocodiles, wild dogs and black rhinos. An English or French-speaking guide leads all drives and walks. Hotel pickup is included, and children from age 1 are welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Drive to Mikumi National Park

• Drive to Mikumi National Park
• Afternoon game drive in Mikumi

Day 2: Full day game drive Mikumi

• Breakfast at camp
• Full day game drive in Mikumi
• Picnic lunch at picnic site

Day 3: Drive to Selous Game Reserve

• Breakfast at camp
• Drive to Selous Game Reserve
• Afternoon game drive en route

Day 4: Game drive and boat cruise Selous

• Breakfast at camp
• Game drive in Selous Game Reserve
• Hot lunch at camp
• Relax by Rufiji River
• Evening boat cruise on Rufiji River

Day 5: Walking safari and drive back

• Early morning walking safari
• Late breakfast at camp
• Drive back to Dar es Salaam
• Drop off at picking point

The experience

The tour starts with a 6-hour drive from Dar es Salaam to Mikumi National Park, Tanzania's fourth-largest reserve and the most accessible from the city. You arrive in the afternoon and head straight into a game drive across Mikumi's 3,230 square kilometers, which sits between the Uluguru and Lumango Mountains. The next full day is another game drive with a packed lunch at a site your guide selects, giving you the whole reserve to cover.

On day three you drive to Selous Game Reserve, a 55,000-square-kilometer expanse that covers 5% of Tanzania's total land area and holds Africa's largest wildlife populations. The afternoon brings a game drive en route into the southern section. Selous shelters massive herds of elephants and buffaloes, plus wild dogs, lions, crocodiles and hippos in the Rufiji River, along with some of Tanzania's last remaining black rhinos. The reserve is named after Frederick Courtney Selous, a British explorer killed there during World War I.

Day four is a full day in Selous: a morning game drive, lunch back at camp, then an evening boat cruise on the Rufiji River to watch wildlife from the water. The final morning starts with a walking safari before a late breakfast, after which you drive back to Dar es Salaam and are dropped at your pickup point. Your guide handles all routing and timing. You bring binoculars and a camera.

What’s included

• All game drives in Mikumi and Selous.
• a walking safari on the final morning.
• an evening boat cruise on the Rufiji River.
• accommodations at Camp Bastian and Selous River View Lodge.
• packed lunches during drives.
• hotel pickup from Dar es Salaam.
• an English or French-speaking guide throughout.

Information

Lasts 5d, runs every day at 08:00, from US$ 1,100 per person, with a live guide in English and French, as a private tour and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00Another time? ›

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and FrenchOther languages ›

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (31 to 60 years) · Senior (61 to 75 years) · Youth (13 to 30 years) · Child (5 to 12 years) · Infant (1 to 4 years): free

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 12 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfant seats availableNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Selous Explorer

Is this one for you?Book this 5-day version if you want to split your time between two reserves and include a walking safari and river cruise. The longer itinerary lets you cover both Mikumi's accessibility and Selous's scale without rushing either one. Shorter 3-day safaris stay in a single reserve. This one gives you two ecosystems and three different ways to see wildlife.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and French.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 30 years); Child (5 to 12 years); Infant (1 to 4 years): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What animals will I see on this 5-day safari?

Mikumi National Park holds elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, lions, zebras, leopards, pythons and crocodiles. Selous Game Reserve, being much larger, supports bigger populations of elephants and buffaloes, plus wild dogs, lions, hippos in the Rufiji River, crocodiles and some of Tanzania's remaining black rhinos.

How much driving is involved each day?

Day one is a 6-hour drive from Dar es Salaam to Mikumi, followed by an afternoon game drive. Days two and three are full-day game drives in each reserve. Day four includes a morning drive and an evening boat cruise. Day five is a walking safari in the early morning, then a drive back to Dar es Salaam.

What's included in the price?

The tour includes all game drives, the walking safari, the boat cruise on the Rufiji River, accommodations at Camp Bastian in Mikumi and Selous River View Lodge in Selous, packed lunches, and hotel pickup from Dar es Salaam. A guide fluent in English or French leads all activities.

When do we see the Rufiji River?

The Rufiji River is part of Selous Game Reserve and is explored on the evening of day four via a boat cruise after your midday rest at camp. The river is home to hippos, crocodiles and other wildlife, and the boat offers a different vantage point from the game drives.