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Travel South Tanzania
Even more exclusive and pristine
Anyone seeking silence, space, and exclusivity will find a safari in Southern Tanzania that still feels like a well-kept secret.
Exclusive safaris in Tanzania
If you are looking for a truly exclusive and authentic Africa safari experience, Southern Tanzania is the perfect choice. This is where you experience the African bush at its wildest. Vast landscapes, fewer visitors, and unforgettable wildlife encounters. Most southern Tanzania safaris combine the immense Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous Game Reserve) with the photogenic Ruaha National Park. Together, they offer some of the finest safari experiences in Africa.
Expect endless plains, ancient baobab trees, dramatic mountain backdrops, and incredible wildlife. Whether you are exploring by vehicle, on foot, or by boat, every day brings something new. You may see elephants crossing the Great Rufiji River, pods of hippos, lions resting in the shade, elusive leopards, African wild dogs, and countless bird species.
For adventurous travelers, the remote Usangu Wetlands offer an even more exclusive experience. Stay in an intimate tented camp and explore one of Tanzania’s least-visited wilderness areas. Here, you can search for elephants, giraffes, big cats, wild dogs, sable antelopes, and roan antelopes.
Looking for something different? Head west. Katavi National Park is one of Africa’s best-kept safari secrets, famous for huge herds of buffalo and elephants. Or trek through the forests of Mahale Mountains National Park and come face to face with wild chimpanzees. South Tanzania is not just about seeing wildlife. It is about experiencing nature in its purest form.
Expertise from Greenway Nature Tours
When it comes to Southern Tanzania, experience matters. At Greenway Nature Tours, we carefully select only a small number of lodges and tented camps that we personally know and trust.
We focus on accommodations located inside or close to the parks, rather than far outside them. This means less time spent on transfers and more time enjoying the wilderness. It also allows you to make the most of your safari days, with activities and park access seamlessly included in your stay. Simply put, you are in the right place, at the right time.
Whether you prefer a comfortable 3-star lodge or an exclusive 5-star luxury tented camp, we will help you find the perfect match. Every property has been chosen for its location, atmosphere, service, and overall safari experience. Our goal is simple: to ensure you enjoy the very best that Southern Tanzania has to offer.
Optimal Travel Arrangement
In Southern Tanzania, flying between the parks is by far the best way to travel. A fly-in safari saves valuable time and allows you to spend more time where it matters most: out in the bush searching for wildlife. Road transfers between the parks are long and often offer limited sightseeing opportunities.
By flying, you maximize your safari experience and increase your chances of enjoying more game drives and wildlife encounters. We recommend spending at least three nights in each safari destination. This gives you enough time to fully appreciate the area, explore different habitats, and enjoy a more relaxed pace.
If possible, spend the most time in the spectacular Ruaha National Park. Its remote location, beautiful landscapes, and exceptional wildlife make it one of Tanzania’s most rewarding safari destinations. To end your journey in style, consider a few days on one of Tanzania’s idyllic islands. Pemba and Fanjove are excellent choices, offering pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, and the perfect setting to relax after your safari adventure.
Best South Tanzania Safari Packages
Northern Tanzania or Southern Tanzania?
Why South or north Tanzania? A commonly asked question, to which the answer depends entirely on your safari experience and personal interests. Both regions of the country are very beautiful, but completely different, and partly for that reason, both are well worth seeing.
First time on safari: Northern Tanzania as the ideal choice
If this is your first safari, Northern Tanzania is often the best place to start. This is where you will find some of Africa’s most famous wildlife destinations, including the legendary Serengeti National Park and the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater.
The wildlife viewing is exceptional, the scenery is breathtaking, and the safari experience is easy to combine with other highlights of Tanzania. Northern and Southern Tanzania offer very different experiences. The landscapes, style of safari, and overall atmosphere vary considerably. Northern Tanzania is ideal if you want to see large concentrations of wildlife and visit the iconic parks you have always dreamed about.
Southern Tanzania, on the other hand, feels more remote and exclusive. It focuses on a deeper wilderness experience and often includes activities such as walking safaris, boat safaris, and game drives in open safari vehicles. Both regions are fantastic, but for many first-time safari travellers, Northern Tanzania provides the perfect introduction to Africa’s wildlife and natural beauty.
Safaris in Southern Tanzania
The Difference in Experience
For many first-time safari travellers, the focus is on seeing as much wildlife as possible. You are eager to spot the Big Five, witness the Great Migration, and discover new animals around every corner. Wildlife is generally easier to find in Northern Tanzania, where animals often occur in larger numbers. It is the perfect region for classic game viewing and spectacular wildlife encounters.
Southern Tanzania: Peace, Space and Exclusivity
Southern Tanzania offers a very different safari experience. Wildlife is more dispersed and can be slightly harder to find, depending on the season. During the dry season, however, large herds of buffalo and elephants gather around water sources. The real attraction here is the sense of wilderness. You take your time, enjoy special sightings for longer, and experience nature at a slower pace. Bush meals, sundowners, and vast landscapes become part of the adventure. With far fewer visitors—often up to 90% fewer than in the north—a safari in Southern Tanzania feels more exclusive, intimate, and untouched.
Transport and travel time
Northern Tanzania is preferably suited for a safari, where you travel the entire trip in a private vehicle with a driver/guide. The wildlife game parks here are located close together. This means that the route from A to B often passes entirely through a wildlife area. You will encounter many beautiful sights en route! In Southern Tanzania, however, it is much more ideal to fly between the game parks. You will then take a fly-in safari and go on game drives (jointly or privately) in open 4×4 vehicles provided by your accommodation. This is because the wildlife game parks here are very far apart. Expect long driving times of sometimes up to 10 hours to get from park A to park B. If you still prefer a road trip or would rather not fly, we can offer a drive-in safari to Nyerere National Park and then via Mikumi National Park to Ruaha National Park.
Safari vehicles in Southern Tanzania
In Northern Tanzania, a big and heavy safari vehicle with a retractable roof works best since you drive long distances. The paths and roads inside wildlife parks are easier to travel than in the south, where you cover fewer kilometers overall there. The paths here are often slightly narrower and rougher, making a more maneuverable open 4×4 a clear advantage really. In Southern Tanzania, you will not be able to reach almost everywhere with a heavier vehicle with a retractable roof if you are traveling overland.
Peace in South Tanzania
In the northern region of Tanzania, you are only allowed to leave the vehicle at designated picnic areas inside national parks. In southern Tanzania, the driver or guide can stop anywhere they feel is safe for a bush breakfast or lunch. This lets you feel nature more closely and enjoy a quieter, more private experience than in the north.
Activities
Here you will enjoy beautiful game drives with qualified guides. The range of activities is quite wide: walking safaris, boat safaris, and night drives complete your stay. Each day you can choose two activities to take part in. From the calm water, you get a very different and special view of nature. For those who love adventure, a guided walking safari adds something extra. A chimpanzee trek in Mahale Mountains National Park is also possible in this region. This great variety of activities gives you the best experience of the African bush.
Special settings
In the beautiful and rugged south, everything is about experience, peace, and simple enjoyment. Along your game drives in open 4×4 vehicles, you will enjoy special bush meals on the way: breakfast, a surprise lunch, or dinner, all giving you the true African bush feeling. A lovely sundowner is also the perfect way to end your day. Nowhere does this drink taste better than on safari in the wild. For those looking for more privacy and exclusivity, this is the perfect place.
Greenway nature tours
We are a fully licensed tour company accredited by the Uganda Tourism Board. We design and operate safaris in Uganda and East Africa. Our operations are based in Kampala, Uganda, the heart of our safari planning and coordination. Though our company was officially established in 2025, our team brings deep, hands-on knowledge of East Africa.
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