You will fly into Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Here you will spend a night relaxing after your international flight at the Southern Sun Hotel. The city of Dar es Salaam is located on the coast of the beautiful Indian Ocean and is said to have some of the top restaurants in East Africa. The best beaches are located just outside the city, and closer by you will find the Dar es Salaam’s famed botanical gardens and a range of enticing eateries.

In the morning, you will be transferred back to the international airport for your flight by light aircraft to Msembe Airstrip, which is located just outside Ruaha National Park. After a road transfer, you will arrive at your lodge – Kigelia Camp – in time for lunch. After settling into your suite, it is time for the first afternoon game drive of your Tanzanian safari. Little-known Ruaha is home to the Big 5, and its unique location in the middle of Southern and East Africa means that you will experience a diverse blend of the two ecosystems, including iconic baobab trees and, around the lodge, sausage trees (Kigelia Africana) that periodically burst into brilliant scarlet flowers.

Ruaha is a little-visited region so you are able to totally disconnect from the outside world and immerse yourself in Africa’s vast and untouched wilderness. Kigelia is a comfortable and cosy tented camp where the primary focus is on providing incredible safari experiences. It is a small and intimate camp that has just six tented suites for guests, so you will receive extremely warm and personal service.

Selous National Park is the world’s largest wildlife reserve and is Tanzania’s best-kept Big 5 secret. Departing from Ruaha, you will take a scheduled flight to Kiba Airstrip. On landing, a transfer waits to take you to Sand River Selous where you will spend the following four nights. The Selous offers a wide range of habitats to explore from grassland savannah to floodplains, and miombo woodland and is home to a multitude of plains game, large elephant herds, lion prides and African wild dogs.

At Sand River Selous, you have the unique opportunity of leaving your vehicle – perhaps to approach a placid elephant herd undetected or to simply discover what is around the next river bend on foot. In addition to game drives and guided nature walks, you can experience boat trips and picnics on one of the many scenic sand banks and excellent birding.

The lodge itself is built high above the Rufiji River, and open-sided suites and relaxation areas mean that you are never separated from the incredible Selous wilderness. Fly-camping is an optional extra and offers the opportunity to spend a night or more camping – just you, your guide, dinner cooked over the campfire, and a bed under the stars.

On your final day in Tanzania, you will be transferred to Kiba Airstrip for a scheduled flight to Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.