The 15 Best Ruaha & Udzungwa Safaris in Tanzania

1.Mikumi National Park & Udzungwa Water Falls 3 Days Group Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 19 reviews · from $770Our pick

Spend three days combining a Mikumi National Park safari with a Udzungwa Mountains hike. Expect a 4:30 AM pickup in Dar es Salaam, game drives, lunch beneath baobabs, waterfall swimming, meals, lodging, and a long return drive. Guides named Abdul and Emmanuel have led praised trips, but confirm your guide and overnight arrangements before departure.

“Being a Tanzanian Citizen, I had lots of options to choose from having been given the task of organizing our End of the year excursion.”

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2.8 Days Safari to Mikumi, Ruaha & Udzungwa Mountains

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · from $1,995Top rated

Set out from Dar es Salaam in a 4x4 Land Cruiser with a driver-guide for eight days across Mikumi, Ruaha, and Udzungwa. Expect elephant herds, big cats, unusual antelopes, Isimila Stone Age Site, and a six-to-seven-hour trek to Sanje Waterfalls. Guides may include Hamisi, Basili, Otto, Rama, or others.

“The safari was all fun and the experience was so fulfilling. We had a wonderful guide - Hamisi with us and he was really good; excellent driving skills which came in handy as we we moved through extensive distances. The vehicle was spaciouRead more”

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3.Saadani Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · from $431

Spend about 10 hours exploring Saadani National Park, Tanzania’s only wildlife sanctuary beside the sea. Transport, lunch, and park entry are included. You may see elephants, lions, buffalo, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, and monkeys. Guides named Kamau and George received special praise, though your assigned guide may differ.

“Stupendously intrigued to visit saadani My husband was in absolute awe! Of the landscape and diversity of wildlife it was one box checked out of our bucket list looking and really enjoyed”

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4.Gombe National Park Chimpanzee Trekking

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · from $220Best value

Spend about six hours in Gombe Stream National Park with a private guide, looking for chimpanzees, monkeys, birds, and forest life beside Lake Tanganyika. Guides such as Abbas and Juma have been praised for route knowledge and care. The tour costs $220.52 per person, includes water and guiding, and lets you choose a suitable start time.

“Please note that this also includes Kigoma airport pick up and drop off as well as Kigoma tour.”

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5.5-Day Mikumi & Ruaha Tanzania Wildlife Lodge Safari

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $1,700

Set out from Dar es Salaam at 8:00 am on a private five-day safari through Mikumi and Ruaha. Expect long road days, lodge or banda accommodation, game drives for lions, elephants, wild dogs, sable, and more, plus a guided walking safari and Isimila Stone Age Site. Ask which guide will lead your departure, as Amos, Temba, Thomas, and Johnny have all worked with this operator.

“We spent a lot of time researching for a perfect safari operator with knowledge and experience of Ruaha and Mikumi and we could not have found a better operator. Right from the moment we started talking to Amos it was clear that we had foRead more”

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6.6 Days Safari to Udzungwa Mountain NP, Ruaha NP and Mikumi NP

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $1,656

Travel from Dar es Salaam through three southern Tanzania parks with an experienced private guide such as Yunus, Mansur, or Mansoor. Expect Sanje Falls, endemic monkeys, elephant country in Ruaha, an armed-ranger walking safari, and a final Mikumi game drive. The schedule is active, with long road transfers and basic cottage stays.

“Together with two friends I booked the 6 day safari tour at African Pangolin Safaris. I would highly recommend it!”

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7.1-Day Ruaha National Park

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $435

Spend about 10 hours on a private safari from Iringa to Ruaha National Park. Expect hotel pickup and drop-off, park admission, lunch, bottled water, and a game drive among elephants, giraffes, lions, baobabs, and other wildlife. Guides connected with this operator include Michael, Ernest, Isaac, and Mikel.

“We did 4 nights in ruaha with night game drives as well walking safari and spot fishing it was amazing the park is very nice whether it is low or high when you visit you see diferent experience”

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8.4 Days Mikumi & Udzungwa National Parks Safari

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · from $1,200

Travel by private vehicle from Dar es Salaam to Mikumi and Udzungwa National Parks for sunrise, sunset, and full-day game drives, plus a Sanje Waterfall hike. You will have meals, lodge stays, a private guide, and chances to see elephants, lions, hippos, giraffes, wild dogs, birds, and other wildlife.

“Tout c’était excellent, et on était très bien accompagné par nos guides je vous recommande cette expérience, très beau paysage, très belle plage à Zanzibar”

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9.3 days safari to Mikumi and Udzungwa

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · from $804

This three-day trip from Dar es Salaam combines Mikumi National Park game drives with a Maasai village visit and a guided walk to Sanje Falls in Udzungwa Mountains National Park. You travel in an air-conditioned vehicle, use an open safari car inside Mikumi, and share the experience with no more than seven people. Meals, guide-driver fees, and park transport are included.

“It was a really beautiful travel, organisation and peoples were very perfect, a super manager and a perfect driver from the beginning to the end of the trip.”

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10.2 Days Saadani National Park From Zanzibar

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 8 reviews · from $860

Leave Zanzibar for an overnight Saadani safari with a Wami River boat trip, two game drives, meals, and lodge or hotel accommodation. Guides such as Godfrey, Daniel, Nesto, and Sawe may handle different parts of the trip. Expect river wildlife, coastal scenery, and a fair chance of seeing giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, zebras, and more.

“A very positive experience. We are from London and were initially hesitant to book directly with a local company but how wrong we were. Godfrey arranged everything very well and the whole trip ran very smoothly. Prompt pick up from our hotRead more”

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11.8 Days Safari to Mikumi NP, Ruaha NP and Nyerere NP + Isimila Stone Age Site

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · from $2,500

Travel privately from Dar es Salaam through Mikumi, Ruaha and Selous, with game drives, a Rufiji River boat safari, an armed-ranger walking safari, and Isimila’s ancient tools and red-rock canyon. The $2,500.62 price includes transport, accommodation, meals, park fees, water, and a 4x4 with an open roof.

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12.10 Days Mikumi Ruaha Selous Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $4,538

You travel by private vehicle from Dar es Salaam through Mikumi, Ruaha National Park, and Selous Game Reserve. Expect long road days, morning and afternoon game drives, lodge stays, meals, bottled water, and an English-speaking driver-guide. Past Gosheni guides praised for similar safaris include Francis, Albert, and Calvin, though your guide is assigned by the operator.

“We just completed a terrific week with Edward as our driver-guide. Did the Tanzania northern circuit (Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and Serengeti). Gosheni did a superb job of putting our itinerary together, then bringing it to Read more”

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13.4 days / 3 Nights safari to Ruaha National park

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · from $2,200

Spend four days and three nights exploring Ruaha National Park from Iringa Nduli Airport. You will take morning and afternoon game drives, enjoy a full-day safari with picnic lunch, and walk beside the Great Ruaha River with two armed rangers. The private trip is arranged by Kitonga Tours and Safaris, with guides including Gerald and Tedy on some departures.

“We contacted Kitonga Tours to set up a custom 5 day Ruaha safari dedicated to finding wild dogs. They were the only operator who really seemed to understand and align themselves to our mission. We communicated with Paul throughout Read more”

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14.5 Days Ruaha National Park Safari

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · from $1,555

Spend five days exploring Ruaha National Park from Iringa with a driver-guide, open-roof 4x4, four nights of lodging, full-board meals, full-day game drives, and a walking safari. Look for elephants, lions, wild dogs, leopards, hippos, crocodiles, and rare birds. Nyemo, Gilbert, and Patrick are among the named Zepisa team members connected with past trips.

“We just finished our 5-Day Ruaha National park Safari with Zepisa African Safaris and it was an amazing experience! Everything was well planned out and we were taken such good care of by our pick-up driver, our guide and all the accomRead more”

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15.5-Day Private Tour in Mikumi National Park and Udzungwa Mountain

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $1,150

Travel privately from Dar es Salaam to Mikumi with guide Silas, if available, for game drives, a Maasai village visit, and a hike to Sanje Waterfall in Udzungwa Mountains National Park. The five-day plan includes meals, bottled water, park fees, pickup, and four nights of accommodation, with time built in for the long road journey.

“Our experience with TanzAmerica Safaris was amazing. Joshua helped us arrange all details before our trip and Silas, our driver, was incredible, very accommodating and friendly. He created an amazing vibe and shared much information about the animals and nature. We totally recommend them for your trip!”

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