Southern Circuit · Tanzania

Tanzania's Last True
Wilderness.

Ruaha National Park and Nyerere National Park (Selous) — among the most remote and wildlife-rich areas on the continent. Larger than many European countries. Fewer than 200 visitor vehicles.

Plan Your Visit → Safari Plans

Ruaha NP

Tanzania's largest national park

Nyerere / Selous

Africa's largest UNESCO site

Elephants

Ruaha elephant population

Vehicles Daily

vs 2,000+ in the Serengeti

Overview

Tanzania's southern parks represent the opposite of the Northern Circuit: vast, remote, infrequently visited, and consequently wild in a way that is qualitatively different from parks that receive thousands of visitors daily. Ruaha at 22,000km² receives fewer visitors in a full year than the Serengeti receives in a week.

The wildlife populations are extraordinary by any standard: Ruaha's 10,000+ elephant population is one of the largest in East Africa, its lion population among the densest on the continent, and its wild dog population the largest and most reliably encountered in Tanzania.

GAPI operates in the southern parks for clients who specifically want the remote experience. Southern expeditions require a minimum of five days and are best combined with a Northern Circuit component. Charter connections from Arusha to Ruaha (two hours) or Nyerere (90 minutes) make multi-circuit itineraries practical.

Western Tanzania

The most remote Tanzania experience.

Park Details

What GAPI's guides experience here.

Ruaha National Park · 22,000 km²

The Great Ruaha Ecosystem

Tanzania's Largest · Wild Dog Capital

Ruaha is defined by the Great Ruaha River — a permanent water source that becomes the focal point of dry season wildlife concentrations, producing encounters with elephant, hippo, crocodile, and predators along its banks that equal or exceed anything the Northern Circuit produces.

The wild dog population is the largest and most reliably encountered of any major park in Tanzania. Packs of ten to twenty animals move on regular hunting circuits. Lameck Stanslaus, who guides Ruaha expeditions for GAPI, considers it the finest guiding destination in Tanzania.

Wild Dog Elephant 10,000+ Lion Density Remote

Nyerere National Park (Selous) · 30,000 km²

Africa's Largest UNESCO Site

30,000 km² · River Ecosystem

The former Selous Game Reserve — now Nyerere National Park — is Africa's largest UNESCO World Heritage Site at 30,000km². The Rufiji River provides a fundamentally different safari experience: boat safaris along the river margins, where hippo and crocodile are encountered at water level, provide encounters impossible from a land vehicle.

The northern section contains exceptional concentrations of buffalo, elephant, hippo, and the full predator complement. Walking safaris are permitted throughout and are GAPI's recommended activity for the patient client who wants the ground-level perspective.

Rufiji River Boat Safaris Walking Safaris Buffalo

Remote Tanzania. Extraordinary wildlife.

The southern parks deliver a qualitatively different encounter. For clients who have experienced the Northern Circuit, they are the natural next step.

Enquire About Southern Parks → All Parks