14-Day Southern Circuit: Selous, Ruaha & Zanzibar

Your safari begins in Dar es Salaam. A member of the Gip-Adventure Tours & Safaris team meets you at 07:00 at Julius Nyerere International Airport, or collects you from your hotel in the city, and you set off by road for Nyerere National Park – the vast southern wilderness carved out of the great Selous Game Reserve, some 235 km from Dar es Salaam at Mtemere Gate. A packed lunch travels with you.

On reaching your lodge, relax after the drive and dive into the swimming pool to wash off the dust of the road. A late-afternoon boating excursion on the river can be arranged. Your lodge lies within the park itself, and at night you fall asleep to the sounds of the wild – groans and barks, roars and howls, chirps and chatter.

Dinner and overnight at your lodge inside Nyerere National Park.

After a hearty breakfast at around 07:30, begin your first full day in Nyerere National Park. Its sweeping views and rich diversity of plants and animals reveal themselves on a long game drive through the woodland and along the Rufiji River, where hippos and crocodiles crowd the sandbanks.

Lunch is served at a picnic site in the bush, followed by a short afternoon game drive before returning to the lodge for dinner and the night.

After breakfast at around 07:30, head out for another full day in the park. Nyerere is famous for water, walking and wilderness, and today is ideal for the walking and boating safaris included in your package, taking you closer to the land and the river than a vehicle ever can.

Lunch is at a picnic site, with a short game drive in the afternoon. Back at the lodge, enjoy the included bonfire and bush dinner under the stars.

Your third full day in Nyerere starts after breakfast at around 07:30. The included hot-air balloon safari can be arranged during your stay, offering a breathtaking view over the park's lakes, rivers and woodland. Then continue with a full day of game viewing, searching for lion, leopard, wild dog, elephant and the rare sable antelope.

Picnic lunch in the bush is followed by a short afternoon drive before you return to the lodge for dinner and a final night in Nyerere.

After a hearty breakfast at around 08:00, set off on the long drive west to Ruaha National Park, with lunch on the way.

Ruaha is Tanzania's second-largest national park at 20,300 km², named after the Great Ruaha River that runs for some 160 km along its eastern border – "Ruaha" comes from the Hehe word "Luvaha", meaning great. After lunch, enjoy a short game drive on your way to the lodge.

Dinner and overnight at your lodge in Ruaha National Park.

After breakfast, spend a full day exploring Ruaha's wild, rarely crowded landscapes. The park is home to more than 10% of Africa's remaining wild lions, and its great herds of elephant are among the largest in East Africa.

Lunch is served in the bush, and all meals are on a full-board basis. Return to your lodge in the late afternoon for dinner and the night.

Another full day of game drives takes you deeper into Ruaha's untouched country. Wherever there is water there is wildlife – giraffe, buffalo, hippo, crocodile, zebra, warthog, topi and hyena – and the park holds more greater kudu than any other protected area in East Africa; the kudu is its emblem.

Here you have ample time to explore the southern circuit at an unhurried pace and to feel the real peace of the wild. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Your last full day in Ruaha is another chance to search for its special predators, including the endangered African wild dog – the park holds the world's third-largest population. Follow the rivers and baobab-studded hills for elephant herds and big cats.

Enjoy a picnic lunch in the bush and a final evening at your lodge, with dinner and overnight on a full-board basis.

After a hearty breakfast at around 08:00, drive to the Ruaha airstrip for your light-aircraft flight to Zanzibar.

On arrival you are transferred to your beach resort, where you stay on a full-board basis for the next five nights. Zanzibar has everything to offer, from turquoise water and dazzling white-sand beaches to a rich history and culture – there is no need to hurry here, and you will soon see why.

Dinner and overnight at your beach resort.

After breakfast, join the included Stone Town tour, wandering the narrow lanes, carved doorways and markets of Zanzibar's historic old town, steeped in centuries of Swahili, Arab and Indian trade.

From the waterfront, take the short boat trip to Changuu Island, also known as Prison Island, for the included island tour. Return to your beach resort in the afternoon for dinner and the night.

Today's included excursions reveal the island's green interior. On the spice tour you see, smell and taste the cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and other spices that made Zanzibar famous as the Spice Island.

Continue to Jozani Forest, home to the rare Zanzibar red colobus monkey, before returning to your resort for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, set out on the included Mnemba Island tour, heading out across clear blue water to the reef around Mnemba, a favourite spot for snorkelling and for spotting dolphins.

Return to your resort in the afternoon to relax on the beach or by the pool, with dinner and overnight at the resort.

Spend your last full day on the island at your own pace, lazing on the white sands, swimming in the Indian Ocean or enjoying the resort's facilities. Internet access is included throughout your stay.

In the late afternoon, head to Nungwi on the island's northern tip for the included sunset cruise, sailing out as the sky turns gold over the ocean. Dinner and a final overnight at your beach resort.

Enjoy a final warm breakfast at your resort at around 08:00 before your transfer back to Dar es Salaam.

On arrival you are dropped off at your hotel or taken to the airport for your departure flight, ending two weeks of southern wilderness and island sunshine.