Zanzibar Beyond the Beach: Stone Town, Spice Tours and Jozani Forest
Zanzibar is more than beaches: Stone Town, spice farms, Jozani Forest and a sunset dhow cruise. Here is how to add a day or two inland.
Read the guide →Written by the Paramount Gorilla Expeditions team, based in Uganda, on the Tanzania southern circuit of Ruaha and Nyerere.
Tanzania's northern circuit, with the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Lake Manyara, draws most first-time visitors. The southern circuit, built around Ruaha and Nyerere National Park (which replaced the Selous Game Reserve in 2019), offers a different, quieter safari for people who already know the north.
Ruaha National Park
Ruaha is Tanzania's largest national park, a rugged landscape of baobab-studded hills and a seasonal river, with strong lion and wild dog populations and far fewer vehicles than the northern parks. See the Ruaha guide.
Nyerere National Park
Nyerere is vast and known for boat-based game viewing along the Rufiji River, as well as drives and walks. It offers a different way to see hippo, crocodile and river birds. See the Nyerere guide.
Why the Tanzania southern circuit feels wilder
Both parks receive far fewer visitors than the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, partly because they need a separate flight from Dar es Salaam instead of connecting directly with the northern circuit.
Who it suits
- Repeat visitors to Tanzania.
- Photographers who want uncrowded sightings.
- Travellers who want the same quality of wildlife in a different landscape.
How to fit the Tanzania southern circuit into a trip
Our Tanzania Southern Circuit: Ruaha & Nyerere Wilderness runs 9 days (from $6,800), splitting time between game drives in Ruaha and boat safaris on the Rufiji River in Nyerere. Because both parks are reached by flight from Dar es Salaam, the south also pairs naturally with a beach stay: Zanzibar is a short hop from Dar es Salaam. See our Zanzibar holidays for beach add-ons.
If this is your first safari
Most first-time visitors are better served by the northern circuit, where the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater deliver the classic big-game experience. Come south on a second trip, or combine the two if you have at least two weeks.
Compare and plan
Read northern vs southern circuit, the Tanzania national parks guide and Tanzania safari cost. See fly-in vs road safari for transport.
Plan your Tanzania southern circuit safari
Keep planning with our Tanzania Safari: The Ultimate Destination Guide and Tanzania safari destination guide. Park fees are set by Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) and, for the crater, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority. We confirm the current fees for your dates in every quote.
Adding a western extension? Our Mahale and Gombe guide covers chimpanzee trekking beyond the southern circuit.
West of the southern circuit, Katavi National Park offers a wilder, quieter extension.