Dar-es-salaam Safari-Excursion Transfers
Dar es Salaam is the largest city in Tanzania and where many people will start their trip. The coastal city is often a jumping-off point for those traveling to nearby Zanzibar and the popular northern circuit, which includes the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park.
However, the game reserves near Dar es Salaam are generally less expensive and less crowded, but they still have stunning scenery and great wildlife-viewing opportunities. The southern parks are ideal for those who like to get off the beaten track. Take ‘near’ with a pinch of salt. Tanzania is a massive country, but these parks and reserves are all within a day’s driving distance of Dar es Salaam.
Combine your Dar-es-salaam transfer to Selous (Nyerere National Park), Mikumi National Park, Saadani Narional Park, Ruaha National Park, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro and all other National parks in Tanzania; with game drive Inside the National Parks, or just your hotel drop off in one of the Lodges. You can also choose to fly and we can take care of all your game drive Inside the National Parks.
With a friendly driver and expert guide, enjoy this memorable trip (You can decide number of days), visiting Tanzania world class National Parks
Best Safari Parks and Game Reserves Near Dar Es Salaam
Probably the most famous safari park near Dar es Salaam, Nyerere (Selous) National Park is a 6 to 7 hour drive from the city, depending on where in the reserve you’re staying. It’s one of the biggest national parks in Africa, though most of the accommodation is in the north. The fastest access route is the 240km/149mi road to Mtemere Gate. The drive takes about six hours. The alternative route through Mikumi NP takes longer. Daily flights are available, too.
This massive park is a Unesco World Heritage Site, with a range of landscapes including miombo woodlands, savannah and swamps. The Rufiji River provides a water source for the many animals who inhabit the park: lion, leopard, black rhino, hippo and one of Africa’s largest wild dog populations. There are over 400 birds that can be checked off your birding list, too. The migratory species arrive between November and April.
Route: There is a direct route from Dar es Salaam that covers a distance of 240 km / 149 miles following the eastern road. The drive is bumpy and long taking you 6 to 7 hours which is nearly half a day’s drive.
Mikumi National Park is the closest park to Dar es Salaam, 4 to 5 hours away, and connected by a tarmac road that runs through the park. It’s the fourth largest national park in the country, connected to Nyerere National Park, which lies to the south. As one of the lesser known wildlife reserves, it’s rarely busy.
On grassy savannah plains dotted with baobab trees, you might spot herds of elephant, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, eland, kudu and impala, alongside giraffe and troops of yellow baboon or vervet monkey. Lions are in the park, but not as populous or easy to spot as in Tanzania’s more well-known parks such as the Serengeti. If you’re lucky, there’s a chance of seeing leopard or wild dog. The best time to visit is from June to October, when it’s driest and animals are attracted to permanent waterholes, such as those on the Mkata floodplain.
- 1. Driving distance from Dar es Salaam: 4 to 5 hours
- 2. Accommodation options: Camps and lodges for various budgets Camps
- 3. Activities: Game drives, walking safaris
Distance from Dar-es-salaam to mikumi national park is just 280 kilometers using the A7 Tanzania highway that connects the city with down southern towns and other South African countries.
Many people stop off at Mikumi or Udzungwa en route to Ruaha National Park, which is about 10 hours from Dar es Salaam. There are also flights into the park, though this option is much more expensive.
Ruaha is arguably the best safari park near Dar es Salaam. It is one of the biggest national parks in Africa and the second largest in Tanzania but receives barely a fraction of the northern parks’ visitors. A landscape of old baobabs and rocky outcrops, Ruaha is named after the Great Ruaha River that runs through it. The park is the size of New Jersey and there’s an incredible array of wildlife to see: over 570 species of bird (best seen over the migratory period from November to April)
Go in the dry season from June to October. Even at this peak time of the year, you’ll find the park relatively free of crowds.
Many people traveling to Ruaha make a stopover at Mikumi NP. From Mikumi, the distance to Ruaha is about 320km/200mi, and the drive takes roughly five hours.
Dar es salaam Safari FAQ's
Ruaha National Park Faq’s
The Ruaha National Park has the highest concentration of elephants in East Africa and is home to 10% of the world’s lion population. Rare antelope species can be found here include the greater and lesser kudu, roan, sable antelope, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, Topi, Southern and Bohor reedbuck.
The drive to Ruaha from Dar es Salaam takes about 10 hours, and a lot of it is on a dusty, bumpy road. Many people traveling to Ruaha make a stopover at Mikumi NP. From Mikumi, the distance to Ruaha is about 320km/200mi, and the drive takes roughly five hours.
Like most other Tanzanian national parks, it is best to visit Ruaha during the long dry season from June to October. It is relatively cool during this period compared to the hot dry season from mid-December to mid-March.
The dry season also provides great conditions for wildlife viewing because animals are drawn to the dwindling water sources and the grass is too short for them to hide.
For bird enthusiasts, the European winter months (December to April) are the best time to visit as migratory birds make their way down to Tanzania. Some lodges close in the long-wet season (March-May), so you will need to be flexible when you are finding your accommodation.
Morning game drives and walking safaris are the most popular activities at Ruaha. Night drives are not permitted.
Walking safaris with an experienced ranger allow you to get even closer to the wildlife. There’s nothing quite like getting within metres of a 6-tonne elephant.
Safaris at Ruaha offer great wildlife photography opportunities. Visitor numbers in the park are much lower than in the Serengeti or Ngorongoro, which means you can feel like you have the park all to yourself.
Hot air balloon trips are another great way to discover Ruaha National Park, and they offer a unique perspective of the wilderness. These trips are quite expensive (around US$550 per person), but soaring above the wild plains of East Africa is an experience few can put claim to, and is worth every penny.
Until recently, Ruaha National Park only had a few basic lodges. However, the range of accommodation has increased in recent years. Ruaha has a great balance of luxury and modest accommodation.
Mikumi National Park Faq’s
Because of its accessibility Mikumi is one of the most popular National Park in Tanzania . The park is also decorated by its superbly scenic plains and baobabs and it is home to various wild animals and birds species.
Wildlife in this quiet national park includes elephant, giraffe, buffalo, Burchell’s zebra, sable, eland, Liechtenstein’s hartebeest, lion, leopard, spotted hyena, and jackal. You can also find yellow baboons near Kiboga, at the southern end of the park.
June to October is the best time to visit Mikumi National Park. During the dry season, the wildlife concentrate around waterholes and rivers – making it easier to spot them.
YES! The park has two species of the big cats those are Lions and the rare shy Leopards. The lions are in two species the common or land lions which take the largest population and are found across the park.
Safaris to Mikumi usually start from Dar es Salaam, and your point of entry for the country is Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR). In most cases, your tour operator will pick you up from the airport and handle all further ground operations or domestic flights.
Mikumi is a four-hour drive away from Dar es Salaam and can easily be visited as a weekend get-away. However, most people visit Mikumi en route to Nyerere or Ruaha, the more popular parks in southern Tanzania. The only scheduled flights to Mikumi are with Safari Air Link which offers a daily connection to Ruaha, Selous, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
If driving from Ruaha, the distance is about 320km/200mi, and the drive takes roughly five hours.
Nyerere National Park Faq’s
There are several options for reaching this remote bit of wilderness. The most convenient option is by plane from Dar es Salaam, or the next big national park, Ruaha.
Dar es Salaam to Selous is about 45 minutes by small plane, while from Ruaha it would take around 90 minutes.
By car, this journey takes considerably longer but offers great views. From Dar es Salaam it is a 4-6 hour drive, and you pass by the equally stunning Mikumi National Park, getting two adventures for one.
For adventurers, there is also the unique opportunity to take the train. The TAZARA train line, running from Dar es Salaam all the way to Zambia, can be taken to Selous. The journey takes 4-5 hours and offers stunning views and a unique experience of seeing wildlife directly from the train. The train is notoriously late, though!
Like most national parks in Tanzania, the dry season from June to October is perfect for game viewing, as the vegetation is more sparse, making it easier to spot animals.
March to May and late October to mid-December is the rainy season, which makes many of the roads impassable and animals harder to spot.
For bird enthusiasts, we also recommend the shorter dry season from mid-December to March, as many migratory birds then settle in Selous. If the scarce wild dog is what you are after, June to August is perfect, as this is their denning season.
There are a number of ways to explore the park, including game drives, river rafting safaris, boat cruises, fishing and walking safaris.
Hot air balloon safaris and fly camping are also possible.
Bird enthusiasts can watch the 440 species from a boat, also taking in views of hippo pods and crocodiles, waiting for prey.
Selous has a variety of lodges dotted around the park, many of them sustainable eco-hotels.
The park’s vastness creates that miles-from-anywhere experience, and you’ll feel like you’re truly in the middle of the African bush.
Usually, there are no more than 300 visitors sleeping in the 50,000-square-kilometre park at any one time.
Large numbers of elephants, black rhinoceroses, cheetahs, giraffes, hippopotamuses and crocodiles live in this immense sanctuary, which measures 50,000 km2 and is relatively undisturbed by human impact.
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