10 days Southern Coast by road

Day 1 – 3: You travel by vehicle from Dar-es-Salaam to Selous Mbega Camp on the eastern boundary of the Selous Game Reserve. The Selous Game Reserve is the largest wildlife protected area in Africa; at 55,000 square kilometres this UN World Heritage site is larger than Switzerland.

The concentrations of wildlife are huge boasting Tanzania’s largest population of elephant as well as large numbers of buffalo, hippo and wild dog. Other species commonly seen are lion, bushbuck, impala, giraffe, eland, baboon, zebra and greater kudu. The park also has over 350 bird species and 2,000 plant species.

Selous Mbega Camp is a well-run and relaxed camp. Like all lodges and camps in the Selous, Mbega Camp offers a variety of safari options to fill your days at the camp including vehicle and boat safaris within the Selous and walking safaris in the boundary forest reserve.

Day 4 – 6: You spend the next three nights at Kilwa Seaview Resort in Kilwa Masoko. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of The Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani is only a half-hour boat journey from the camp. Due to favorable wind conditions in the Kilwa area, Shirazi Arabs, from modern day Iraq, founded Kilwa Kisiwani as a trading port to bring gold from Greater Zimbabwe. As they amassed huge fortunes Kilwa grew to be one of the largest southern hemisphere cities with a 100 roomed palace, open-air swimming pool and own mint – it has been estimated that over a quarter of all gold used in Europe at the time was minted on Kisiwani. With hammocks, a bar and a pool, relaxing on the beach is a popular option at Kilwa Seaview.

Day 7 – 9: Traveling further down the Tanzanian coast takes us to the trading port of Mikandani, where you stay at The Old Boma. The Old Boma was the administration headquarters of the region and has now been turned into a luxury hotel run by a charity with truly helpful community projects. Mikandani has come to prominence recently as a gateway to Tanzania’s most recently gazetted national park Mnazi Bay – Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park.

This marine park is a sun worshipper’s paradise with some of the best beaches in Tanzania. For the more adventurous, diving is available on virgin coral reefs containing over 400 marine species. The ultimate aim of this national park is to protect all the reefs from Mafia Island in Tanzania to Pemba in Mozambique.

Day 10: Today you return by road to Dar-es-Salaam, arriving back in the early evening.