Top 5 Tourist Destinations in Southern Tanzania

Top 5 Tourist Destinations in Southern Tanzania, While the Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, and Ngorongoro Crater are perfect for first-time visitors, they usually get high traffic. If you’re a returning visitor, we suggest you explore untouched parks that seldom receive visitors. Traffic is small, but the wildlife concentration is higher. These hidden gems suit not only seasoned visitors but also beginners.

We’ve seen first-timers choosing parks in the southern part of Tanzania to avoid crowds, and guess what – they enjoyed their safari and kept returning to see more hidden gems. In this article, we venture into the top five destinations in Southern Tanzania.

Kitulo National Park

A few and only curious guests know this gem. Nestled in the Southern Highlands, near the town of Mbeya, Kitulo welcomes all flora explorers. It’s a serene setting where newlyweds can enjoy their post-marriage vacation.

The park boasts over 45 species of orchids. When the flowers bloom between November and May, Kitulo turns into a beautiful setting for photographers, honeymooners, or any flower-loving couple (and we know how flowers matter to loved ones). And flowers earned it the nickname “Serengeti of Flowers” or “Garden of God.”

Apart from flowers, Kitulo lies in the mountainous region where the Livingstone Mountains and the Kipengere Mountains rise. If you love hiking, you can try the gentle-sloped peaks of Livingstone. On the lower slopes, Kitulo boasts rare primates like kipunji monkeys. In addition, you can also spot antelopes, birds, baboons, and colobus monkeys.

You can get to Kitulo by flying on a scheduled or charter flight to Songwe International Airport in Mbeya, followed by a 2-3-hour drive to the Matama Gate, the park’s main entrance.

Mikumi National Park

Lying in the southern highlands, Mikumi boasts a mix of habitats, which in turn, attracts many wild animals from large game like elephants to small ones like mice. Speaking about accessibility, visitors arriving via Dar es Salaam Airport (Julius Nyerere International Airport) actually love Mikumi, and they usually call it “Little Serengeti near Dar es Salaam.”

Like Serengeti, Mikumi features expansive plains in the Mkata Floodplains stretching as far as you can see. In this wildlife-rich habitat, you can spot large prides of lions, big herds of elephants, wildebeests, zebras, and giraffes. The dense forests near Rubeho, Uluguru, and Lumango mountains harbor unique birds and primates like vervet monkeys and black-and-white colobus monkeys.

Mikumi harbors four animals of the Big Five. Seeing lions, leopards, buffalo, and elephants is a sure thing. Rhinos are not available. The park’s two man-made pools are home to large pods of hippos and many crocodiles, not to forget birds. You can also encounter spotted hyenas, African painted dogs, blue wildebeest, sable antelope, and Lichtenstein’s hartebeest.

You can easily get to Mikumi by driving from Dar es Salaam via the road passing through it. Or you can drive from other parks like Nyerere National Park, which has direct flights from Dar es Salaam.

Udzungwa Mountains National Park

Udzungwa Mountains are the home of many endangered species. This makes it an interesting spot for conservationists. Here, you can find the kipunji monkeys – hold on, we’ll describe these primates.

Many nature lovers didn’t know this monkey except the Nyakyusa people, who had tales about it. The first discovery was in the Rungwe Mountains in 2003. They also encountered the Udzungwa Mountains the next year.

Apart from kipunji, this park hosts eastern black colobus, Sanje mangabey, and the Iringa red colobus, some of the rarest monkey species, only available in this park. You can also spot Abbott’s duiker, Grey-faced sengi, reptiles, amphibians, and over 350 bird species, with the Udzungwa forest partridge and Rufous-winged sunbird being common.

The mountainous region of the park welcomes hikers, beginners, and seasoned ones to climb scenic trails. Along the way, you can stop to watch waterfalls, which are abundant in this park. One of the best spots is the Sanje Waterfalls. Falling from 170 meters, these loud waterfalls create a scenic nature sound as well as beautiful mist.

Nyerere National Park

Famously known as Africa’s largest park, spanning 30,393 square kilometers (11,900 square miles), Nyerere is a pristine, lesser-known destination. It has diverse habitats ranging from grasslands, woodlands, rivers, and forests. That said, a large, diverse population of wildlife exists in this spectacular national park, but the number of visitors has not yet caught up.

For those seeking to tick all the boxes of the Big Five, there’s a good chance to do so here. You can always see lions, elephants, buffalo, and leopards on a game drive. The rhinos need an effort to encounter. But our guides have a clue: you just trust them. You can also spot wildebeest, giraffe, zebra, impala, and more.

The beautiful, untouched scenery of Nyerere National Park makes it an interesting spot for avid photographers. The rich birdlife also attracts bird lovers. And there’s more to do and explore in Nyerere. For instance, a boat cruise along the Rufiji River is an adventure in itself. You will see hippos, crocs, and river birds.

Ruaha National Park

Ruaha comes second in terms of size after Nyerere. Spanning 20,226 square kilometers, Ruaha has diverse habitats ranging from rivers, savannah plains, woodlands, and forests, which in turn harbor many wildlife species.

Here, you can encounter large prides of lions because Ruaha has 10% of Africa’s lions. The park’s highest concentration of elephants also makes it a perfect spot to watch these grey giants. You can also see rare species like Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, wild dogs, and sable antelope.

A boat ride in the Great Ruaha River introduces you to large pods of hippos, crocodiles, and river birds. A night safari enables you to watch the nocturnal species, such as porcupines, bat-eared foxes, jackals, spotted hyenas, and even big cats like leopards and lions.

Final word

The southern safari circuit is hidden, with undisturbed wildlife and majestic mountain ranges. Here, you can explore rare species and enjoy comfortable stays in luxurious lodges and camps at relatively lower cost compared to the northern parks. Our safari planners are here to help you plan your next Tanzania adventure.