11-Day Small Group Safari: Walking, Boating & Wildlife in Ruaha and Nyerere National Parks

Guided game drives are offered twice per day in the cooler mornings and evenings along with picnic breakfasts and sundowners out in the bush. With your private vehicle and guide, you have the flexibility to explore any (accessible) area of the Usangu wetlands. Usangu has five biozones and offers many different habitat types that are waiting to be explored.

Walking safaris give you the opportunity to immerse yourself in nature, away from the noise of the land cruiser and closer to the ground to observe the smaller and less obvious parts of the African wilderness. As part of your walking safari, you can receive an introduction to tracking where our specialist walking guide will teach you the basics of tracking, which will come in handy when setting your camera traps. Walking safaris are offered twice per day in the cooler mornings and evenings along with picnic breakfasts out in the bush and giving you the opportunity to immerse yourself in nature.

Usangu is a seasonal wetland and combines riverine areas with a swamp/lake. Using the boat provides you access to areas not reachable by car. This activity is available yearround but varies with the seasons. This activity can be combined with bait fishing while out on the water. Whether experienced at fishing or trying it for the first time, guests have the opportunity, often during sundowners, to participate in this casual catch-and-release activity, The boating excursion is offered all year round but varying with seasons.

All Usangu visitors will be allocated a camera trap for the duration of their stay (one per couple/tent). Place it in the surrounding area with the assistance of the camp guides and explore what animals have visited the camp during the night. Use your new tracking skills to place the camera trap in areas most likely to capture wildlife.

Become a global biodiversity contributor. Learn how to use the iNaturalist app to log any species (fauna and flora) worldwide. We use this app to record all findings in Usangu for record-keeping and distribution mapping. You will receive training on how to identify and log sightings of species during your stay. As Usangu is still relatively unstudied there are still species to be discovered.

A one-night sleep out in the wild, where the Usangu star cubes are set in a remote area. You will also have a back-up canvas dome tent for privacy as well as in case of rain. We suggest this experience is combined with a walking safari, but this is not essential as it can also be combined with boating and/or game driving. This activity can be planned with our walking guide in camp and does not have to be pre-booked.

The Usangu star cubes are set up in a private setting within easy reach of your tent at the expedition camp. This offers a unique sleep-out experience, where you can sleep under the stars in the African wild, protected from critters and wildlife alike in a mesh cube, whilst keeping the comforts of your tent close at hand.

Usangu Expedition Camp houses interesting details on the history and significance of the area. Guests can hear the story of the camp and spend time in the centre to understand the past, present, and future of the wild space of Usangu. The Information Centre will also be used for presentations from Asilia’s Positive Impact partners. Guests can visit at their leisure between activities to get a taste of the various conservation efforts in the region.

Information Centre Credit: Andrew Morgan

Tent Entrance Credit: Andrew Morgan

Night-time in the bush is very different from the day. A whole new world opens up with nocturnal species unseen in the day. Equipped with thermal cameras to ensure optimal viewing, with no disruption to the wildlife, Usangu offers night game drives like no other. Join your guide on this nocturnal experience to learn more about this hidden world.

A totally private safari experience, tailored to travellers’ interests and preferred pace of safari.

Located in the most wildlife-rich region of Ruaha, with an abundance of flora and fauna to discover, and hosted by one of Asilia’s top guides.

A walking safari is one the most intimate ways to experience the bush and can be enjoyed from Kokoko in the company of an experienced armed guide and local tracker. Eye-to-eye with the wildlife, your senses are heightened and the sights, sounds, and smells of the bush come alive.

From verdant swamps and palm-fringed rivers to miombo woodland and open plains, the landscapes of Nyerere National Park (formerly known as the Selous) are beautiful for game drives. Rise with the birds and enjoy an early-morning exploration, or head out in the afternoon and see what you can find before returning for dinner. All our game viewing vehicles at Roho ya Selous are opensided for an uninterrupted view of the flora and fauna, and come complete with a shade roof, charging points and cooler boxes to keep sundowner drinks deliciously cool.

Lace up your walking boots and discover the bush on foot with one of our expert guides. The perfect complement to game drives and boat trips, a walking safari will awaken all your senses and allow you to feel, smell and hear the bush, not just see it. Game drives Walking safaris Please note walking safaris are only available to individuals aged 16 and over.

No safari in Nyerere is complete without a trip on the water. Enjoy morning or evening boating safaris from Roho ya Selous, and cruise alongside pods of hippo in the shallows and spot crocodile sunning themselves on the sandbanks. Don’t forget your binoculars either — boating safaris offer wonderful birdwatching opportunities as you drift up close to nesting colonies.

Spend a relaxing afternoon on the boat and try your hand at a spot of catch-and-release fishing. The waters in Nyerere National Park teem with many species of fish, including a variety of catfish and the sought-after tiger fish. At Roho ya Selous, we have all the equipment you need. All that’s left to do is cast your line, sit back and see what happens.