Sample itinerary - Lakes, Baobabs & Islands 9nts

Day notes

Flights depart Dar es Salaam's Julius Nyerere International Airport at 10.30 and arrive 11am.

Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to camp.

Spend the next 3 days on a variety of safari activities that include game drives, boat trips and guided walking safaris exploring the Selous landscape; dominated by the Rufiji River which sprawls out into a myriad of lakes and deltas which fill and empty with the rainfall. The predominant landscape is flat with acacia woodland and is home to a third of Tanzania's elephant, two thirds of it's hunting dog population. The Rufiji River is home to plenty of hippo and croc, and the Reserve is home to large numbers of Buffalo, Lion as well as a great many antelope species.

Day notes

Fly from the Selous to Ruaha, departing 11.10 and arriving 13.00.

Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your lodge.

Spend the next 3 days exploring this vast park, primarily on game drives and also walks. The Great Ruaha River winds its way through the rocky outcrops and mountains that punctuate this huge area of Tanzania, creating a swathe of green that attracts much animal and bird life. Away from the river, the landscape transforms dramatically from arid scrublands and grassland to lush green leaves and grasses once the rains begin. Ruaha has a huge diversity of species boasting both the Greater and Lesser Kudu; the striped and spotted hyaena as well as Roan and Sable antelope. The lion population is now so large that they have gained film rights for their prowess at hunting Giraffe, which is not their traditional fare. The park’s rugged rocky outcrops are home to a healthy population of leopards and we are privileged to see Hunting Dogs as well as cheetah, jackals, bat-eared Foxes, genet and civet. Many elephant herds are seen close to the lodge and throughout the Park.

Day notes

From Ruaha, depart around 13h15 and land on the mainland near Bagamoyo around 4pm, from where you will take a boat transfer across to the isalnd.

Lazy Lagoon is situated at the end of a thin spit of land that forms a lagoon of azure waters a little south of the town of Bagamoyo. The spit, and a number of tiny islands in the lagoon, are home to mangrove forests, with spectacular high and low tides; the latter revealing miles of white sands, exposed corals, and naked mangrove roots and trunks.

The mainland is home to a number of small fishing villages, from which you can get up early to watch the fishermen take their ngalawas out of the calm lagoon waters and out into the Indian Ocean. Depending on the winds and the tides, they return from noon onwards, sometimes stopping to sell their catch to the lodge.

Spend your days swimming, snorkeling, kayaking or sailing in teh lagoon around the lodge - or just sit and watch the world go by in between delicious meals and casual vibes at the lodge!

Day notes

Take a boat transfer back to the mainland and a road transfer into Dar es Salaam in time to check in for your departing flights.