4 Days Classic Southern Circuit Safari – Budget Camping

This rewarding 4-day budget camping safari is ideal for adventurous travelers who want to experience Tanzania’s famous Southern Circuit while keeping costs affordable. The journey takes you through some of the region’s most wildlife-rich landscapes, including Mikumi National Park and Nyerere National Park (Selous Game Reserve), known for their vast wilderness, open plains, rivers, and diverse ecosystems.

Enjoy multiple guided game drives with excellent chances to spot elephants, giraffes, buffalo, lions, zebras, hippos, crocodiles, and a wide variety of birdlife. Spend your nights at public campsites, sleeping under the African sky and soaking in the true spirit of safari life. With bush lunches, scenic drives, and breathtaking sunsets over the savannah, this classic Southern Circuit camping safari offers an authentic and unforgettable wildlife experience.

Duration: 4 Days / 3 Night
Destinations: Mikumi NP – Nyerere NP
Safari Style: Budget Camping
Start/End: Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Safari Highlights

Explore Mikumi’s wide open savannahs, often compared to the Serengeti, and the vast, river-rich wilderness of Nyerere National Park
High wildlife density across both parks — lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffalos, wildebeest, hippos, crocodiles, and more
Excellent game viewing around the Mkata Floodplain in Mikumi and along the Rufiji River in Nyerere
Authentic budget camping experience in public campsites, sleeping under the African sky with basic facilities
Ideal for travelers with limited time who want a complete and immersive Southern Circuit safari experience

🗓️ Itinerary Overview

Day 1: Dar es Salaam / Morogoro → Mikumi National Park

Early morning departure from Dar es Salaam or Morogoro with a scenic drive to Mikumi National Park. Upon arrival, enjoy an extended game drive across the Mkata Floodplain, one of the best wildlife areas in the park. Expect sightings of elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffalos, lions, and a variety of antelope species.
Enjoy a picnic lunch inside the park, followed by afternoon game viewing.
In the evening, transfer to a public campsite for dinner and overnight under the African sky, experiencing true bush camping.

Day 2: Full Day Mikumi National Park

Spend a full day exploring Mikumi with morning and afternoon game drives, maximizing your chances of spotting predators, large herbivore herds, and diverse birdlife.
Enjoy lunch at the campsite and some rest during the heat of the day before continuing wildlife viewing in the late afternoon.
Return to the public campsite for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Mikumi National Park → Nyerere National Park

After an early breakfast, depart Mikumi and drive south toward Nyerere National Park (Selous Game Reserve), Tanzania’s largest protected area.
Arrive in the afternoon and enjoy a game drive en route to the campsite, with chances to see elephants, giraffes, buffalos, hippos, crocodiles, and abundant birdlife along rivers and open plains.
Dinner and overnight at a public campsite inside or near Nyerere National Park.

Day 4: Nyerere National Park → Dar es Salaam

Start the day with an early morning game drive in Nyerere, exploring its vast wilderness and riverine landscapes.
After breakfast, begin the return journey to Dar es Salaam, arriving in the late afternoon with unforgettable memories of Tanzania’s Southern Circuit.