inspiration

tanzania: southern parks and fanjove island

Private Safari
From $16,230 pp
2 guests
12 nights

trip highlights

  • At Ruaha, game drives run morning and afternoon, with night drives by spotlight, across a park where both Greater and Lesser Kudu occur.
  • On the Rufiji, guided walks with armed rangers and boat safaris explore a sector where wild dog are a consistent feature.
  • Boat safaris run upstream to Stiegler's Gorge, where the Rufiji narrows between canyon walls some 100 metres high.
  • On Fanjove, an 11-kilometre reef rings the island, with snorkelling straight off the beach and diving on quiet outer sites.
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Elephant herd walking on dusty ground near acacia trees, Jongomero Bush Manor, Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

Southern Tanzania and the Songo Songo Reef

This 12-night route links three parts of southern Tanzania. It opens in remote Ruaha, a transition zone between East and Southern African wildlife where game drives run with rare quiet. It moves to the northern bank of the Rufiji in Nyerere National Park, built for walking and boating rather than sheer density. It closes on a coral island in the Songo Songo Archipelago, off the southeast coast.

You travel with a private guide and vehicle through the two parks, on drives, on foot and, on the river, by boat. The island then trades schedules for tides. The accommodation ranges from an exclusive-use bush villa to a riverbank lodge and an island built around an 1894 lighthouse, each with its own character and pace.

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Daily Itinerary Breakdown

Ruaha, a Private Vehicle in Quiet Country

You spend four nights in the remote southern reaches of Ruaha National Park, where meeting another vehicle on a drive is rare. Days are built around your private open-sided 4x4, with game drives morning and afternoon and, unusually for a national park, night drives by spotlight. This is one of the few places where both Greater and Lesser Kudu occur, alongside sable, roan, lion, leopard and cheetah. Jongomero Bush Manor takes one party at a time above the seasonal Jongomero Sand River, with a private chef, hosts and guide; elephants amble past the decks and dig for water beneath the sand.

The Rufiji, Walking and Boating in Nyerere

Three nights on the northern bank of the Rufiji in Nyerere National Park, formerly the Selous Game Reserve, where vehicles remain scarce and the reward comes from patience rather than guaranteed density. Guided walks with armed rangers turn on tracking, plants and bushcraft, and wild dog are a consistent feature of the walks and drives here. Boat safaris run on the river and lakes, upstream to Stiegler's Gorge and downstream past pelicans and bee-eaters. Sand Rivers, built by Richard Bonham in 1984 and now run by Nomad Tanzania, sets eight stone-and-thatch cottages along a wide bend, with hippos and crocodiles on the sandbanks below.

Fanjove, Reef and Lighthouse on the Coast

Five nights on a small coral island in the Songo Songo Archipelago, off Tanzania's southeast coast, where an 11-kilometre reef rings the island and movement follows the tides rather than a schedule. There are no vehicles, so you get about on foot, by kayak or under sail, with snorkelling straight off the beach and diving on quiet outer sites among reef sharks, rays and butterflyfish. A sandbank runs out to sea, so swimming is possible at every tide. Laba Fanjove is built around a white German lighthouse from 1894, restored from ruin, where guests gather to dine and watch the sun go down; the villas rise as open A-frames beneath makuti thatch, cooled by the sea breeze.

Ed Charles photographing wildlife

Ed Charles, BBC Producer

Fitzroy are true specialists in accessing the wilderness. They know where to go and importantly, when to go there. Highly recommended.

Ed Charles

Bafta & Emmy award winning film producer of BBC’s Planet Earth 2 and A Perfect Planet

looking for inspiration?

Four guests sitting in chairs in shallow river water, Manyara Green Camp, Lake Manyara, Tanzania Colonial-style lodge building with manicured gardens and palm trees, Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge, Arusha, Tanzania Illuminated safari tent with wooden deck at dusk, Serengeti Plains Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Canvas safari tent with awning at golden hour, Serian Serengeti Lamai, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Riverside camping setup with boulders and mountain backdrop, Manyara Green Camp, Lake Manyara, Tanzania Tree-lined dirt path with purple flowering vines overhead, Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge, Arusha, Tanzania Wooden bedroom pavilion with four-poster bed and pendant lights, Manyara Green Camp, Lake Manyara, Tanzania Person sitting on rocks overlooking savanna at dusk, Serengeti Plains Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Coastal cliffs with waves crashing against rocky shore, Serian Serengeti Lamai, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Aerial view of lodge buildings nestled among dense forest trees, Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge, Arusha, Tanzania Guests viewing elephants from vehicle at waterhole, Manyara Green Camp, Lake Manyara, Tanzania Luxury safari tent camp at golden hour in grassland, Serengeti Plains Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Canvas safari tent illuminated at dusk among acacia trees, Serian Serengeti Lamai, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

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Hot air balloon floating above zebra herd grazing in savanna grassland Outdoor entertaining area with fire pit at dusk, The Emakoko, Nairobi, Kenya Elevated safari lodge with canvas roof pavilions in natural grassland setting, Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya Infinity pool overlooking ocean at sunset with palm trees, Zawadi Hotel, Zanzibar & Pemba, Tanzania Wooden deck overlooking savanna landscape with acacia trees, The Emakoko, Nairobi, Kenya Romantic dinner setup by infinity pool overlooking savanna at dusk, Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya Oceanfront pool deck with loungers and thatched umbrellas, Zawadi Hotel, Zanzibar & Pemba, Tanzania Infinity pool at sunset with savanna landscape beyond, The Emakoko, Nairobi, Kenya Luxury safari bedroom with four-poster bed overlooking grassland savanna, Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya Oceanfront pool with rolled towels and turquoise water view, Zawadi Hotel, Zanzibar & Pemba, Tanzania Two rhinoceroses with mud-covered horns facing each other

kenya & tanzania

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Maasai guide standing by vintage safari vehicle at sunset, Chem Chem Lodge, Lake Manyara, Tanzania Two wildebeest engaging in sparring behavior on grassland Lodge exterior with lavender garden and mature trees, Legendary Lodge, Arusha, Tanzania Canvas safari tent with seating area under acacia trees, Nyasi Tented Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Safari lodge buildings with thatched roofs nestled among trees, Mwiba Lodge, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Manicured garden pathway leading to colonial-style lodge building, Gibb’s Farm, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania Giraffe walking past poolside lounge area with safari landscape, Chem Chem Lodge, Lake Manyara, Tanzania Turquoise pool with lounge chairs and tropical palms, Legendary Lodge, Arusha, Tanzania Open-air dining area with acacia trees and savanna landscape, Nyasi Tented Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Candlelit outdoor dining deck overlooking savanna at dusk, Mwiba Lodge, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Infinity pool overlooking forested valley with loungers and umbrellas, Gibb’s Farm, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania Guest walking toward illuminated safari lodge at dusk with dining setup, Chem Chem Lodge, Lake Manyara, Tanzania Spacious bedroom with four-poster canopy bed and wooden beams, Legendary Lodge, Arusha, Tanzania Spacious family tent bedroom with canopy bed and seating area, Nyasi Tented Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

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great migration safari

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  • 2 guests
  • 12 nights
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Planning a journey together

our approach

remote, exclusive
& personal

Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.

Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.

Every journey starts with a conversation. We favour a direct, personal approach: understanding your vision before anything else.

Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape a journey that is both thoughtfully considered and expertly delivered.

Get in touch to start planning yours.

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