Guides observe elephant herd in natural savanna setting, Jongomero Camp, Ruaha National Park, Tanzania
Person standing on wooden deck overlooking river from thatched pavilion, Sand Rivers, Nyerere National Park, Tanzania
Thatched-roof bungalows nestled among dense green forest canopy, The Manta Resort, Zanzibar & Pemba, Tanzania
Young male lion walking toward camera on sandy road
Curved swimming pool with wooden loungers and pergola shade, Jongomero Camp, Ruaha National Park, Tanzania
Luxurious safari tent bedroom with canvas walls and furnishings, Jongomero Camp, Ruaha National Park, Tanzania
Guests relaxing by sunken pool overlooking lakeside landscape from safari lodge terrace, Sand Rivers, Nyerere National Park, Tanzania
Guests relaxing on wooden deck at sunset over water, The Manta Resort, Zanzibar & Pemba, Tanzania
Luxury safari lodge deck with river views and canvas canopy shelter, Sand Rivers, Nyerere National Park, Tanzania
Wooden overwater bungalow at sunset with dramatic sky, The Manta Resort, Zanzibar & Pemba, Tanzania

inspiration

tanzania: two southern parks and the spice islands

Private Safari
From $11,015 pp
2 guests
10 nights

trip highlights

  • Jongomero Camp sits alone on the Jongomero sand river in southern Ruaha, where game drives rarely meet another vehicle.
  • At Sand Rivers, walks with armed rangers and boat safaris on the Rufiji explore a sector where wild dog are sighted regularly.
  • Motorboats run upstream to Stiegler's Gorge, where the Rufiji narrows between canyon walls some 100 metres high.
  • The Manta Resort offers wall and drift dives in the Pemba Channel and a bedroom submerged roughly four metres below the surface.
Scroll for the full itinerary
Seafood platter with fish, shrimp, and garnishes on ice, Baraza Resort and Spa, Zanzibar & Pemba, Tanzania

Southern Tanzania and the Spice Islands

Ten nights across southern Tanzania and out to the Indian Ocean, linking three distinct places. You begin in the remote southern reaches of Ruaha National Park, where a seasonal sand river draws elephants, kudu and lions. Next comes Nyerere National Park on the Rufiji, country built for walking and boating where wild dog are a consistent feature. The trip closes on Pemba Island, a forest-backed beach with wall diving in the Pemba Channel.

You travel by light aircraft between the parks, then a flight and road transfer to Pemba. Days run to game drives, walks with armed rangers and boat safaris on the Rufiji, before the pace settles to diving and forest walks on the coast. Each stay is a small, well-set camp or resort chosen for its setting rather than its size.

plan your safari

Daily Itinerary Breakdown

Alone on the Ruaha Sand River

Days deep in the southern reaches of Ruaha National Park, out on game drives that rarely meet another vehicle, with walking on the sand river in the dry season led by a qualified guide and an armed park ranger. Elephants, kudu and baboons move along the riverbed within sight of the tents, and lions have been heard passing through camp in the dark. Fly-camping is available for a night out under canvas. Jongomero Camp stands alone on the Jongomero sand river, eight canvas tents on raised wooden decks beneath makuti thatch, with an open-sided lounge, a dining terrace and a pool at its centre.

Walking and Boating the Rufiji

From Ruaha you continue to Nyerere National Park, on the northern bank of the Rufiji, where the days turn on walking safaris with armed rangers and boat safaris on the river and its lakes. Wild dog are a consistent feature here, while lion and hyena are close to certain and elephant and buffalo gather at the water through the dry season. Motorboats run upstream to Stiegler's Gorge and downstream past pelicans and nesting bee-eaters, and the Tagalala hot springs lie a few kilometres from the water. Sand Rivers has eight stone-and-thatch cottages open to a bend of the Rufiji, with hippos and crocodiles on the sandbanks below.

Pemba's Reefs and Coastal Forest

The trip ends on the northern tip of Pemba Island, reached by flight and then a road transfer through clove plantations and villages, skirting the Ngezi Forest Reserve. Diving starts close to shore, where the reef falls sheer into the Pemba Channel and wall and drift dives run past turtles, eagle rays, reef sharks and schooling barracuda. Guided walks into Ngezi, a stronghold of the endemic Pemba flying fox, fill the hours between dives. The Manta Resort keeps to one stretch of beach, its rooms low under makuti thatch, with its best-known bedroom submerged roughly four metres offshore behind glass.

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?

Cheetah head profile against soft green background, Ubuntu Migration Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Silhouetted herd of wildebeest in dusty savanna landscape Colonial-style lodge building with manicured gardens and palm trees, Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge, Arusha, Tanzania Safari tent at sunset with acacia trees and savanna, Namiri Plains, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Guest relaxing on canvas deck overlooking savanna landscape, Ubuntu Migration Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Wooden walkway through dense forest canopy with staff member, Greystoke Mahale, Mahale Mountains, Tanzania Tree-lined dirt path with purple flowering vines overhead, Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge, Arusha, Tanzania Sunset view from lodge deck with infinity pool overlooking savanna, Namiri Plains, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Canvas safari tent with acacia tree at golden hour, Ubuntu Migration Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Couple relaxing in beachfront shelter overlooking ocean, Greystoke Mahale, Mahale Mountains, Tanzania Aerial view of lodge buildings nestled among dense forest trees, Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge, Arusha, Tanzania Luxury bedroom with gold accents and patterned wallpaper, Namiri Plains, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Safari tent lounge with canvas walls and savanna view, Ubuntu Migration Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Couple relaxing on wooden deck overlooking forest valley, Greystoke Mahale, Mahale Mountains, Tanzania

tanzania

migration away from the crowds

Ten nights across Tanzania, from the eastern and southern Serengeti to chimpanzee trekking at Mahale on Lake Tanganyika.

  • Private Safari
  • From $15,635 pp
  • 2 guests
  • 10 nights
View Safari
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

balloons over the mara, then zanzibar

Fourteen nights from Nairobi's park to the western Maasai Mara and nine nights on Zanzibar's south-east coast.

  • Private Safari
  • From $9,900 pp
  • 2 guests
  • 14 nights
View Safari
Guests gathered at vehicle during golden hour sunset, Pembazoni Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Elevated colonial-style lodge surrounded by palm trees and tropical vegetation, Breezes Beach Club & Spa, Zanzibar & Pemba, Tanzania Lion pride drinking at waterhole with cubs Young elephant calf walking beside mother in dust Canvas tent accommodation with guests relaxing on deck at dusk, Pembazoni Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Guests relaxing inside spacious canvas safari tent, Pembazoni Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Wooden deck with chairs overlooking tropical resort pool and palm gardens, Breezes Beach Club & Spa, Zanzibar & Pemba, Tanzania Tropical resort pool with palm trees and flowering gardens at midday, Breezes Beach Club & Spa, Zanzibar & Pemba, Tanzania Male lion standing in sandy terrain at golden hour Elephant herd with calf walking across savanna

tanzania

the serengeti on foot, then zanzibar

Eight nights in Tanzania, walking the central Serengeti near Seronera then the reefs and sands of Zanzibar's Bwejuu Beach.

  • Private Safari
  • From $6,435 pp
  • 2 guests
  • 8 nights
View Safari

rated five stars by our clients

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.

get in touch
destinations ideas & inspiration our process about us contact us