Why the Southern Circuit Should be on Your Bucket List

Safaris are a trendy thing now, and Instagram is brim-full of influencers showcasing Big Five parks and close-up experiences with exotic wildlife. If you feel this draw, I would encourage you to sit with this powerful short essay by veteran guide Francois Theron before booking that "checks every box" itinerary. Theron expresses it far more eloquently than I could, but I think the most memorable experiences in the wild are the ones that leave more of an impression on us than we leave in the places we visit.  

In my experience, this requires us to get off the beaten track, and I can't recommend any safari experience more highly than Ruaha National Park. Nested in Tanzania's Southern Circuit, this Big Four park (rhinos are locally extinct) offers something rare: the opportunity to feel like the foreigner, the guest, in a place that belongs to wild things. The Park is so vast and comparatively under-visited that you'll see more animals than Land Rovers. You could drive all day and not use the same road twice. You can search for hours and never catch a glimpse of that lifer you had your hopes set on, but might stumble on any number of unexpected and delightful species that call this varied landscape home (dik-dik and serval, anyone?). And that's all part of the appeal: no matter how often you visit, you'll never see the same Park twice. It's a place of constant change and motion, where life, death, and migration are unfolding around you as they have for millennia.

Ruaha also offers an incredibly good value proposition for your safari. Shoestring travelers can find a campsite in the Park or a guest house in Tungamalenga (most don't have websites, and they're located about 1 hour drive from the Msembe Gate) for roughly $20-$30 USD per night. Those willing to spend a bit more might explore the Rest House or Bandas in the Park (closer to $50-$60 USD per night, depending on exchange rate), with simple but highly affordable meal options available from the nearby canteen or by pre-ordering through the kitchen at the Bandas. And comfort-oriented travelers can choose from scenic lodges just outside the Park (like the spectacularly situated Ruaha Hilltop Lodge) or any number of jaw-dropping view properties and luxury lodges inside the boundaries, many nestled along the mighty Ruaha River.

You'll need a well-maintained 4x4 vehicle and a guide to explore the park. For those planning a self-driving tour, I can highly recommend the experienced guides from nearby Mkuyu Guide School, who you can contact through the School's website and pick up along the way. Visitors interested in a more all-inclusive itinerary (especially if you don't have the time to coordinate your own travel logistics) can choose from a number of reputable safari operators like Asilia or Kusini Safaris. I would personally suggest the latter for anyone interested in private, tailor-made tours given the owners' extensive experience of living and working in Southern Tanzania.

But it should be noted that there's a reason Tanzania's Southern Circuit isn't on the top of must-visit lists. It requires intention, savvy planning, and a fair measure of grit to reach. Expect to coordinate 1-2 local flights from any major airport to get close, plus ground transportation once you arrive. If you're a budget-minded traveler arriving through the regional airport in Iringa (IRI), where you can often get cheap flights through Air Tanzania or Auric Air, brace for a 3-hour drive over a mosaic of roads ranging from asphalt to washboards of gravel and dirt. Some public transit options are available from Iringa too, though they're colorful, loud, and slow in comparison to renting a vehicle (but a wonderful cultural experience). Alternately, you can fly into one of the Park's airstrips (Msembe or Jongomero) on a bush plane, which will shorten your drive to lodging dramatically, but you'll pay a premium for this experience.

In summary, while I can't unreservedly recommend a Ruaha safari to a novice traveler, the effort required to get there is precisely what discourages the crowds of long-lens-wielding tourists that you might see in the Serengeti or other more accessible national parks. It's what has left Ruaha relatively wild. It has preserved a special place where you can truly feel the vastness of the African savanna. You can stand on a bluff over the Ruaha River and hear a hippo wading in the shallows below you. You can see throngs of impala dancing through waving grasses beside your vehicle, so close it seems you could touch them. You can pull up alongside a pride of lionesses lolling in the shade after gorging themselves on a morning hunt. It's a taste of an older Africa, where humans were always the guests in a landscape owned by the wild things - a place that truly leaves its impression on you.