Southern Parks.

The southern Tanzania parks — Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous Game Reserve) and Ruaha National Park — are the less-visited half of Tanzania's safari offering. They are larger, wilder, more remote, and in some respects more ecologically intact than the northern parks. The Nyerere-Ruaha ecosystem covers an area larger than Switzerland and is the most important remaining stronghold for wild dog in Africa.

Nyerere National Park is the largest protected wildlife area in Africa — 54,600 square kilometres of miombo woodland, river channels, and open plains. The Rufiji River and its delta form the ecological backbone of the park, creating permanent water that sustains some of the continent's largest elephant and hippo populations. The park is famous for its boat safaris — a completely different wildlife experience from the vehicle-based north, offering approaches to hippo, crocodile, and waterbirds at water level.

Ruaha National Park is equally vast and receives far fewer visitors than the northern parks. The Great Ruaha River is the central feature — a spectacular waterway lined with fever trees and tamarind that attracts elephant herds of fifty or more during the dry season. The park also holds sable antelope and greater kudu — species absent from the northern circuit — along with excellent leopard, cheetah, and lion populations. Walking safaris in Ruaha operate in partnership with the anti-poaching ranger teams and cover genuine wilderness terrain.