A note from Tanzania

There’s more to Tanzania than the North.

When most people picture a Tanzanian safari, their minds head north to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Kilimanjaro. Rightly so. However, quietly the south is starting to get some attention, with Tanzania putting a greater focus on showcasing these less-travelled parts of the country. 

The Southern Circuit covers an enormous and remarkably varied area. It includes the great wildernesses of Ruaha and Nyerere National Park, the floodplains and waterways of the Rufiji, the forests and waterfalls of the Udzungwa Mountains, continuing further south through endless tea plantations and miombo (dry) woodland before reaching the high plateaus of Kitulo. 

This year alone, Tanzania has committed more that US$56 million to tourism and conservation across the Southern Circuit, with investment focused on improving access to remote areas, developing visitor infrastructure and strengthening the conservation and management of these landscapes. 

It’s exciting to see a little more attention being given to these parts of Tanzania that have, for decades, been left unseen. The south is vast, varied and still relatively untouched by mainstream tourism with an enormous amount to explore that remains well off the usual safari route. Here, the towns are smaller, the distances are greater and the ever-changing landscapes long to be explored.