Nyerere River Safari

Down to the Rufiji A morning drive south from Dar, or a short flight if you would rather not lose the day to the road. Camp sits above the river; the first afternoon is a slow game drive through the doum palms to get your eye in.

On the water A boat safari from first light. From the river you are level with the hippo pods and the crocodiles on the sandbars, and the birdlife along the banks is the best in the country — skimmers, fish eagles, carmine bee-eaters nesting in the cut banks. Afternoon game drive inland to the lakes.

Walking safari Out on foot with an armed ranger and your guide. Walking changes what you notice: tracks, dung, a bone with teeth marks, the smell of a place where something died three days ago. You cover perhaps six kilometres and see less than you would from a vehicle, which is the point.

The lake circuit A full day working the chain of lakes — Tagalala, Manze, Nzelekela. This is where the wild dog packs turn up when they are in the area, and where the elephant herds come down to drink in the middle of the afternoon.

River morning and return A last hour on the water, then the road or the airstrip back to Dar.