Nyerere National Park

Nyerere National Park — named after Tanzania's founding father Julius Nyerere — is the largest national park in East Africa and one of the largest protected wildlife areas in the world. It covers an area larger than Switzerland, and most of it has never been walked by a tourist.

The Rufiji River, Africa's largest river delta, winds through the heart of the park, creating a water-based ecosystem unlike anything else in Tanzania. Boat safaris on the Rufiji offer close encounters with hippo pods, Nile crocodiles, and fish eagles from a uniquely low perspective.

This is a destination for travelers who have done the northern circuit and want something genuinely different. Fly camping under the stars beside the river, walking with an armed ranger through the wilderness, and watching wild dogs raise their pups at a den — these are Nyerere experiences that no northern park can match.