Selous Game Reserve – Nyerere National Park

Selous Game Reserve also known as Nyerere National Park is located in the southern part of Tanzania along the southern Tanzania safari circuit and offers the best escape from the large tourist crowds in the northern safari destinations like Serengeti while offering you a remarkable wildlife experience. The ultimate Selous safari experience will have you follow wild dogs on game drives as they run through the shrubbery in search of warthog and antelope. As you travel along the river, you’ll see schools of hippos swimming in the water to cool off. Alternately, go outside on foot to observe the area closely and discover everything from termites to trees.

The Selous Game Reserve is regarded as one of the country’s hidden gems due to its abundance of wildlife species. With a total area of around 50,000 square kilometers plus an additional buffer zone, Selous Game Reserve spans vast tracts of land. Selous Game Reserve is one of the largest game reserves in the world and the largest in Africa. The Selous Game Reserve is notable for being four times larger than the Serengeti National Park and significantly larger than Switzerland.

Selous Game Reserve has a high exceptional variety of vegetation that is varied within the Reserve including the open grasslands, riverine forests and swamps and the Miombo woodland that are great habitant of wildlife in the Reserve. The Reserve has the highest densities and diversity of wildlife species than any other Miombo woodland area with more than 2,100 known plant species exist in the Reserve though many more other undescribed still exist in the remote forests in the south. Selous Game Reserve was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 because of its diversity of wildlife and the undisturbed nature.

With its famous rivers and lakes that are the Reserve’s lifeblood, the Selous Game Reserve is one of the most popular places for wildlife viewing. The Selous Game Reserve is divided by the Great River Rufiji, Tanzania’s largest river, creating a vast network of lakes, swamps, and waterways. A safari here will create memories that last for a life time.

The Selous Game Reserve is home to a protected large mammal fauna, with one of the largest known populations of hippopotamuses in the world, with a population of about 18,200. The reserve is home to a big population of African elephants, with over 106,300 elephants recorded there. Selous Game Reserve is a habitat to black rhinos and the wild hunting dogs. The wildlife in the Reserve is further spiced by the ungulates which include the sable antelopes, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, greater kudu and the Nyassa wildebeest, with large numbers of crocodiles, lions, zebra, impala, leopards, hippos, buffalo and large herds of giraffe that often drink from the lakes during the heart of the afternoon.

During the dry seasons, large herds of animals crowd in the shores of the Great River Rufiji which serves as a blood line of the reserve. The most spotted animals here in dry seasons include the elephants and the antelopes.

The Great River Rufiji is also often visited by many travellers for its popular thrilling boat rides – offering a thrilling cruising experience in one of the historic rivers in Africa. You will enjoy incredible game viewing experiences while in the Selous on your Tanzania safari, with opportunities to have the whole reserve to yourself alone! However it also offers a great chance to experience the beautiful scenery of the river that splits the Reserve into two major sections that is the northern section that is affiliated with photographic safaris and the southern section that is more famous for hunting blocks.

Also, the Selous Game Reserve is home to over 400 different bird species, including the endangered Pel’s Fishing Owl, which may be observed along the shores of the Great River Rufiji and lakes. Large numbers of birdlife tend to flood the Reserve between the month of December and April and thus regarded as the best season for birding activities in Selous Game Reserve

Best time to visit Selous Game Reserve (Nyerere National Park)

The best time to visit Selous Game Reserve is between June and August, when the terrain is dry. However, the main safari season is the long, dry season from June to October. This is when animals cluster around waterholes, rivers and lakes, making them easier to find.

Top safari highlights in Selous Game Reserve – Things To Do In Selous Game Reserve

While on Selous Safari Holiday in Tanzania, there are a number of different activities you can engage in that will surely offer you a very memorable experience while in Africa.

Bird Watching Tours

Tourists interested in bird watching won’t be let down while visiting the Selous, which has a bird list of more than 400 species. You will have the chance to see a variety of species during these guided tours, including giant kingfishers, pink-backed pelicans, African skimmers, white-fronted bee-eaters, fish eagles, carmine ibises, white-crowned spur-winged plovers, palmnut vultures, purple-crested turacos, yellow-billed storks, trumpeter hornbills, and malachite kingfish

Walking Safaris

Without participating in one of the escorted walking tours offered in the Selous, your safari will not be considered complete. As you take in the beauty and tranquility of this far-flung but lovely reserve, you will have the chance to experience Mother Nature up close.

Game Drives

The main activity during safaris in the Selous Game Reserve is game drives. Early morning and late afternoon game drives are usually conducted in open-roof safari cars to provide tourists with the most gratifying views of the animals. The park ranger guides will direct you to the locations where the animals are most likely to be found.

Hot Air Balloon rides

In Tanzania Hot Air Balloon Safaris are conducted only in the renowned Serengeti National Park found on the northern safari circuit as well as in the vast Selous Reserve in the southern part of the country offering visitors an aerial view of the plains below as you marvel at the different wild animals in the reserve.