10 Best Selous (Nyerere) Luxury Safari Lodges & Camps

By Philip Briggs

Nyerere National Park, extending across 30,893km²/11,928mi² of southeast Tanzania, is East Africa’s largest protected area. Formerly Selous Game Reserve, and still often called by that name, it is a fabulous wildlife-watching destination that hosts four of the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo, but no rhino) as well as the endangered African wild dog. Nyerere is one of those special parks where game drives can be supplemented by walking safaris and boat trips. Indeed, its scenic centerpiece is the Rufiji River, which is Tanzania’s largest waterway, and famed for its concentrations of hippos, crocs and waterbirds.

The accommodations below are not ranked in a specific quality order.

211 Nyerere Safaris

1. Selous Safari Lodge

Well-priced Selous Safari Lodge stands on the Rufiji, downstream of where it exits the national park

Nyerere’s top camps and lodges generally lie within the park boundaries, but there are exceptions, the most luxurious being Selous Safari Lodge. This relatively new lodge has an attractive setting on the north bank of the Rufiji, and its location only 10km/6mi from the park’s Mtemere Gate is convenient for game drives. The spacious guest rooms are attractively decorated and their feel of solidity will reassure first-time African safari-goers nervous about sleeping under canvas. Because it lies outside Nyerere, Selous Safari Lodge is also very competitively priced by comparison to camps set inside the park.

40 Selous Safari Lodge Safaris

2. Rufiji River Camp

Rufiji River Camp is a classic tented camp offering views over the waterway for which it is named

Rufiji River Camp ranks among the longest-serving and best-priced properties situated within the boundaries of Nyerere. It boasts an atmospheric location on a wildlife-rich stretch of the Rufiji River, and offers the choice of standard safari tents shaded by thatched roofs or larger tented suites with a private plunge pool. Whichever tent type you choose, all units come with a private balcony offering a river view, and provide access to the characterful two-story dining area and swimming pool.

Rufiji River Camp Safaris

3. Selous Impala Camp

Selous Impala Camp This stylish tented camp is named after the impala herds that forage on its riverside grounds

Stylish but rustic, Selous Impala Camp is an appealing tented lodge with a magical setting on the banks of the stately Rufiji. Relatively intimate, it comprises just nine units (including two catering to families), all of which have stilted timber bases, thatched roofs and private balconies looking out to the river. The entire camp is solar powered, and there’s a tempting swimming pool for hot summer afternoons. You can expect great in-house wildlife viewing here. Hippo, elephant and giraffe are regular visitors, and more than 100 bird species have been recorded immediately around camp.

Selous Impala Safaris

4. Roho ya Selous

Roho ya Selous (‘Heart of Selous’) is an intimate camp situated in an area teeming with wildlife

Part of the reliably superb Asilia Africa group of exclusive bush properties, Roho ya Selous translates as ‘Heart of Selous’, an appropriate name given its central location in an area renowned for excellent wildlife viewing. The location, on a wooded promontory on Lake Nzerakera, is also very scenic and atmospheric. The eight luxury tents offer a winning combination of seclusion, spaciousness and style, while common amenities include a kidney-shaped swimming pool. Elephant, lion, wild dog, buffalo and giraffe are regular on game drives in this part of the park, and boat trips on the lake are delightful.

Roho ya Selous Safaris

5. Laba Siwandu Camp

Laba Siwandu Camp Located on Lake Nzerakera, Siwandu combines luxury tented units with a captivating bush setting

It is difficult to imagine a more evocatively African setting than the one enjoyed by Siwandu on the palm-shaded shore of Lake Nzerakera. Hippos grunt all day long in the water, elephants regularly pass through to slake their first, and birds can be seen and heard everywhere. Although Siwandu comprises 13 tented units, these are split between two separate camps, each with its own tree-house-style dining area and swimming pool, to create an intimate and exclusive feel. The large stilted tents are spaced widely along the waterfront and come with fans, outdoor showers and private decks. In addition to the usual game drives and walks, you can enjoy relaxing boat trips on a large pontoon, or arrange an overnight fly-camping excursion deep into the bush.

Laba Siwandu Safaris

6. Serena Mivumo River Lodge

Serena Mivumo River Lodge One of Nyerere’s remotest lodges, air-conditioned Mivumo has a scenic setting in Stiegler’s Gorge

The only Nyerere lodge run by the ever-reliable Serena Hotels, Mivumo River Lodge is something of a mixed bag. Undoubtedly its best feature is the location on the Rufiji River, at the eastern entrance to the scenic rockscapes of Stiegler’s Gorge (now partially submerged by a hydroelectric dam). Mivumo is also relatively small and very luxurious. The dozen stylish suites all have a wooden floor, leather furnishings, king-sized bed, indoor bathtub, outdoor shower and air conditioning, which can be very welcome in this hot climate. That said, game drives in the immediate vicinity are not as reliably rewarding as those farther east. Despite this, Mivumo is a superb (and well-priced) option for those who want to sit in air-conditioned comfort and watch the wildlife come to them rather than going out on activities.

Serena Mivumo Safaris

7. Sand Rivers Safari Camp Nyerere

Sand Rivers Safari Camp Nyerere Sand Rivers is a luxury lodge with a remote and devastatingly beautiful setting on the Rufiji River

As remote as it is luxurious, Sand Rivers – operated by the reliably superb Nomad Tanzania group – is one of the most appealing lodges anywhere in Tanzania. Set above a spectacular bend in the Rufiji, the camp offers tremendous views over the meandering riverbed, as well as superb in-house wildlife viewing. The open-fronted stone-and-thatch suites combine minimalist architecture with a tremendous sense of space and style, and there’s a wonderful swimming pool area shaded by an ancient baobab tree. A winning feature of Sand Rivers is that the remote location – far from any other camps or entrance gates – means you seldom see other vehicles on game drives, boat trips or other activities. Guiding standards are outstanding too.

8. Beho Beho

Enjoy Edwardian-style luxury and sweeping views over the plains at remote Beho Beho

Beho Beho is probably Sand Rivers’ closest rival for the accolade of Nyerere’s most luxurious lodge. Although it is the only Nyerere lodge set away from the rivers and lakes, it compensates by having a stunning hillside location offering sweeping views across one of Africa’s wildest bush landscapes. The classic safari decor of the nine stone cottages evokes the days of ‘Out of Africa’, and includes Zanzibari-style four-poster king-size beds with swirling walk-in netting. For total exclusivity, there is a private two-bedroom villa with its own swimming pool. As with Sand Rivers, Beho Beho lies deep enough into Nyerere that the surrounding area sees very few day-trippers. The lodge also offers boat trips on the remote and pretty Lake Tagalala.

9. Lake Makubi Safari Camp

You’ll feel like you have Nyerere all to yourself at exclusive Lake Makubi Safari Camp

A relative newcomer to the Nyerere scene, tiny Lake Makubi Safari Camp comprises four luxury tents overlooking the remote and beautiful Lake Minyamiruba. It stands some distance west of the main safari circuit, so traffic in the area tends to be very low. Expect a real bush atmosphere, great wildlife viewing, the sense of having a slice of wild Africa all to yourself, and accommodations that are about as luxurious as it gets in a semi-mobile tented setting. Food, service and guiding are to the highest standard too.

10. Nyamiruba Camp

Nyamiruba Camp Sleeping a maximum of four guests, this tiny camp offers an immersive bush experience

Opened in August 2022, Nyamiruba is the newest addition to a roster of offbeat camps operated by an innovative and well-established company called A Tent With a View. Effectively operating as a private camp, Nyamiruba takes exclusivity to thrillingly misanthropic extremes, since it consist of only two tents that sleep a maximum of four guests. It also has a wonderful location on the shore of Lake Nyamiruba, which is home to plenty of hippos and waterbirds, and attracts regular visits by elephant, buffalo and other wildlife. Nyamiruba is a low-footprint camp, entirely solar-powered, and everything is cooked on a bush oven.