Nyerere (Selous) National Park

A wonderfully natural safari experience

We stayed for 4 nights at Azura Selous and had the most incredible time. Selous itself is a vast reserve, so we were fully appreciative of the fact that it may take longer to discover animals and they may be a bit more 'jumpy' around the 4x4's than in other parks - the upside to this is the fact that the whole safari just felt a lot more natural, when we did discover animals (and there are still a lot of wildlife about) it was great to hardly have any other vehicles around (often none at all) and there was a greater buzz when you did find them.

The accommodation (Azura) was fantastic, and we genuinely could not fault any aspect of it. The food, especially considering the remote location, was absolutely incredible.

I would not hesitate to come back here at the earliest opportunity, and I do wonder if we did choose a different park/reserve just whether it would feel as good - or if in fact it might have a slight zoo feel to it in comparison.

If I had to pick one minor irritation it would be the pockets of Tsetse fly about - although appreciate there isn't an easy solution to this and to be perfectly honest it isn't the end of the world as you do get used to it - plus there was always a can of insect spray to hand in the vehicles if needed.

A Photographic Route to Game Park.

Selous is one of the largest game park of the world covering more than 54,000 Sq Kms, most of the park is reserved for Gaming ( I seriously hate that) and another large area from Mtemere Gate near Mloka village is reserved for photographic tour. Reaching the park by road is around 245 kms from Dar Es Salam Tanzania and by Air 30 mins to some specific camps.
Since its game park unlike national park animals can be seen very close and the animals does not have any boundary. I went to Selous twice September and again in October. From the entrance gate after we drove in side open safari cars and after 15 mins of drive was mesmerized by collection and density of the animals and variety of birds. Interesting part of Selous is after each 5 or 6 kms the topography changes sometimes is plain near the lake , other time red soil with white thorn bushes and again green large tree with paddy roads. I saw over all 34 lions with 4 different prides, was lucky to be watching them eating fresh hunt . Driver normally drive very close to them effectively a 300mm lens is sufficient enough to click lions, apart from lions giraffe, kudus, water buck, heartbeast, wilderbeast, different kinds of eagles, bee eaters etc was in plenty. Night can bit scary as starting from lion to hippo all was roaming near our camp. Some of the camps are too much luxury some are moderate but most of them are built on the bank of Rufiji River, hence morning walk near the boundary you will be able to see animals and birds easily. Most of the resorts switchoff the lights are 10 AM and is left with battery backups. Overall the best part of Selous are 1. Close proximity with animals, 2. Huge Collection of Animals. 3. Shoot as you like means you can even get down at a distance from the car and take worm height shot of an elephant 4. Support from the guides to take a good shot. I would any day recommend anyone to join Selous.

The real thing, wild wildlife

We were 5 pers. going together on a gamedrive for one day arranged by "Along the River Camp". We were in an open LandRover from "Selous River Camp" with with an excelent driver and a trained guide. For me Selous is a fantastic place where You get very close to the wild nature without driving in a long row of cars. We met only two other cars this day so You really get the feeling of being in the middle of the wild-wild nature. I have been to the Reserve three times, and each time You a get different experience. This time we were fortunate to see the lions at close range and we surprised an elephant with a 3 days old baby, who tried to scare us off. Amazing. I believe Selous is the least spoiled game reserve, with fewer tourists than the renouned Serengeti, Ngorongoro but that is the essence of the visit. You only get to see a small part of one the worlds biggest nature reserves, but You are left with a very special feeling of being close to the real thing.

Splendid and variable scenery with great wildlife encounters

Altogether, we have spent around 3 weeks in Tanzania. After arrival to Dar Es-Salam, we have rented the cars and headed directly to Selous Game Reserve that took us around 6 hours to get. We have spent the night just outside the park in a beautiful lodge just next to the river. We have brought all the equipment like kitchen and sleeping tents with us, so we could sleep in the camps inside the park and be able to prepare the food. It was the beginning of November and spring was coming, it was quite hot already but we thought it would be perfect timing to go to Safari destinations. With the first rays of light, we have entered Selous Game Reserve Park, as we were planning to spend the night at the campsite inside the park, we had to bring a guide with us, and he was very friendly and with a lot of knowledge about the wildlife. He had spent the night with us in the camp, during the daytime we have done a few walks, and game drives. Almost for 3 days, we were driving around the park, which has a big variety of sceneries and as a consequence a lot of different wildlife.

Unbelievable Place

Although this was my wife and I's first safari, we had both done a little research and what we both wanted was a game reserve that gave us a healthy chance of seeing amazing wildlife without being in such a touristic hub that the "magic" of being in the wild was diminished in any way. We were not disappointed! Selous is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited, and everything from the great Rufiji river to the other bodies of water, mountains and vast open spaces were breathtaking. We hardly saw any other tourists there which was actually a great thing when we saw lions and elephants and similar animals as we really got to enjoy the serenity of being a few meters away from these majestic creatures with nothing except ourselves and our guide within miles.

Our hotel was absolutely outstanding - Serena Mivumo. It's a lodge that overlooks the Rufiji river and is nothing short of exceptional. Amazing staff, luxurious bungalows and just generally great food and service. Highly recommended.

The real wildness

comparing with other parks, Selous is the best choice if you like to spend your time like a local, not like a tourist. It is now guarantee that you can see all wild animals, because the park is not designed for tourists. It is really really natural wild life and you find your self in the middle of jungle !

Same as Ruaha, a different feel compare, not as crowded, as the Northern National Parks!

Amazing, stunning same as Ruaha, a real feel of Africa

Gorgeous scenery, great wildlife, and uncrowded areas!

My friend and I spent two weeks on a safari tour of southern Tanzania with Wildness Safari. Selous Game Reserve was the last stop on our itinerary and we spent a total of 4 days in the area.

We stayed at the Hippo Camp which was a short 15 minute drive from the entrance to the Selous Game Reserve, making it a nice base for our safari trips.

Selous Game Reserve is an untouched wilderness giving you the sense of being in "real Africa", and in my opinion, was the most beautiful reserve in the southern circuit of Tanzania, with it's gorgeous grassy plains, lush tropical areas, acacia woodlands, and the meandering Rufiji River that runs through the reserve.

Selous Game Reserve is such a vast area, so we sometimes spent hours driving around looking for the animals. While the wildlife population density isn't as high as it is in northern Tanzania, we still saw loads of animals including lions, elephants, giraffes, wildebeest, impala, hartebeest, greater kudu, zebras, buffalos, warthogs, hippos and crocodiles. Unfortunately we weren't lucky enough to see any leopards, rhinos or wild dogs during our safaris, but it gives me an excuse to go back there one day. Our guide, Rajab, from Wildness Safari, was incredibly knowledgeable and informative during our safari tour, and I honestly think we would have missed out on so much had we opted to do a self-drive safari instead. His guiding skills were invaluable during the entire trip, and it felt like we had our own personal guidebook with us.

One of the drawcards of Selous Game Reserve was the fact that it wasn't very crowded, and it often felt like we were the only ones in the reserve as we could drive for hours without seeing another vehicle. This provided us with a great opportunity for unlimited viewing times with the wildlife.

I would definitely recommend booking a boat cruise along the Rufiji River and a walking safari tour while in Selous if you have the time, as this was a highlight of the trip for me.

I highly recommend a trip to Selous Game Reserve during your time in Tanzania!

Selous and Tanzania

I spent my first 35 years in Tanzania and have visited just about every park in Tanzania, but one of my Favourites is the Selous Game Reserve.

The Selous is the Largest Game reserve in all of Africa, named after the great explorer Frederik Courtney Selous, who is incidentally, buried in the park at a grave site that can be visited by guests in the reserve.

The Photographic area of the Selous is in the northern part of the park, spanning about 3000sq km. The area is mostly flat and steady at about 50-60m above sea level. This means that the Rufiji River which runs through the park is slow and wide, producing a constant water source, which is great for wildlife! The park is located in the southern Safari circuit of Tanzania which is much less visited by tourists, which means no crowds and a much more authentic and pleasant experience.

Game is plentiful in the Selous. The climate and miombo style woodland isn't suited to some, but all the main players are here in abundance. Most noteworthy however is that the Selous is home to the largest population of wild dogs, by a long way, in the world. Sightings are recorded every single season of these beautiful animals, and the best times to see them are just after the rains in november/december. Dens get flooded with water which makes the animals move.

The Selous is also the best place to experience boat Safaris and see the wildlife that lives in and around the River. For keen birders this is an experience not to be missed.

I stayed at Selous Impala Camp, www.selousimpalacamp.com . The camp is rated the best in selous by trip advisor, and is said to have the best guiding of anywhere in the Selous. If you have a more conservative budget then you could stay at Lake Manze camp which is also excellent. In truth it doesn't really matter where you stay as long as you stay inside the reserve, but every time I go to the park I stay in one of these two properties. If I'm feeling adventurous then I will stay with Authentic Tanzania Safaris www.authentictanzaniasafaris.com where I can tailor make my own Safaris, staying in a mobile camp.

Be wary of any camps outside of the reserve. They may appear cheaper but a large portion of the cost will become apparent upon entering the park in the way of park fees, and they are no where near the same experience. They are located close to a village which scares away a lot of the animals, and destroys a bit of the ambiance of being in the bush. The game drives follow the same route every day for the first hour which is frustrating as you need to drive quite a long way before you get to the best areas.

Aside from all the animals and the incredible Natural beauty, the Selous is wonderful because it offers such a large variety of Safari activities. You can game drive for a full or half day, Walk, Boat or fly camp in the Selous. This means you are always doing something new and exciting and get the most out of your time in the Selous.

Tanzania is king of Safari destinations, and the Selous is a magnificent jewel in its crown, I cant recommend it enough to anyone who is interested in going on Safari. Here is a link to some of the pictures from my trip to Selous and Ruaha on flickr https://flic.kr/s/aHskHCg42o