The Selous Game Reserve is the largest protected game reserve on the African continent, covering an area of 54,600 square kilometers comprised of a vast wilderness with forests, grassy plains, mountains and open woodlands. This reserve was named after Frederick Selous Courtney who was a great Hunter and explorer. Selous Safari Holidays are highly recommended as in size this reserve is twice the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and three times Kruger National Park in South Africa. This reserve was established in 1922, and in 1982 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site thanks to its rich diversity of wildlife and uninterrupted nature.

The Tanzanian National Park Authority (TANAPA) in 2019 proposed and declared a change of identity of the northern sector of this reserve such that it is known as The Nyerere National Park as a way of honoring President Julius Nyerere who was the first president of Tanzania. Today the boundaries of this Nyerere National Park are being properly established but according to sources, it is believed that this park will encompass the photographic sector in the northern part of the reserve and stretch out all the way to the wilderness area of River Rufiji to the south.

Where Is Selous Game Reserve Located?

The reserve 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. It is considered to be among the hidden gems in the county and offers a wide range of Selous Game Reserve Camps for accommodation. The reserve is located about 219 kilometers from the busy city of Dar es Salaam and may take about 4 hours to drive. Selous Game Reserve has a new name, Nyerere National Park Tanzania.

Regions Of Selous Game Reserve

Selous Game Reserve is crossed by River Rufiji (which is the largest river in the country) in the center and forms a network of swamps, channels, and lakes to create a unique ecological system. The reserve is separated into 2 major sections by the river which are the northern and southern Selous.
The Northern Selous: This region covers just about 5% of the total area of the reserve and hunting is completely prohibited in this area which has been exclusively set aside for photographic safaris.

The Southern Selous

The southern part of the river is separated into various hunting blocks each covering an area of approximately 1,000 square kilometers however we emphasize that we do not operate or even support wildlife hunting.

Wildlife In Selous Game Reserve

There are a number of wild mammals found within this national reserve among which are: approximately 145,000 buffalos, 4,000 Lions, 100,000 wildebeests, large hands of giraffes, 35000 zebras, 40000 hippos, 250,000 impalas, large numbers of Lichtenstein’s hartebeests, waterbucks, elands and bushbucks, in addition to leopards, crocodiles and hyenas. Furthermore, this is among the few wildlife sanctuaries on the African continent where you will find the puku antelopes the African wild dogs as well as the sable antelope. Previously the Selous was home to a very large number of elephants but because of excessive poaching these numbers have greatly reduced and all these can be seen during the game drives on the Selous Safari holidays.

Birds In Selous Game Reserve

This game reserve is home to over 445 species of birds and these have been recorded to live in the various habitats within the reserve for instance along the lake areas are the giant kingfishers, the pink-backed pelican as well as the African skimmer; along the sandbank, you will see the white-fronted bee-eater, fish eagle, carmine, ibises and palm nut vultures. The purple-crested turaco, yellow-billed stork, trumpeter hornbill, white-crowned spur-winged plovers, malachite kingfishers, and various small waders are among the other water birds, as well as various migrant species all visible.

Activities

• Game drives
• Bird watching tour
• Boat Safaris
• Walking Safaris