Selous Game Reserve
The Selous, named after the Enlish big game hunter and author Frederick Courtney Selous (1851 – 1917 , boasts Tanzania’s largest population of elephant – currently about 10,000 animals – as well as some of Africa’s largest numbers of buffalo, hippos, Nile crocodile and wild dogs.
- Background
- What to see and do
Experience the Tanzania south wilderness in Selous Game Reserve; less than an hour by light aircraft from Dar es Salaam, remote and wild, Selous offers a variety of exclusive and professionally run Safari options; by foot, boat or vehicle. The Selous Game Reserve is Africa’s biggest protected wildlife area that extends to within 150km of Mozambique. This is the highlight of Tanzania’s Southern Safari Circuit. The Rufiji River flows through the reserve attracting great herds of Tanzania elephant and allows the visitor to experience the reserve by boat. It is said that this reserve hosts Africa's biggest elephant and wild dog populations, attracted to the tranquillity of the park and the water supplied by the rivers and lakes.
July to October could be pin-pointed as the best time of year to visit the Selous, as it is a classic dry season destination. The wildlife congregate at the water sources and put on a great game-viewing performance.
Selous contains about one third of all African wild dogs, which are an endangered predator. Watching wild dogs hunt is fascinating - a luxury that Selous guests get to experience more often than anywhere else.
Fierce tiger fish and smooth slippery vandu catfish are caught in the rivers, offering keen fishermen something to look forward to. The vandu catfish is equipped with primitive lungs allowing it to cross land for short distance in an attempt to find water during the dry season.
The Selous is home to some of Africa's best boating safaris, while walking and fly camping trips are also popular, making the Selous the park in Tanzania with the greatest diversity of safari activities.
Selous Game Reserve has the largest number of elephants out of all the reserved wildlife areas in the country. The park offers a variety of environments; hot volcanic springs, dense thickets and open wooded grasslands. This diversity is also home a broad range of game: buffalo, gnu; hartebeest; Greater Kudu; sable antelope; warthog; zebras; giraffe; and wildebeest. Also: lion, hippo, spotted hyena and black rhino. hunting dog; rhino and cheetahare sometimes seen.In addition, there are over 350 species of bird and reptiles such as crocodiles and various snakes and lizards. Walking is permitted (with an armed ranger) in this Game Reserve. Selous is one of the more exclusive areas in Tanzania. Its size and location afford privacy and seclusion from the masses of tourists associated with the more well known parks such as Ngorongoro and Serengeti. The dry season (Jun-Nov) is the best time for game viewing. The rainy season (Jan-Apr) provides ample bird viewing; however many of the roads are impassable after heavy rainfall. Lodges close between March and May.