Selous Game Reserve

Selous Game Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage wilderness in southern Tanzania, established in 1922. In 2019 its northern and western sections became Nyerere National Park, Tanzania’s largest national park and today’s main photographic safari area. It is known for boat safaris, walking safaris, and African wild dogs.

Unlike the busy northern circuit, the Selous has only a handful of small, low-impact camps. That gives visitors a sense of remoteness that few Tanzanian parks still offer. This mix of scale, water, and solitude is the reason the area is often described as Tanzania’s most authentic wilderness safari.

Key Facts:

• Location: Southern Tanzania, about 210–230 km south-west of Dar es Salaam
• Size: Original Selous: 54,600 km². Nyerere NP: about 29,300 km². Remaining Selous GR: about 20,000 km²
• Established: 1922 as a game reserve; Nyerere NP created in 2019
• UNESCO status: World Heritage Site since 1982; on the “In Danger” list since 2014
• Managed by: TANAPA (Nyerere NP); TAWA (Selous GR)
• Entry fee: Non-residents: about US$70 per person per 24 hours, card payment only (verify before publishing)
• Best time: Late June to October (dry season)
• Ideal stay: 3–4 nights

Selous vs. Nyerere National Park

Nyerere National Park is the former northern part of Selous Game Reserve, upgraded to national park status in 2019 and named after Julius Nyerere, Tanzania’s first president. Hunting is banned inside the park. The smaller remaining Selous Game Reserve lies mainly east and south of the Rufiji River and still contains hunting concessions.

Most safari lodges, airstrips, and the Rufiji River boat routes that travellers know as “the Selous” are now inside Nyerere National Park. Tour operators still use both names.

History of Selous Game Reserve

The area was first protected in 1896 under the German colonial governor Hermann von Wissmann, and it became a hunting reserve in 1905. In 1922 the British administration formally established Selous Game Reserve. They named it after Frederick Courteney Selous, a British hunter, explorer and naturalist who was killed nearby in 1917 while fighting in the First World War. His grave still lies inside the reserve near Beho Beho.

The reserve grew through the mid-20th century and reached more than 50,000 km² by the 1940s. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 1982 for its size, its largely undisturbed ecological processes, and its large wildlife populations.

Heavy elephant poaching led UNESCO to add the site to its “List of World Heritage in Danger” in 2014. Since 2019, the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Station on the Rufiji River at Stiegler’s Gorge has become a further conservation concern, because it changes how the river floods downstream.

How to get to Selous?

The Selous lies in southern Tanzania, about 210–230 km south-west of Dar es Salaam, on the southern safari circuit alongside Ruaha, Mikumi and Udzungwa. It borders Mikumi National Park to the north-west, which forms a corridor towards the wider Ruaha ecosystem.

• By air: Scheduled light aircraft fly daily from Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar to airstrips such as Mtemere, Siwandu and Matambwe. Flights take about 45–90 minutes. This is the fastest and most popular option.
• By road: The drive from Dar es Salaam to Mtemere or Matambwe Gate takes about 4–6 hours on a mix of tarmac and dirt road, and longer in the rainy season.
• By rail: The TAZARA railway stops at small stations along the northern boundary. This option suits adventurous travellers with flexible schedules.

When is the best time to visit Selous?

The best time for game viewing is the dry season, from late June to October. Grass dies back and water becomes scarce, so animals gather along the Rufiji River and around the lakes, followed by predators. Days are sunny and warm, and early mornings are pleasantly cool.

The wet season runs from November to May. It turns the landscape lush and green and brings migratory birds, though heat and humidity rise. The heaviest rain falls from late March to May. During those months many camps close, roads flood, and road transfers can stretch to 7–8 hours.

Wildlife To See

The Selous ecosystem holds some of Africa’s largest populations of buffalo, hippo and Nile crocodile. Lions are common, and leopards and spotted hyenas are regularly seen. The area is also one of the continent’s strongholds for the endangered African wild dog, which is a major draw for repeat safari-goers.

Grazers and browsers include:

• Herd animals: wildebeest, plains zebra, impala, waterbuck, eland and greater kudu
• Giraffe: Masai giraffe
• Rare antelope: Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, sable antelope and puku, which are uncommon in northern Tanzania

A small number of black rhinos survive, but sightings are extremely rare. Elephant numbers fell sharply during the poaching crisis between 2009 and 2014. They have been recovering since then, and herds are again a common sight along the river.

Birdlife

More than 440 bird species have been recorded in the Selous, which makes it one of East Africa’s top birding destinations. Waterbirds are especially rich along the river and lakes. Look for the African skimmer, pink-backed pelican, yellow-billed stork, African fish eagle, giant kingfisher and malachite kingfisher.

Sandbanks host breeding colonies of white-fronted and carmine bee-eaters. The riverine forest is home to the purple-crested turaco, trumpeter hornbill and palm-nut vulture. Birding is at its best from November to April, when migrants arrive from Europe and Asia.

Things to do in Selous

The Selous is one of the few places in Tanzania where you can combine game drives, boat safaris and walking safaris in a single stay. This variety is its main advantage over the northern parks.

• Boat safari on the Rufiji River: Drift past pods of hippos, basking crocodiles, and elephants drinking at the water’s edge. Afternoon trips often end with a sundowner on a sandbank.
• Game drive: Drives use open-sided 4x4 vehicles in the early morning and late afternoon, when animals are most active. Some camps also offer night drives for an extra fee.
• Walking safari: A ranger-led walk of 2–3 hours that focuses on tracks, plants, insects and the smaller details missed from a vehicle.
• Fly camping: A night in a simple dome tent deep in the bush, with only a campfire between you and the wilderness.
• Birdwatching and fishing: Guided birding by boat and on foot. Some camps also offer catch-and-release fishing for tigerfish.

Where to stay

The Selous has only a small number of camps, which keeps it uncrowded even in peak season. Most camps sit on the lakes or the Rufiji River inside Nyerere National Park. Well-known options include Lake Manze Camp, Siwandu, Selous Impala Camp, Rufiji River Camp and Serena Mivumo River Lodge.

Budget lodges just outside the park near Mtemere Gate lower costs, though they mean more driving each day.

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