Nyerere National Park formally Selous Game 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.
The Selous Game Reserve is regarded as one of Tanzania’s hidden gems because of its abundance of wildlife species. The National Park covers a total area of around 50,000 square kilometers plus an additional buffer zone. Nyerere National Park is one of the largest protected areas in the world and the largest in Africa. The Nyerere National Park is four times larger than the Serengeti National Park and significantly larger than Switzerland.
Safaris to this hidden gem are truly rewarding as you will be excited to follow wild dogs on game drives as they run through the shrubbery in search of warthog and antelope. Along the river, you’ll see schools of hippos swimming in the water to cool off. Alternately you can have opportunities to explore this amazing park on foot – as you observe the area closely and discover everything from termites to trees.
Highlights
Highlights of safaris in Nyerere National Park
Bird Watching Tours
Tourists interested in bird watching won’t be disappointed on safari to Nyerere National Park. The National Park is rich in birdlife with more than 400 species registered here. You will have the chance to see a variety of species during guided tours. The commonly spotted species include giant kingfishers, pink-backed pelicans, African skimmers, white-fronted bee-eaters, fish eagles, carmine ibises, white-crowned spur-winged plovers, palmnut vultures, purple-crested turacos, yellow-billed storks, trumpeter hornbills, and malachite kingfish, among others.
Walking Safaris
The walking adventure is an alternative way of unfolding this amazing park. As you take in the beauty and tranquility of this far-flung but lovely reserve, you will have the chance to experience Mother Nature up close and so personal.
Game Drives
The main activity during safaris in the Selous Game Reserve is game drives. Early morning and late afternoon game drives are usually conducted in open-roof safari cars to provide tourists with the most gratifying views of the animals. The park ranger guides will direct you to the locations where the animals are most likely to be found.
Hot Air Balloon rides
In Tanzania Hot Air Balloon Safaris are conducted not only in the renowned Serengeti National Park found on the northern safari circuit but also in the large Nyerere National Park in the southern part of the country. The experience offers visitors an aerial view of the plains below as you witness different wild animals in the reserve.
Nyerere National Park has a variety of vegetation that is varied within the Reserve including the open grasslands, riverine forests and swamps and the Miombo woodland that are great habitant of wildlife. The National Park has the highest densities and diversity of wildlife species than any other Miombo woodland areas. Selous Game Reserve was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 because of its diversity of wildlife and the undisturbed nature.
Selous Game Reserve is one of the most popular places for wildlife viewing in Tanzania. The Selous Game Reserve is divided by the Great River Rufiji, Tanzania’s largest river, creating a large network of lakes, swamps, and waterways. This area is the bloodline of the park as it act as the main source of water for the animals all year round and more so during the dry months.
The National Park has large numbers of wildlife, with one of the largest known populations of hippopotamuses in the world, 18,200. The reserve is home to a big population of African elephants, with over 106,300 elephants recorded there. Nyerere National Park is a home to the endangered black rhinos and the wild dogs. The wildlife in the Reserve is further spiced by the ungulates which include the sable antelopes, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, greater kudu and the Nyassa wildebeest, zebra, impala, giraffe, buffalo, among others
During the dry seasons, large herds of animals crowd in the shores of the Great River Rufiji which serves as a blood line of the reserve.
The Rufiji River is also famous for its thrilling boat rides – imagine experiencing this thrilling cruising experience in one of the historic rivers in Africa. You will enjoy incredible game viewing experiences while in the Selous on your Tanzania safari, with opportunities to have the whole reserve to yourself alone!
On top of the abundant wildlife, Nyerere National Park also offers beautiful sceneries – especially that of the river that splits the Reserve into two major sections that is the northern section that is affiliated with photographic safaris and the southern section that is more famous for hunting blocks.
Nyerere National Park is home to over 400 different bird species, including the endangered Pel’s Fishing Owl, which may be observed along the shores of the Great River Rufiji and lakes. Large numbers of birdlife tend to flood the Reserve between the month of December and April – this is the best time for bird-watching in Nyerere National Park.
How do i get there ?
By Road
By Flight