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Walk Safari In the Selous Game Reserve

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The Selous Game Reserve is one of the largest game reserves in Africa with a huge amount of diverse bird species, predators and other large mammals. With over 51,000 km², the Selous Game Reserve is the largest game reserve in Africa: it is more than 4 times as big as the Serengeti. An area larger than Switzerland and there are still places where there have never been any people before. The Selous Game reserve is still a rather quiet park and visitors can’t be compared with the much busier Parks north of Tanzania. We feel the Selous Game Reserve is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful nature reserves in Tanzania and we recommend adding it to your bucket list. Here you can still experience the real Africa.

There is no better way to explore nature than during a walking safari, where you can follow traces of wild animals that have just passed us under the guidance of an armed guide. It is a pristine, magical reserve with a very diverse landscape. Lakes, the Rufiji and Ruaha rivers, rocks, savannas, forests and hot springs (Maji Moto). You can see lions, wild dogs, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, antelopes, various monkey species and more than 440 different species of birds who live in the park.  

The Selous Game Reserve includes the wide Rufiji river, home to crocodiles, hippos and exotic fish. In the month of May the Selous is not easily accessible to make the most spectacular game drives with a 4-wheel drive safari car. So during a boat excursion on the Rufiji river and lakes you can see a lot of hippos and crocodiles with a length of up to 6 meters.

Where to stay

If you are looking for a great place to stay we recommend the Selous river Camp. Take this place as a base for all your safari’s and you will stay in the wonderful mud huts. You will have a super comfortable to stay here.

The camp is built using as many locally-sourced, sustainable materials as possible and blends into the natural environment, minimizing disturbance to wildlife and their habitats. On booking.com they get an average rating of 8.9.

Best time to visit

In the dry season the lakes work like a magnet on wild animals and you can see large numbers of wild animals in the lake area. In the rainy season there is water everywhere in the park and the animals spread. Because of the heavy rainfall in April and May, most accommodations are closed. So we recommend visiting the Selous in the dry season from June to October. Click here for more average weather details in Kwangwazi, Tanzania.

This article was last updated on November 29, 2023.