Located in southern Tanzania and far from the madding crowds, the Selous Game Reserve is Africa's largest game reserve and one of our favourite wildlife viewing areas. This really is a hidden gem! The rivers and lakes of the Selous are the lifeblood of a park that hosts some fabulous game, including elephant, wild dog, buffalo, hippo, crocodile and fantastic prides of lion.
As you may have gathered, we are huge fans of Selous safaris. The reality is that this park is so vast it is impossible to count its game and that is exactly what we love about it; Selous is untouched African wilderness and yet still easily accessible from Dar and Zanzibar.
Not only a wonderful place for the seasoned safari enthusiast, the Selous also offers an amazing introduction to unspoilt Africa. Home to some of Africa's best walking, boat safaris and fly camping trips, the Selous has the greatest diversity of safari activities of all the Tanzanian safari parks. The boating safaris in particular really set this reserve apart from other Tanzanian parks. The fact that the Selous is so much quieter (in visitor terms) than the majority of the rest of the country just adds to its attraction.
Selous Game Reserve Accommodation
The Selous is home to three of the finest camps in Tanzania, a couple of which would stake their claim as the best in all of Africa.
Beho Beho and
Sand Rivers are exceptional lodges that offer all the activities for which the Selous is famous, and host some excellent guiding teams.
Siwandu (formerly Selous Safari Camp) is a fabulous tented camp in arguably the best game area of the park at a price that makes it one of the best value camps in Africa. Close by to Siwandu is the no-frills
Lake Manze, a great little adventurous camp which has a reputation for being on an elephant highway. A little further away, Manze's sister camp
Impala offers a higher level of luxury at a still-affordable price. Other camps in the park include
Rufiji River Camp, Speak to us for more information.
For a summary of the
Best Places to Stay in the Selous, please follow this link.
Selous Game Reserve Safari Prices
The cost of a Selous Safari can vary from camp to camp. Generally prices start from $400 per person per night and go all the way up to $1,500 per person per night. The best thing top do though is to call us up, let us know your budget and we can see what deals we can get you, and find a camp which perfectly suits your style and budget.
Selous Game Reserve - The Wildlife
The wildlife in the Selous is particularly interesting as it attracts both east and southern African wildlife, both resident and migratory, and over 440 known species of birds, which make it a ket destination on a Southern
Tanzania safari. Lion are particularly strong here and there are large numbers of leopard. The park is home to over 50% of the remaining endangered African wild dog, and also hosts very good populations of buffalo, giraffe, eland, hyena, sable, hippo, crocodile, kudu, baboon, wildebeest, zebra, impala, hartebeest, colobus and vervet monkeys along with over 450 species of bird.
Selous Safari Tours - The Activities
Standard daytime game drives are just the beginning. The Selous also offers some of the finest boating safaris in Africa, along with some of the very best walking operations on the continent, including in particular at
Siwandu,
Beho Beho and
Sand Rivers Selous. There are also a number of operators here who run fly camping trips, comprising lengthy walking safaris and mobile camping under the stars - very adventurous and a romantic idea for a
Tanzania Honeymoon but not for the faint-hearted!
Selous Game Reserve - When to go
Selous is a classic dry season park, with the game getting progressively better the later in the season you travel. July to October is the best time of year for the greatest overall concentrations of game, but do not underestimate this park at any other time; game viewing is very good in various areas throughout the year. During January and February you do need to choose your camp very carefully as the game migrates away to more fertile feeding grounds. Birding at this time of year is absolutely world class.
For a summary of the
Best time to go to the Selous, please follow this link.
Selous Game Reserve - Further Reading
While we try and make our website as comprehensive as possible, if you would like some more background information, have a read through the Cadogan Guide to Tanzania and Zanzibar -
Selous Chapter, written by one of our director’s Annabel. The most recent edition was published in 2005 so some of it might be slightly dated but generally it’s as comprehensive as they come.
We don't just know The Selous
We don't just know and love the Selous, but are also very fond of other Tanzania parks such as the wild
Serengeti and, well, everywhere else in Tanzania... As well as the rest of Africa too.
