Nyerere National Park / Selous

NYERERE NATIONAL PARK

Nyerere National Park, better known as Selous Game Reserve, is the largest national park in Tanzania. It covers an area of 30.893 km 2 . The park is located in the south-east of Tanzania and lies about 230 km by road from the capital Dar Es Salaam, at Mtemere Gate.

Only in 2019 it has obtained the status as a national park and changed its name from Selous to Nyerere, in honour of Julius Nyerere, the first president of Tanzania.

The entire area is untouched by human hand. It is one of the wildest and most incontaminated areas left in Africa. It offers a broad variety of natural habitats with open grasslands, swamp areas and rain forests. The Selous represents a true stronghold for the African wild dog and hosts a big amount of animals of the savannah such as elephants, buffalos, lions, impala, kudu, baboons and giraffes.

The park is crossed by the Rufiji, the biggest river in Tanzania, which runs up to the Indian Ocean and hosts

coccodriles, hippos and a wide range of birds. Visitors will enjoy many different types of Safaris: standard safari, walking safari with a ranger and above all boat safari. The park is infact one of the few places in Tanzania where it is possible to navigate the river. This unique

experience offers a full immersion into the wild.

Attractions

Nyerere National Park has numerous attractions that visitors to the place can enjoy. Some of the best attractions in the Park include the ability to see the big Five, Large concentrations of elephants and Hippos. The Rufiji River full of abundant wildlife, Largest population of African wild dogs to mention but a few. The Park is also endowed with beautiful and scenic landscapes that add to the beauty of this majestic place.

Climate

The Park experiences bimodal rainfall season and the short rains fall in November and December and are followed by a partial drying out in January and February. Thereafter, the long rains follow ending in early May. It is located at an altitude between 100 and 400 meters with annual average rainfall ranging from ……to …… mm.

Getting there

The Park can be accessed by road or air

Road: From Dar es salaam to Nyerere National Park is about 250km via Kibiti

Air: There are regular flights from Dar es salaam,Kilimanjaro and Arusha to a number of small airstrips in the Park.

Bush meals

Nyerere National Park facilities and the beautiful wilderness give an excellent opportunities to enjoy meals in the bush.

Game Drive Safari in Selous

Game drives are conducted early in the morning as well as in the late afternoon and these are normally conducted in open roof safari cars to offer tourists the most rewarding views of the animals. The park ranger guides are very knowledgeable about the best places the animals and they will lead you to those places.

Boating Safari in Selous

Nyerere national park (SELOUS GR)

The boat safaris are conducted in strong metal boats with a powerful outboard motor. Guided by boatmen that have grown up on the river, guests can be assured of their safety all the time. Boat safaris provide some of the best water birding in Africa as well as getting up close and personal to watching elephants come down to drink, birds nesting on the islands and Crocodiles that are in the water or basking on the river banks.

Walking Safaris in Selous

Family Friendly

A unique opportunity is to experience a walking safari through the bush. These guided walks are accompanied by a watchman and a fully qualified armed guide. The pace is gentle and the emphasis is placed on ecology, tracking, dung identification, medicinal uses of trees and plants, birds and generally interpreting the bush. The possibility of seeing Lions or Wild dogs on foot is minimal, but Elephant sightings are common and to walk up relatively close to Elephants is an experience never to be forgotten.

Catch & Release Fishing

Nyerere national park( SELOUS)

The waters in the Selous teem with many species of fish, including the electric catfish and the sought-after tiger fish.We have all the equipment you need so all that’s left to do is cast your line,sit back and see what happens……..

Fly in Campang

Fly-Camping

Nyerere national park ( Selous GR)

For the adventurous traveller, the possibility of a one or two night fly-camp where guests will ‘rough it’ in the bush, accompanied by their own walking guide, is popular. The fly-camps have good-sized tents, a hot bucket shower and a toilet; yet retain a feeling of being very remote. Dinner is cooked on the open fire and enjoyed outside

Nyerere National Park / Selous