How to get to Nyerere National Park

Selous Game Reserve is famous for a number of reasons. For one, it’s the biggest wildlife conservancy area in all of Africa. Second of all, it contains some of the world’s largest number of animal populations like elephants, black rhinos, cheetahs and giraffes. 

Located on Tanzania’s less crowded southern safari circuit, Selous Game Reserve covers an immense area of 50,000 square kilometres (roughly 19,000 square miles. That’s twice the size of Serengeti National Park. In 1982, Selous Game Reserve was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Originally a hunting reserve, Selous was named after Frederick Selous (pronounced as se-loos) a big game hunter and conservationist who extensively explored East Africa. Selous died in 1917 when he was shot near Beho Beho camp during the First World War. In 1922, five neighbouring reserves were combined to create Selous Game Reserve.

The northern part of Selous Game Reserve is now officially called Nyerere National Park. It was named in honour of Tanzania’s first president, Julius Nyerere. Nyerere National Park includes the Rufiji river and buffer zone to the south of the watercourse. The paark is still widely known as Selous Game Reserve. 

You can visit all parts of Selous Game Reserve as there is so much to see in the way of wildlife and unique ecosystems. 

The landscape of Selous Game Reserve is divided into four key areas:

• Northern Selous
• Southern Selous
• Rufiji River
• Stiegler’s Gorge

Northern Selous

North Selous, or Nyerere National Park, is a no-hunt zone dedicated to photographic tourism. This piece makes up 8% of the total reserve and is a visitor-friendly location for all accommodation and safari activities.

Southern Selous

The southern side is the bigger part of the reserve which is divided into blocks and leased as private hunting concession areas. Safari tours do not operate in this region of the game reserve.

Rufiji River

Tanzania’s largest river, the Rufiji River, defines the landscape of the reserve by providing a year-round water supply and creating a diversity of habitats. The slow meandering river and its tributaries form swamps, palm-fringed channels and lakes while seasonal flooding creates rich grasslands. The smaller Kilombero and Ruaha rivers also cross the reserve.

Stiegler’s Gorge

Stiegler’s Gorge is a 5-mile long (8km) and 330 ft (100 m) deep canyon along the lower reaches of the Rufiji river in the north of Selous. The gorge is named after a Swiss explorer who was killed there by an elephant in the early 1900s. This is also the site for the controversial new dam and hydraulic power plant in the park. Conservation authorities fear the dam will have long-lasting negative impacts on biodiversity and the communities downstream.

The cost of a Selous Game Reserve safari ranges from $400 per person per day to $1500 per person per day. These costs also include other travel expenses like flights, car rentals, accommodation and meals. 

I recommend that you also take advantage of safari tour packages where certain locations (including other southern national parks like Ruaha and Mikumi), specialised activities (hot air balloon flights and game drives) and a guided tour are included in the overall price. 

The best time to visit Selous Game Reserve is during the dry season, which is from June to October.

Here is a complete breakdown of the seasons in southern Tanzania and what to expect while visiting Selous Game Reserve: 

Dry Season (June – October)

As with most Tanzanian national parks, dry months (June-October) are best for game viewing in Selous. Thankfully, the reserve remains relatively crowd-free over this peak period. 

Animals do not migrate away from the north during the year as they have consistent food and water sources in Selous.

Wet Season (November – March)

The rainy season is November till March. If you plan on visiting the reserve during this time, note that some roads may be flooded.