Description: This untouched uninhabited area is home to the biggest herds of elephant and other wildlife to be found anywhere in the world. The large meandering Rufiji River with its network of channels, connecting lakes and lagoons offers visitors the unique opportunity to go on safari by boat and experience the spectacular concentration of wildlife from an unusual perspective, especially during the dry season when animals congregate.
Game drives and walking excursions are also very rewarding. There are elephant, hippos and rhino (although few now remain). This reserve contains about one third of all the wild dogs (often called painted dogs), in the world.
Location: Southern Tanzania, between Ruaha and Dar es Salaam, usually reached by flight from Arusha or Dar es Salaam. Works nicely with a visit to Ruaha National Park. Can be reached by vehicle from Dar es Salaam and Arusha with long drives. It is also possible to arrive by train from Dar es Salaam.
Things 2 Do: Game Drives, Boat Safaris, Walking Safaris, Fly Camping
Time: Given the distance, spend at least 3 nights. Best during the dry season.
Animals: All the usual: Elephant, Nyassa Wildebeest, Crawshays Zebra, Masai Giraffe, several different antelopes, African Buffalo, Lion, Leopard and primates (Reddish-green Vervet Monkey, Yellow Baboon, Tanzanian Sykes Monkey and Peters’s Angolan Colobus). Tanzania as a whole contains approximately 20% of the overall wild dog population, with Selous having the largest single population in Africa.
Accommodations
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Jimbiza Selous Lodge
Lake Manze
Rufiji River Camp
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Beho Beho
Serena Mivumo River Lodge
The Retreat Selous
Sand Rivers Camp
Selous Impala Camp
Selous Safari Camp
Selous Wildlife Lodge
Selous Wilderness Camp
“Outstanding. We have recommended you to all of our traveler friends. We cannot recommend Access 2 Tanzania highly enough. They were referred to us by a friend and we were immediately attracted by the nonprofit component of the company that supports education for Tanzanian children in need. Casey helped us over several phone sessions and email exchanges to put together the perfect trip for our needs. Our guide, Joachim, was a wonderful companion and friend throughout our 12 day safari. He ensured that we saw everything that we could possibly have seen far beyond our best expectations, including lions, cheetahs, and leopards with cubs and with kills, tons of elephants, giraffe, zebras, hippos, antelopes of various kinds, and every other imaginable animal. We were able to witness the migration of the wildebeasts across the Mara River from Kenya and on throughout the Serengeti in their long lines, stretching from one horizon to the other. He was also extremely helpful in aiding us in finding and identifying the many, many birds of Tarangire, Ngorongoro, and Serengeti, which was of particular interest to us. A2T provided us with an amazing experience and we would definitely use them again and highly recommend them to others.”