Africa Classic Escapes

Size: 54,600 sq km (21,081 square miles).With an area of 54,600 sq km, Selous is Africa’s largest game reserve covering more than 5% of Tanzania’s total land area and is three times larger

than Serengeti.Established in 1922, the reserve was named after Captain Frederick Courtney Selous, a naturalist, explorer and hunter, who died there in action in 1917. In spite of the fact that for many years it was an important hunting area, Selous still contains the greatest concentration of big game left on earth

Rufiji River

The landscape is shaped by the Rufiji River and its tributaries, lined by Barrassus palms, and it is the heart of the park. The Rufiji swell through the park down to the Indian Ocean forming a series of small lakes that serve as an important source of water for the multitude of the plains game.

Along the Rufiji River, an array of grazing antelopes, crocodiles and hippos are commonly seen as well as black and white colobus monkeys in the riverine forests. During the dry season from June to October, the concentration of animals along the river is astonishing. Linked to the Rufii is Lake Tagalala where waterbuck, reedbuck and bushbuck gather at the water's edge. Magnificent sickle-horned sable and curly-horned greater kudu tend to keep to the longer grass and wooded shrubby areas.

Major Attractions

• Rare and endangered Wild Dog

• Boat game viewing

• Fishing

• Thousands of migrating elephants

• Walking safaris

• Huge wilderness

Vegetation and the general ecosystem

Three-quarters of the Reserve is woodland of various types, short grassy plains, with seasonally flooded pans. Impressive riverine forests and dense impenetrable thickets are important habitats within the Selous. The wide, meandering Rufigi River with its associated wetlands, lakes and swamps, is one of the most outstanding ecological systems in the whole of eastern Africa.

Activities for visitors

• Photographic tourism

• Walking safaris

• Boat safaris

• Traditional game drives

Wildlife

The Selous game reserve park supports enormous numbers of game with populations of buffalos, elephants, wildebeest, wild dogs, hippos, crocodiles, and black rhinos.

Birdlife

Although the Selous is best known for its spectacular large mammals, it is equally celebrated for its abundant and varied birds. The most conspicuous birdlife is to be found around the constantly changing pattern of sandbanks, oxbow lakes, lagoons and channels along the Rufigi River.

World Heritage Site

The Selous Game Reserve covers a total area of 54,600 km (21,081 sq miles) and is one of the largest fauna reserves of the world located in the south of Tanzania. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 due to the diversity of its wildlife and undisturbed nature. The reserve is home to typical savannah animals such as elephants, hippopotami, the rare African Wild Dog and crocodiles which are all found in larger numbers compared to any other African park.

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