River Banks Crocodiles Sand Rufiji

The Rufiji is one of the most dramatic rivers in Tanzania and the only one in a Tanzanian national park which is navigable all year round. The chance to get out of a vehicle and view game from a boat is one of the things which makes the Selous Game Reserve such a great place to visit.

The Rufiji holds one of the biggest populations of hippos and crocodiles in Tanzania and five minutes on the river is enough to convince you that this is the case. Pods of 30 or 40 hippos lie on the sand banks on every corner whilst others crowd in bobbing clusters in mid stream.

Crocodiles are somewhat shyer than their rotund neighbours and a whole lot more cunning, but you'll see no shortage of them lying on sand banks as you head up river. Around Christmas time is a particularly amazing time as the crocodiles eggs all hatch then. You get the best idea of croc numbers when a dead animal (often a hippo) floats down stream. As it does so it's followed by a flotilla of crocodiles.

Animals do come down to the river to drink, but not as much as you might expect. Instead they tend to favour the sand rivers where there are less crocs and cleaner water. Those that do come down tend to appear at the hottest time of day (when they're most thirsty). You do see quite a bit of game when drifting downstream by boat and much of it is actually feeding on the rich vegetation on the river banks - elephant, eland, giraffe. Predators like lion or leopard are best seen early morning resting on the sand banks in the early morning sun.

Even if you think you don't like birds, you'll almost certainly be impressed by the number and diversity of birds along the Rufiji - from tiny iridescent king fishers to giant fishing owls (Pel's Fishing owl) and at almost every bend in the river at least a pair of African fish eagles.

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The Rufiji River