Selous Game River Safaris Rivers

Few parks in Tanzania offer the same quality or intensity of grass roots safari as the Selous Game Reserve. This is wild country, full of wild animals where you can walk, game drive and take river safaris. With its rivers, plains and lakes, the Selous is somewhere you get a powerful sense of the scale of the African wilderness.

The Selous is the largest game reserve in Africa, vast remote and wild, this is a dramatic and exciting contrast to other parks in Tanzania in almost every way. The Selous Game Reserve is one of Tanzania's lesser known destinations. This is in stark contrast to it's size (around 50,000 square km - the largest game reserve on the continent) and it's intriguing diversity.

Flying into the Selous, you quickly get a feel for how wild it is - large areas are covered in impenetrably thick bush and there are few if any signs of man's presence. From the air you see secluded clearings with herds of buffalo, lakes dotted with numerous hippos and basking crocodiles along the shore line and uninhabited land to the horizon in all directions.

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At Natural High, we've all lived and worked in Africa, so our knowledge is born of hands-on experience rather than simply visiting on holiday. We can't over-stress how worthwhile it is to take a few minutes to call us. We're not in the business of churning out thousands of packages so if you'd like to discuss things in detail, take a few minutes and call Catherine, Fiona, Vanessa & Alex on +44 (0)1747 898104.

Much of the southern Selous is covered in Miombo woodland, which actually isn't that interesting, but in the northern sector, the area where most safaris are conducted, the variety of terrain and vegetation ranges from the Rufiji and its lakes to plains, woodland and swamps. This variation makes it ideally suited for combinations of driving safaris, walking safaris and boat safaris.

The contrast between the northern parks and the Selous Game Reserve could not be greater. The Selous is at only a few hundred feet above sea level instead of several thousand and this difference is reflected in flora, fauna and climate. Grassland and kopjes are replaced by woodland, interlaced with flood plains, sand rivers, oxbow lakes and the truly impressive Rufiji River. The river is a major focal point, it's character changing from the vast inland delta of wide shallow sand rivers, lined with thick bush and palms, to the dramatic rock sided Stieglers Gorge, where the river narrows from over a mile to less than a hundred metres wide.

The network of sand rivers is one of the most exciting areas to explore in the dry season. Driving in a Landrover or walking along dry riverbeds miles from the nearest road feels properly wild, and there is no shortage of game in these areas. Many species are drawn to the sand rivers, either for water, which constantly flows beneath the surface and which elephants dig holes in the sand to reach, or for the lush vegetation which grows along the river banks, or in the case of lion, as a place to lie in ambush for the herds of buffalo which come to drink in the river beds.

As well as game driving safaris and boating safaris in this very beautiful and unique area, this is one of the places where one can walk and camp most freely. Whether on a wilderness walking safari for a number of days, or camping out for a single night as part of a stay at a permanent camp there is a great diversity of habitats to explore, from islands in the middle of the Rufiji river to the shores of one of the many lakes, to the bed of one of the dry sand rivers. It's well worth taking advantage of being able to walk, even if you don't want to go far. Just make sure you spend some time on your feet in the bush.

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Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania