For those who love safaris and wild open spaces you will find nothing better on a visit to Tanzania than the Selous game reserve. Few tourists come this far, so you will enjoy observing the animals in peace and quiet..
Few tourists decide to come to this game reserve located in the centre southeast of the country, during a visit to Tanzania. The majority of travellers prefer the more famous and less remote parks of Arusha and the Serengeti National Park or the protected area of Ngorongoro.
Even though the game reserve of Selous is so beautiful that it is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, it suffers from its isolation. But those who make the effort to come here will be rewarded. The Selous Game Reserve covers an area of 55,000 square kilometres and is the largest in Africa and the second largest in the world. By comparison, the Selous Game Reserve is three times bigger than the Serengeti National Park, where the plains seem to go on forever. So, you will be completely alone to observe the animals in total silence in a magical atmosphere.
Even though the Selous Game Reserve does not have the same reputation as other game reserves in the country, a safari here is still exceptional. To get the best chances of spotting animals, the rules here are the same as everywhere else. You have to go out early in the morning or at sunset and always wear dark clothing. The stars of Selous are the elephants and the black rhinoceros. You will also see giraffes, buffalo, hippopotamus, crocodiles, antelopes and many species of bird.
In Selous, you can also get out of your car and do a walking safari accompanied by an armed ranger. I thoroughly recommend signing up for this!
If your trip to Selous is long enough, you can also go the Stiegler's Gorge or the Maji Moto Hot Springs.
To experience all this, you can catch a bus from Dar Es Salaam. The 350 kilometre trip takes around 8 hours. You can do the same journey by train, again from Dar Es Salaam, but you will need to get off at Kisaki. If you want a more comfortable and shorter journey, or you don't have much time, you can fly. It is just 1 hour from Dar Es Salaam. This saves precious time.
