This the largest wildlife reserve in the whole of Africa covering an area of 55,000 square kilometers, and without a doubt this natural wilderness can be matched with no other. situated in southern Tanzania, this reserve is habitat to the biggest number of a couple of the most sought after wild animals in Africa such as elephants, lions, wild dogs, leopards, buffalos, hippos, crocodiles plus numerous plain game, although it remains among the least visited wildlife sanctuaries in the whole of Africa.
Entire day game drives within the reserve can be conducted in open sided 4WD safari vehicles in the Northwestern part of the reserve. However it is most likely that you will not come across any other safari car since this is quite a distance from the busier game routes found in the East.
For those who have struggled to take photographs of wildlife through a multitude of other safari vehicles or those who have followed a long convoy of vehicles in other national parks, this personal experience within the less visited Selous is certainly very rewarding.
One would wonder what makes the Selous stand out among many other amazing reserves plus parks in Africa; the answer is easy: it is the walking safaris plus the thrilling boat safaris. These two options which are not common in other parks will offer you a closer encounter of the natural environment compared to when in an ordinary 4WD game drives. Actually you can enjoy a night game drive offered by Sable Mountain Lodge.
Other than the great dramatic size of Selous, this reserve is an example of a true untouched African wilderness, with one of the last surviving population of the decreasing in number wild dog populations.
The best recommend time to travel to the Selous game reserve is from the month of June up to October as well as from December up to March. The Short rains are usually experienced in the month of November while the long rains start in early April up to towards the end of May.
There are scheduled flights connecting to Selous although they are normally suspended from the finish of March to the start of June.
However because of the greatly improved road-infrastructure close to the Matambwe headquarters the main track joining to Matambwe-Mtemere gates is considered to be passable all year round.
there are also Air services connecting from Dar es Salaam as well as Zanzibar to Matambwe airstrip, and then Free transfer by car from this airstrip to your lodge; a 30 minutes drive.
however, the most affordable and timely option is using the train from Dar es Salaam up to Selous then fly out to Zanzibar, hence avoiding going back to Dar es Salaam for another flight or use the ferry.
The approximately 6 hours tour takes you through the spectacular terrain and offers views of the amazing rural life of the people of Tanzania. You will also be able to see some wildlife on your way into the park.
