A popular Southern safari choice, the Selous Game Reserve (pronounced “selou”) is Africa’s largest and oldest game reserve. The riverine green landscape of Selous boasts dense bush, lakes, and rivers that sustain huge quantities of wildlife that can be explored via some of the best boating and guided walks of any of the Tanzania safaris. The vast majority, about 90%, of the Selous Reserve, is used for trophy hunting making the safari area relatively small but still offering some of the best predatory sightings.

Just a short distance away, but for another safari trip, Ruaha National Park on the other hand shows off a dry red soil across ancient plains where your safari will see vast buffalo herds contend with prides of lions.

The Selous Game Reserve, however, is one of the largest faunal reserves of the world. It was named after Englishman Sir Frederick Selous, a famous big game hunter and early conservationist. The Selous was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 due to the diversity of its wildlife and undisturbed nature. The reserve covers a total area of 54,600 km2 (21,100 sq mi) and has additional buffer zones. Within the reserve no permanent human habitation or permanent structures are permitted. Some of the typical animals of the savanna such as elephants, hippos, Masai lions, East African wild dogs, cheetahs, Cape buffaloes, Masai giraffes and crocodiles can be found in Selous in larger numbers than in any other African game reserve or national park

The part of Selous, north of the Rufiji River, open to the public, is particularly scenic. The main wildlife viewing circuit follows a string of 5 lakes connected to each other and the Rufiji River by small streams. The Rufiji is one of Africa’s great rivers with palm fringed channels and swampy islets.

In fact, the Rufiji River has been designated a photographic zone and is a popular tourist destination. There are several high end lodges and camps mainly situated along the river and lake systems in this area. Rather difficult road access means most visitors arrive by small aircraft from Dar es Salaam, though train access is also possible.

Another Selous sight to behold is the Stiegler Gorge, a canyon100 meters deep and wide. The generic diverse Selous habitats include grassland, typical Acacia savanna, wetlands and extensive Miombo woodlands. Although total wildlife populations are high, the reserve is large and densities of animals are lower than in the more regularly visited northern tourist circuit of Tanzania.[2]

In 1976, the Selous Game Reserve contained about 109,000 elephants, then the largest in the world. By 2013, the numbers had dropped to about 13,000 – including a 66% drop from 2009 to 2013. Sources blame corrupt politicians, officials and businessmen who help poachers, and the interruption of uranium mining in the region.