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Eastern Africa DVD - 5 SHOWS $39.95 buy now
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Selous Game Reserve |
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Stick in the mud: cruising around the Selous reserve
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Where it's at
At 30,000 square miles, Selous is the world’s
largest game reserve, bigger than Switzerland and the second
largest nature site in the world. The park gets its name form
hunter-explorer Frederick Courtney Selous, a best selling
novelist of Victorian England whose grave lies inside the
reserve.
What wildlife live here?
This East African wilderness has been largely untouched by
people and supposedly contains the world’s largest concentration
of elephants, buffalo, crocodiles, hippos and wild
dogs. Other species to keep a watchful eye on include
lion, giraffe, baboon, zebra and the greater kudu.
Over three quarters of a million animals inhabit this
great wilderness, and no humans are allowed to settle there. |
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The park is split into two contrasting grounds, the Selous
and the Mikumi, split by the Rufiji River. The
reserve combines many types of vegetation, from the Beho
Beho mountains to the Rufiji river with lakes, streams
and swamps full of buffalo, waterbuck and Borassus
palms. Stieglers Gorge is a scenic hilly woodland
near a small creek and the habitat of hartebeest, zebra
and eland.
The highlight of a trip to the park has to be the river
safari on Lake Tagalala. Fishing is allowed on
the Lake if you get a permit from the camp. The area is a
fantastic site for spotting lions and game. The safaris
take a day and the Beho Beho Camp, one of the few places
to stay in Selous, will arrange one for you. Beho Beho camp
is one of the more luxurious places to stay, costing $200
a night, with all the mod cons and a safari thrown in. Hot
sulphur streams just five minutes away from the main lake,
pouring down the moutain in streams before joining into a
series of pools surrounded by lush vegetation.
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Selous is the most remote and least visited park in Africa.
It was once home to the biggest concentration of elephants
in Africa, but during the “Ivory Wars” of the 1970’s
the number were horrifically depleted from 110,000 to only
around 40,000 today. Sadly, this is the largest concentrations
of elephants in the world. Your best chance to elephant spot
and the most divine way to see the reserve is by boat where
you can see elephants as they come to bathe in the lagoons.
Watch out for hippos and crocodiles!
The reserve is also a haven for bird lovers; there are numerous
different species including the goliath heron, fish eagle
and kingfishers to excite any keen ornithologist.
There are many types of safari on offer whatever danger factor
you seek or interests you have, including game drive, walking,
and boat safaris.
Travel tips
- The best time to visit the park is during the dry season
from July to October.
- You need a four wheel drive vehicle to get around the reserve.
The south gate is around 8 hours drive from Dar Es Salaam
and the north gate around the same driving time from the city. |
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By Susi O'Neill
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