Selous Game Reserve Tanzania

Selous Game Reserve Tanzania is one of most of Africa’s largest park, but most of it has been set aside for hunting. The animal viewing area that is open to the public is relatively small but very rewarding, with many predator sightings and excellent boat safaris on the Rufiji River.

Wildlife & Animals

The Rufiji River is teeming with hippo and crocodile, and the birdlife is fantastic. Lion sightings are very common as the opportunistic creatures tend to laze around the lakes waiting for animals to come to drink. One of the attractions of the park is the chance to encounter the wild dog.

Selous offers very good wildlife viewing, in general. The string of lakes along the main circuit is a good place to see unusually large groups of giraffe alongside other ungulates (animals with hooves) such as buffalo, waterbuck, impala, and zebra. An opportunistic, hungry lion is often found near these waterholes, and seeing a kill here isn’t unusual.

Wildlife Highlights

Selous is home to several unusual antelope species such as the majestic sable and puku, a localized wetland special. The black rhino is rare but can sometimes be tracked down in some remote areas. Wild dogs are present in the park and can be spotted when they are dinning in the area accessible to tourists.

Best Time for Wildlife Safaris 

The Dry season, from June to October, is the best time for wildlife viewing in the park. Wildlife is easier to spot because the vegetation is thinner and animals gather around the Rufiji River and the lakes. Roads become impassable after heavy rain, and most camps close towards the end of the Wet season, in April, and reopen late May or the beginning of June. The best chance to see the wild dogs is during their dinning season, from June to August.

Birds species found in Selous Game Reserve

Over 440 species recorded, Selous is an excellent birding destination. The most conspicuous bird life is attracted to the sandbanks, lagoons, islands, and channels along the Rufiji River. A good way to enjoy the bird life is on a boat safari. Common birds include yellow-billed storks, kingfishers, lapwings, and colorful bee-eaters, Fish eagle, and palm-nut vulture can be found perched high in the trees and skimmers can sometimes be seen flying across the water. Migratory birds are present from November to April.

Best Time for Bird Watching Safaris

Selous is the best birding destination all year. In November and through April, migratory birds from Europe and northern Africa are present, making this the best time for bird watching. This is also the time that resident birds nest, and you’ll be likely to see them in their colorful breeding plumage. Selous Game Reserve Tanzania

Most camps close towards the end of the Wet season, in April, and reopen in June. For wildlife viewing, the Dry season – from June to October. Is the best for visitors!

The part of Selous, north of the Rufiji River that is open to the public – is particularly scenic. The main wildlife-viewing circuit follows a string of five connected lakes fed by the Rufiji River. The Rufiji is one of Africa’s great rivers, with palm-fringed channels and swampy islets.

Weather & Climate

Selous experiences uniform temperatures throughout the year because of its equatorial location. The main variation is a slight dip in the heart of the Dry season (June to October) when the environment is slightly cooler. Either side of this, the weather is hot and humid in keeping with the local Wet season (November to May).

Best Time to Visit Selous Game Reserve

The Dry season (June to October) is when you should travel to Selous, even though you’ll be joining the crowds attracted by this period’s clear blue skies. It’s at this time animals converge on rivers and waterholes, and the dry bush is sparse enough for views of wildlife to be obscured. Selous Game Reserve Tanzania

If you do visit in the wetter months, be aware that numerous lodges close their doors from March to May.

Wildlife viewing in Selous Game Reserve is best from late June to October. It is Dry season and wildlife is easier to spot since animals gather at water sources and vegetation is thinner. The scenery is lush and green in the Wet season, from October to May, but afternoons can be unbearably hot. Many lodges close from March through May.