Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve: Africa’s Largest Protected Area

Covering over 50,000 square kilometres in southern Tanzania, the reserve renamed Nyerere National Park in 2019 dwarfs Kenya and Tanzania’s famous northern parks combined. Despite this scale, it receives a fraction of the visitor numbers, meaning you can spend a full day on a game drive without passing another vehicle.

The ecosystem centres on the Rufiji River, Africa’s largest river system east of the Congo. Boat safaris along the Rufiji are the defining experience: hippos surface alongside the bow, Nile crocodiles bask on sandy banks, and fish eagles call from fever trees overhead. The water-based perspective on wildlife is something the northern circuit simply cannot offer.

Wild dog packs, one of Africa’s most endangered large predators, are more frequently seen here than almost anywhere else on the continent.