The spectacular Selous Reserve, a World Heritage Site and the largest expanse of game reserve in Africa, covers a massive 55,000 square kilometres of rolling savanna.
About four times the size of Serengeti and larger than Switzerland, it is home to the largest concentration of elephants in the world. The reserve is named after Frederick Courtenay Selous, naturalist, conservationist and hunter, who was killed in World War 1 in the Beho region of the reserve.
Fact File
- Area: 50,000 sq kms around the Rufiji and Great Ruaha rivers.
- Location: South-east Tanzania, south of Mikumi National Park.
- Altitude: 100-1,200 m.
- Vegetation: One-third wooded grassland dominated by Terminalia spinosa, the remainder being deciduous miombo, some dense thicket and riverine and ground water forest.
- Fauna: Most representatives of East African wildlife, including 200,000 buffalo, 57,000 elephant, 100,000 impala, 80,00 wildebeest and the country's largest populations of crocodile and hippopotamus.
- Birds 400 species of birds have been recorded.
- The Rufiji RiverThe Rufiji River Delta connects the Great Ruaha River with the Rufiji River before emptying into the Indian Ocean. Home to a colourful array of water and bird life, the Rufiji offers sanctuary to enormous numbers of hippos and crocodiles, which bask and wallow on its muddy brown banks.
- The ‘Big Five'
The Selous is also home to some of African's largest populations of elephants, buffaloes, hartebeests, sables and hunting dogs. Other easily-spotted animals include; lions, giraffes, antelopes and black rhinos.
A wide range of activities
The Selous is unique among Tanzania's game areas because it is a game reserve, and not a national park. This means that a wider range of activities are permitted such as; boating, walking and camping safaris. More controversially, large parts of the south of the reserve (90% of the total) are reserved for professional game hunting.
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