The next Tanzania safari destination is SELOUS Game Reserve (45,000km2) is the largest in Tanzania at 5% of its land mass and is probably the most well known of the string of Southern Tanzanian parks and reserves which tourists can combine for very special and exclusive safaris.

This immense zone of shrub-covered savannah, with occasional areas of impenetrable forest, is closed during the rainy season, from March to May.

Created by the Germans in 1905, Selous long attracted white big-game hunters interested in accumulating trophies, but now the animals are protected. They are largely unaccustomed to man and have remained fairly timid. However, as the park is said to hold more than a million wild animals altogether, you won’t find it difficult to see them. The elephant population is estimated (perhaps optimistically) to be about 100,000 which amounts to a fifth of all the elephants in Africa! In any case, it is not unusual to come across herds of around a hundred. Lion and rhinoceros are numerous, and buffalo, hippopotamus and crocodile can be counted in their thousands. The crocs like to take it easy on the sandy banks of the Rufiji River-one of the longest in East Africa, crossing the reserve from one end to the other. Some of the lodges organise boat trips.

The Rufiji and Ruaha rivers run through, merging in the park, and provide the life-giving water, which supports the abundant wildlife and bird life. While the animal density may be lower than in the Northern parks the tourist density is even lower. Most of these areas are little visited and provide the visitor with a true feel for wilderness Africa - the rugged, vast spaces combined with a timeless cycle of life.

Most of the Tanzania safari lodges and camps, as one should expect when everything comes 350 km over poor roads, offer all the essentials, beautifully presented, with excellent food and company. Most offer walking safaris as well as boat rides on the rivers or the lakes. An air safari, from Arusha or Dar-es-salaam, is the most time efficient and popular method of travel between parks but driving, from Dar-es-salaam, is becoming more popular.

Mikumi, close to Dar-es-salaam, is for those short of wildlife viewing time. Ruaha is 40,000km2 of undulating plateau, cut by a river with large herds of elephant, buffalo and lesser-known antelope, such as kudu, roan and sable, as well as wild dogs. Katavi is the 3rd largest, least visited and most unspoilt wilderness in Tanzania. Mahale, on Lake Tanganyika, is remote, misty and has the best chimpanzee trekking. Udzungwa is the home to rare primates and to many endemic species and only has hiking trails.

In the north of the reserve, the Stiegler Gorge-named after a German hunter who was killed here by an elephant-plunges to a depth of almost 100 m (330 ft): most of the lodges are located in this area. All of them offer the possibility of exploring the park on foot, accompanied by an armed ranger. This is a unique experience in the heart of African safari country-don’t miss it.

Southern Tanzania and extreme west region towards Lake Tanganyika have places of interest but they are not frequently visited by tourists at present.