A perfectly romantic safari and beach combination, this honeymoon combines an exciting safari in the Selous Game Reserve at one of the most luxurious camps before flying to Zanzibar for a relaxing beach break at one of the island's most exclusive hotels.
Get off the beaten track and experience an unforgettable safari in the Selous Game Reserve which offers a true wilderness experience before heading to the stunning Pemba Island to hideaway at the tranquil Fundu Lagoon- a chic and romantic beach lodge.
Get away from the crowds in style, staying in the remote Selous Game Reserve followed by the breathtaking beaches of the Quirimbas Archipelago in Mozambique. This is the ultimate safari and beach combination with style and excitement by the bucket-load.
A combination of Tanzania’s absolute highlights, incorporating safaris in the game rich Selous and the outstanding Ruaha, and concluding with breathtaking white sandy beaches at Tanzania's Ras Kutani.
Azura Selous offers a truly unique safari experience in the Selous Game Reserve combining stylish bush luxury and wildlife viewing for a real wow factor. An Imagine favourite, Azura Selous combines a range of activities with gastronomic cuisine.
Siwandu (formerly Selous Safari Camp) is a small tented camp on Lake Nzerakera near the Rufiji River in Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve. With superb game viewing even in camp, Siwandu offers a thrilling safari adventure in a beautiful part of the Selous.
Selous Impala Camp is a tented camp with a wonderfully African setting in Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve. Friendly and intimate, Selous Impala Camp offers excellent game viewing through a variety of activities, and an authentic safari experience.
Lake Manze Adventure Camp is a no frills bush camp on Lake Manze, one of the Selous' richest game areas. While far from luxurious, Lake Manze Adventure Camp is comfortable and the experience of being here in this wild environment is truly memorable.
Selous Riverside Camp is a fantastic tented safari camp on the banks of the Rufiji in Tanzania’s awesome Selous Game Reserve. Selous Riverside Camp’s proximity to the river means breathtaking views of the wildlife, best enjoyed with a sundowner in hand.
Gerard is passionate about the Selous, and we are too. Give our specialists a call on 020 3141 2810 and let them inspire you with all their knowledge.
Name: Gerard Mwakila
Experience: 12 years guiding at Selous Impala Camp, and 4 years working as an anti-poaching ranger in the Selous Game Reserve
Favourite animal: I don’t have any special favourite animal. As a guide I like all animals, because they all have an important role to play in the overall ecosystem.
There are a number of aspects that I believe make the Selous really special. Firstly, there are not a huge number of tourists in the area, so a lot of the time you can enjoy great sightings by yourself without being surrounded by a number of other cars. Secondly, there are more different activities to do here in the Selous than in many other national parks, so you can observe the natural environment from different perspectives, which is unique and diverse. For example, as well as game drives, you can take a boat along the Rufiji River, or go on guided walks in the bush. Thirdly, the Selous has one of the biggest wild dog populations, which is the main attraction for a lot of tourists.
The best time to see the wild dogs is from the end of October, after the short rains. The dogs are more active in the cooler weather and their puppies will be big enough to leave the den sites.
Yes! I have seen some truly incredible sights… too many to mention! But one of the most memorable was seeing four crocodiles competing with three lions over a zebra. The zebra came down to drink and was attacked by the crocs, at which point lions appeared and tried to take drag the zebra from the shallow water. In the end the crocs won!
I really like all the activities – the best thing is the diversity! Walking you have the chance to get very close to nature, so you can see a lot of the smaller creatures, which you can’t always see whilst driving. The boat is also great, especially in the evenings as you get to enjoy the beautiful sunsets, water birds and, if you’re lucky, elephant crossings!
Depending on when you go, you will have a very different experience – there are always pros and cons. In June, after the long rains, everything is nice and green and the landscape is amazing. From July until October is the best time for animal sightings. November through till March is still good, but this all depends on the clients and what they are interested in seeing and doing.
Birding is much better from September until the end of February. After the end of the rains there are a lot more insects around, so even migratory birds return to the area to feast on the abundance of food that’s there.
Elephants play a major and very important role here in the Selous ecosystem. They are considered a mega-herbivore and are mixed feeders; they need to eat large amounts of vegetation – up to 200kg per day! They also trample a lot of vegetation – pulling down large trees and bushes. This helps regulate the vegetation levels in the area. You could say they are natural landscapers and gardeners! They also help in the dispersal of seeds from plants and trees by eating the fruits. The biggest solution to reduce the poaching of elephants is to ban the ivory trade completely, as well as educating people around the world about the significance of the elephants and the role they play.
Tourists are very important in the protection of the environment of the Selous. The tourism industry brings in a large amount of income into the country in general, and this goes back into the reserves and national parks – paying rangers who protect the animals and maintaining park boundaries, amongst other things. Tourists also act as a messaging system, carrying information and experiences that they have learned back to their own countries and sharing this with friends and family. This all helps to spread the word on environmental issues and the positive work of conservationists.
The Selous is one of the most amazingly beautiful game reserves on our planet; it offers a truly unique and unusual safari experience. Visitors get the chance to enjoy lots of different activities and to experience great sightings without a large number of other cars and tourists joining them. In my opinion, the Selous offers the best safari experience around!
I hope that there will be a plan to change the game reserve to a conservation area like Ngorongoro Crater and other national parks. This would mean the animals were safer, because hunting would no longer be allowed and it would be only a photographic tourist destination. I also hope that poaching will be eliminated from the Selous entirely.
Spectacular, unique, beautiful.
I would go to Northern Tanzania to see the Hadzabe bushmen, who are among the last hunter-gatherers in the world. As for hidden places, you should check out Mkomazi National Park, I have never been there but I’ve heard about it from many guides. People say there is a good chance of seeing rhino and some antelopes here that can't be found in other areas of Tanzania. There is also a good chance of seeing wild dogs there too, and it’s one of the lesser visited national parks.
If you want to head to the Selous to see the wonderful wildlife first hand, we can help organise your perfect trip. Give us a call on 020 3141 2810 to get the ball rolling on your trip.