Nyerere National Park, better known as Selous Game Reserve, is the largest national park in Tanzania. It covers an area of 30.893 km. The park is located in the southeast of Tanzania and lies about 230 km by road from the capital Dar Es Salaam, at Mtemere Gate. Only in 2019 it obtained the status as a national park and changed its name from Selous to Nyerere in honour of Julius Nyerere, the first president of Tanzania.
The entire area is untouched by human hands. It is one of the wildest and most contaminated areas left in Africa. It offers a wide variety of natural habitats with open grasslands, swamp areas and rainforests. The Selous represents a true stronghold for the African wild dog and hosts a large number of animals of the savannah, such as elephants, buffalos, lions, impalas, kudu, baboons and giraffes.
The park is crossed by the Rufiji, the biggest river in Tanzania, which runs up to the Indian Ocean and hosts crocodiles, hippos and a wide range of birds. Visitors will enjoy many different types of Safaris: standard safari, walking safari with a ranger and, above all, boat safari. The park is, in fact, one of the few places in Tanzania where it is possible to navigate the river. This unique experience offers a full immersion into the wild.