The Best Time to Visit Selous Game Reserve : Selous Game Reserve is an excellent Tanzania safari destination for bird watching, with over 440 different kinds of birds known to exist there. The islands, channels, sandbanks, lagoons, and the powerful River Rufiji are the most striking bird habitats in this reserve. Taking a boat safari is a fantastic method to observe the local bird species. There are a variety of migratory birds from November to April. All year long, the Selous Game Reserve is an excellent place to see birds. It’s the best time to see birds because migrating birds from both northern Africa and Europe start to arrive in April. During breeding plumage, the birds are difficult to spot.
The majority of the campsites close in April and May as the wet season draws to a close, and they reopen in June. A pearl-spotted owl, palm-nut vulture, Layard’s black-headed weavers, freckled nightjars, Pel’s fishing owl, Racket-tailed roller, African skimmers, Von der Decken’s hornbill, the mosque swallow, the brown-breasted barbet, purple-banded sunbird, Mangrove Kingfishers, and Rock pratincole are some of the most common bird species you can see while birdwatching in Selous game reserve. Cuckoo with thick bills, Yellow-billed stork, white-fronted plover, white-backed vulture, white-headed lapwing, and white-backed night heron.
Being a year-round Tanzania safari tour destination for birdwatching, the Selous is a great place to visit during the best time of year. The best time to see birds is in April since migrating birds from Europe or northern Africa begin to arrive. It is very easy to spot the birds with inbreeding plumage because the resident species start nesting nearly simultaneously. As the wet season came to an end, most of the camps closed in April and reopened in June. We advise you to travel at that time, which is June through October, for the best game views.
Enjoy birdwatching in the Selous Game Reserve with our Safaris Company and get the best gorilla trekking experience possible at the most affordable price. Tanzania provides a very enlightening safari tour experience that is hard to obtain anywhere.
Other wildlife found in Selous game reserve
Do you want to come as close as possible to the wildlife of your dreams during a fantastic wildlife safari adventure? Discover the wildlife of Selous Game Reserve, which includes populations of African elephants, black rhinoceroses, and wild hunting dogs that are globally noteworthy. One of the biggest known populations of buffalo and hippopotamuses in the world can also be found there. Numerous bird species will also be visible throughout the journey.
The Selous Game Reserve’s biodiversity provides stunning views of untamed animals. Numerous lakes along the main circuit provide excellent views of ungulates such as buffaloes, zebras, waterbucks, and impalas, as well as the notably abundant giraffes. The waterholes are typically visited by hungry lions, and occasionally a kill may be seen. Africa One of the main draws of Selous Game Reserve is the hunting dog, also known as the wild dog. When hunting in packs, the dogs can readily run down their kill and frequently consume their prey while still moving.
Spending more time in strategic spots where animal sightings are more often and where there are typically less tourists and visitors will take you farther off the beaten path if you’re searching for Selous Game Reserve’s wild animals. To learn the most recent details on sightings, our tour guides always consult with local specialists and National Park Rangers.
How to get to Selous Game Reserve
When considering a trip to the Selous Game Reserve, vacationers often wonder how to get there. There are three options: by car, train, or aeroplane. Adventure travellers who want to explore the bush land on their way to Selous Game Reserve have three alternatives for transportation: air, road and rail. Numerous flights depart from Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Zanzibar, and land at various lodging options or even public airports.
The country can be entered through Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR). As an extension of a safari to a beach vacation on Zanzibar Island or another beach in Dar es Salaam. Both Selous and Ruaha typically have scheduled departure flights to greet this. An air safari is the fastest way to get to the reserve, albeit being the most costly. It is the most well-known game viewing location in Africa and the continent’s largest game reserve. The Selous Game Reserve is in Southern Tanzania, yet it is hidden.
One option is to drive from Dar es Salaam, which would include travelling over the standard circuit route to Mikumi National Park and passing through and entering the Matambwe gate. Because it allows people to drive through Morogoro town and see the town that wonderfully frames the Ulugulu mountains, using the road from Morogoro is such a great experience. It’s a very seductive sensation, especially in the early. As one leaves Morogoro town, they will get the opportunity to observe how people live and work in Tanzania’s rural communities.
Their traditional way of life has not yet been displaced by the metropolitan celebrity culture in these locations, where there are only a few businesses selling soft drinks packaged under global brand names. As you go from the high roads of the mountainous area to the Selous, a market day would provide you such a singular experience. The Tanzania Zambia Railway (TAZARA) offers an additional thrilling and daring route to Selous Game Reserve. You start this in Dar es Salaam and go via the bush roads to the Matambwe rail halt. It takes about five hours to complete.
Where to stay in Selous game reserve
The northern portion of Selous Game Reserve is where most of the accommodations are located. Accommodations include the Rufiji River Camp, the Mbuyu Camp, Richard Bonhams, the Sand River Selous, and the opulent tented camp at Island Mbuyini.
Midrange Accommodations
The Selous Butembo Tented Lodge
The Selous Butembo is a medium lodging option in the Selous wildlife reserve located in Tanzania’s southern circuit. A spot to start your life-changing trip and authentic African safari. Our eco-friendly, rustic lodge is situated on the banks of the powerful Rufiji River and is surrounded by naturally occurring trees and vegetation. It provides breathtaking views of the sunrise and sunset without the use of filters.
Selous Mapumziko Lodge
In the centre of the well-known Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania is the low-cost Selous Mapumziko Lodge safari. Local Tanzanians who are enthusiastic about the environment and nature own and run it.
Zarafa Camp
The Zarafa Camp is located five km from the Mtemere gate on the banks of the Rufiji River. With semi-luxurious tents under pricey makuti thatch structures, the accommodations are roomy and traditionally decorated with handcrafted African décor and unique furniture. All year long, there is a verdant, luxuriant garden all around the tents.
Luxurious safari Accommodations
The world’s biggest concentration of elephants may be seen at Selous Serena Camp, which is part of Tanzania’s renowned Selous Game Reserve, a World Heritage site. From luxurious mattresses and private sun decks to bathrooms with claw-foot baths and round-the-clock hot water, our flawlessly designed tents provide everything you need to relax, recharge, and get ready for the day.
Sable Mountain Lodge
Sable Mountain Lodge is located in the far-off Selous Game Reserve, atop three peaks of the Beho Beho Hills. The Lodge is located in the northern portion of the Selous, just a few kilometres beyond the Matambwe Gate. Safaris that are heading overland to Morogoro and Mikumi usually stop at this camp. Additionally, it can be used as a staging area for tourists travelling from Dar es Salaam by train to enter the reserve.
Ngalawa Tented Camp
The recently established Selous Ngalawa Camp is located next to the wild Selous Game Reserve, Africa’s largest protected area. The original Selous Ngalawa Camp was established beside the powerful Rufiji River close to the Mtemere Gate, the eastern entrance of the Selous Game Reserve. It is now part of its own forest reserve.
Selous River Camp
Our guides will lead you into the bush to discover a whole range of exciting Tanzania safaris, from exhilarating game drives to leisurely boat safaris exploring the park’s rivers and lakes to fascinating walking safaris. Selous River Camp is perched high overlooking the vast Rufiji River, where you can watch crocodiles sunbathing on the sandbanks, birds soaring over the water, and hippos lazily wallowing in the shallows.
