Tourist attractions in Selous Game Reserve
Tourist attractions in Selous Game Reserve : Selous game reserve is a great tourist destination and a game reserve located in the southern region of Tanzania along the southern Tanzania safari circuit, the reserve is in a distance of 219 kilometers from Dar es Salaam in a drive of about 4 hours drive. Selous game reserve is a hidden gem of Tanzania covering an area of 54,600 which makes it the largest protected game reserve in Africa.
Selous game reserve is one of the greatest game reserves in Tanzania consisting of many tourist attractions, these attractions are the reason to why the reserve is visited by many people and they include
Wildlife
Selous game reserve is a thriving home for a large population of mammals and as of today the reserve is recognized as a great destination for wildlife safaris in Tanzania and East Africa as a whole, this wonderful reserve is hosts one of the largest population of elephants in Tanzania with over 110,000 individuals, lions with over 4,000 individuals which cannot be found in any other place on the continent of Africa.
In Selous game reserve there is also approximately 120,000 – 150,000individuals of buffaloes, 40,000 hippos, 35,000 zebras, 25,000 impalas, bush backs, Lichtenstein’s hartebeests, elands, greater kudus, waterbucks, African wild dogs, brindled gnu, Nyasaland gnu, sable antelopes, huge population of crocodiles, hippos, spotted hyenas, leopards, black rhinos and many more.
Lakes in Selous game reserve that are Tagalala, Mzizimia, Siwandu, Manze, and Nzelekela are a great home for thousands of crocodiles and hippos, these lakes are also a great site to spot these animals as they come to drink water. Rufji River and its tributaries also attract thousands of animals such as elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, lions, leopards, hippos, spotted hyena and many more most especially in the dry season.
Birdlife
Selous game reserve is a great habitat for birds hosting over 440 bird species which are mostly reside in swamps, lake and river Rufji channel, among the birds in the reserve there is migratory bird species which are present in the period of November to April. Bird species found in Selous game reserve include spur-winged lapwing, African wattled lapwing, white-fronted bee-eater, Pel’s fishing owl rare, African spoonbill, white-headed vulture, pearl-spotted owlet, white-headed lapwing, African skimmer, Bohm’s bee-eater, yellow-billed stork, Pel’s fishing owl, Broad-billed roller, white-fronted plover, Brown-headed parrot, Brown-necked parrot, Black-winged stilt, palm-nut vulture, Dickinson’s kestrel, racket-tailed roller, thick-billed Cuckoo, white-backed night heron, Carmine bee-eater, Rock pratincole and many more. Around lakes and rivers in Selous game reserve you find bird species like Pink-backed pelicans, African skimmers, giant kingfishers, palm nut vulture, ibises, palm swift and many more.
Vegetation cover
Selous game reserve is dominated by a series of vegetation covers which include savanna wooded grassland, thick thorn shrubs, ground water forests, rocky outcrops and deciduous Miombo woodland. Miombo woodland is classified in tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas and shrub lands biome, these vegetation species are great habitat to wildlife species in Selous game reserve such as lions, buffaloes, hippos, zebras, impalas, waterbucks and many more.
River Rufji
Rufji River in Selous game reserve is a 600 kilometers river and apparently the largest river in Tanzania, Rufji River is situated at the heart of reserve bisecting it into 2 sections that are northern Selous covering 5% o the reserve total area of the park and Southern Selous.
Rufji River creates a network o channels, lakes and swamps, this river was formed by a confluence of river Kilombero and Luwegu Rivers with its source in southwestern Tanzania. The mouth of River Rufji is on the Indian Ocean at a point between Mafia Island called Mafia channel and the principal tributary of this river is the Great Ruaha River, Rufji river attracts a huge population of animals such as elephants, impalas, buffaloes and many more which come to the river to drink water.
Apart from attracting animals, the river’s delta (Rufji delta) is a home to the largest mangrove forests in the world, this forest holds a significant colonial history as it was allowed the German super battleship the Konigsberg to stay undercover while causing damage to British ships in Indian Ocean during the first World War.
Beho Beho hot spring
Beho Beho hot spring is one of the magnificent features in Selous game reserve, the hot springs are located near lake Tagalala surrounded by a lush of green vegetation and is a collection water pools which are formed by volcanic activity beneath the group which heat the water.
Beho Beho hot springs are fed by water from Beho Beho hills, the waters of the hot springs are warm rather than hot but its temperatures rise in drier seasons in the period of July to December. Beho Beho hot springs create pool of warm water in which tourists get to take a bath while on their visit in Selous game reserve.
Lake Tagalala
Lake Tagalala in Selous game reserve is an Oxbow lake and apparently one of the larger Oxbow lakes on the northern side of River Rufji flood plain, Lake Tagalala is found in the northern end of Selous game reserve in a short distance north of Rufji River. Lake Tagalala is bordered by galleries of trees which are drowned as water rose, in dry season the lake attract elephants, lions, zebras, birds and many other predators. The lake is toured on a boat ride.
Stiegler’s Gorge
Stiegler’s gorge in Selous game reserve is a gorge of 100 meters average depth named after a German Engineer Stiegler, Stiegler was a German Engineer who spearhead a first expedition in consideration of potential construction of a hydroelectric power station in 1901. In this process of measuring the gorge, Stiegler was charged by an elephant hence falling into a riverine thus naming the gorge Stiegler in his memory.
Stiegler’s gorge has become more famous following the plans of constructing a massive hydroelectric power station in the name Stiegler’s Gorge Hydroelectric Power station, this power station is also called Rufji Hydroelectric power station is a 2,115 megawatts hydroelectric dam and it is currently under construction.
The construction of Stiegler’s Gorge Hydroelectric Power station has been considered by the Tanzania government since 1960s and when its construction is done, it will be the largest power station in Tanzania. The dam is expected to produce 5,920 GWh of power annually, the dam features a 134 meters arch and is expected create a reservoir lake of 100 kilometers in length and 1,200 square kilometers to accommodate 34,000,000,000 cubic meters of water.
Selous grave
Selous grave in Selous game reserve is a historical and memorial site commemorating Frederick Courteney Selous from who the reserve gets its name, Fredrick Courteney Selous was a conservationist and a British explorer who lost his life during World War I. Fredrick Courteney was the right –hand man to Cecil John Rhodes in his then on-going campaign of annexing the present day Zimbabwe to British administration, Selous was vocal against the England’s war on the Boer Republics of South Africa and because of this he achieved brief notoriety in 1899.
On 28th 1914 the First World War broke out and at the time Selous was 60 years old, he was made the captain of the 25th Royal Fusiliers and because of his expertise and knowledge about the bush. Fredrick Courteney Selous spearheaded the chase after the German guerrilla army which was present in the southern region of Tanzania.
As he was fighting in the bush on the banks of River Rufji against the German Colonial Schutztrupprn on 04th January 1917, Selous was shot dead. On that fateful morning, Selous’ army was out numbered five to one, as he was creeping forward in combat during an engagement with enemy, he raised his head with binoculars to locate the enemy and in doing so he was shot by a German sniper in the head resulting into his instant death.
Following his death, Fredrick Courteney Selous was buried under a tamarind tree adjacent to the place where he was shot dead at Beho in the northern edge of Selous game reserve. On his grave there is a simple bronze plaque with writings reading “CAPTAIN F.C SELOUS D.S.O 25th ROYAL FLUSILIERS, KILLED IN ACTION 4.1.17”
When looking for a destination to visit while in Tanzania, Selous game reserve should be number on your list.
