Travelogue from Tanzania: Why should you travel to Selous?

Dream of experiencing Tanzania’s lesser-known areas of natural beauty? In March 2019, Winnie, our Africa expert, visited the Selous Game Reserve for the first time, and she explains below why you should travel to Selous.

My boyfriend asked me why he should travel to Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania.

My first thought was “well, why in the world SHOULDN’T you travel to Selous?”.

Of course, I know what he means. Tanzania is so famous for Serengeti and Ngorongoro that you almost forget what else the country has to offer. But that is actually one of the reasons why you should travel to Selous.

Serengeti is exactly as you would imagine it. Endless plains with small shrubs, trees and herds of animals as far as the eye can see. The first time I was in Tanzania, I thought all the shapes on the horizon of the Serengeti plains were bushes, but it was herds of animals! In some places, zebras and wildebeest wander between giraffes – and several lion prides on one safari tour to Serengeti and Ngorongoro are not uncommon.

It takes a little more luck to see the other cats such as leopards and cheetahs. But when you do find them, it’s a spectacular sight! The leopard is my favourite animal of all, and there’s not much that can top my joy at seeing this magnificent cat padding through the bush. You should, however, be prepared for the fact that in Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater, you often have to share your big cat experiences with a lot of other safari cars. It doesn’t matter – to me, a leopard is a leopard, and no matter how many people are looking at it, it’s still beautiful in my eyes. But I have to admit, there’s still something special about being the ONLY safari car to see the leopard. And you’re in with a far greater chance of that in Selous.

Selous Game Reserve is Africa’s largest game reserve (and one of the largest game reserves in the world), so naturally, it also offers huge variety in terms of its landscapes and wildlife.

Large parts of the game reserve are completely untouched by man, and for some reason, there are not many tourists here. This is, of course, partly due to the size. Selous is four times bigger than Serengeti, and even with as many visitors, the game reserve would feel far less overrun.

However, I tend to believe that it’s mainly due to the effective marketing of Serengeti. The great migration that takes place every year at Serengeti is, of course, a massive draw, but it is seldom mentioned that Selous has one of Africa’s largest populations of buffaloes, hippos and elephants (which migrate every year between Tanzania and Mozambique!), or that Selous has some of the largest crocodiles in East Africa, or that around 50% of the wild dogs left in the world live here in Selous. It goes without saying that the size of the game reserve sometimes means you have to search a little more for the animals than you do in Ngorongoro, for example. On the other hand, Selous has one of Africa’s largest lion populations, so the chances of seeing lions – without having to share the sight with other safari cars – are pretty good.

Just like Serengeti and Ngorongoro, Selous Game Reserve has also been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and that says it all really. So, why on earth SHOULDN’T you travel to Selous?

Winnie, TourCompass