Nyerere National Park – Selous Game Reserve with Self Drive Uganda

 

Nyerere National Park

Nyerere National Park which was formerly known as Selous Game Reserve, is the largest Game Reserve in Tanzania and it is a protected area covering about 50,000km2. Selous was at first a series of National Parks that were made a protected area in the year 1896 but in 1905, it became a hunting reserve for all who wanted to enjoy the hunting game. It was named Nyerere after a British adventurer Fredrick Nyerere who died during the world war I. After his death, all the small game reserves around were combined by the British to form the current Nyerere National Park.

Why visit Nyerere national park?

The Nyerere National Park is one of the least visited places in Tanzania and this makes it the perfect place for tourists who want to enjoy the big 5 without the large crowd. It has a diversity of vegetation especially the famous Miombo woodland, lots of wildlife and over 400 bird species that can all be viewed in their natural habitats.

The National Park is one of the few places in Tanzania which you can explore with both a game drive and a boat ride. The National Park is very safe for a safari but you must follow all the guidelines that are put in place by the tour guide, you can spend as many days as you want for as long as you can afford it and you can join your safari to Nyerere with other destinations in the country.

Things to do in Nyerere National Park

Nyerere is a very big park that has a lot of animals and birds plus vegetation that is worth being seen and these will determine the things that you can do while in the park. Some of the things that you should look forward to do while here include the following.

Game drives

the game drives within Nyerere are best done during the dry season experienced from June to October because this is the time when most of the animals can be seen at the different waterholes trying to beat off the heat and in search of food. Some of the animals that you should look out for when you get to Nyerere include the famous wild dogs, buffalos, hippos, lions, giraffes, baboons, zebras, rhinos, elands, impalas, elephants and baboons to mention but a few.

Since the park gets few visitors, the animals tend to hide from tourists but with patience you get to see all them in their natural habitat. The best time for one to enjoy a game drive in Nyerere is during the morning hours before 11:00am and afternoon hours around 3:00pm because this is the time when animals are not shielding themselves from the heat.

Birding safaris

Nyerere is one of the best birding destinations in Tanzania and the best time for one to go for birding is between November and April during the wet season when the migratory birds fly into the country. The bird species specials that you should look out for include the yellow-bellied bulbul, mangrove kingfisher, black cuckoo-shrike, palm-nu vulture, red throated twin spot, red-winged warbler, African skimmer, spotted flanked barbet and the grey hooded kingfisher among others.

Walking safaris

A walking safari through Nyerere might not get you to all the corners of the Reserve but it will get you to some of the best places. A walking safari in Nyerere comes with an armed ranger who is there to make sure that you are not attacked by any wild animals. The walk will however be organized on a tamer side which doesn’t have predator animals and some of the animals that you get to see while on your walk include zebras and elephants. Make sure that you follow all the guidelines given to you by the guide during your walk.

Cultural tours

Cultural tour to the Mwaseni is one of the things that you can engage in while one safari to Selous. With the help of a tour guide, you get to spend the whole day with the locals engaging in their day-to-day activities.

Boat safari

A boat safari one of the best ways in which you can explore the Game Reserve. You will take a boat ride along the River Rufiji where you will get to see aqua animals like hippos and crocodiles plus a large flock of birds. You must not miss out on the experience of a boat ride in Selous.

Hot air balloon safari

A truly ‘once in a lifetime’ experience, flying in a Hot Air Balloon over the mighty Selous is an evocative experience that you have the chance to enjoy during any safari you take to Nyerere National Park or Selous Game Reserve. The balloons take off at the break of dawn, around 6am, gliding silently over the savannah grasslands below where you can spot a variety of wildlife.

The flight lasts an hour and concludes with a ”Champagne Bush Breakfast” at the balloon landing site in the wilderness. The balloon is flown by a fully qualified and experienced Pilot and the balloons themselves are most often made by Cameron, a specialist hot air balloon manufacturer in Great Britain. The basket sizes vary and it is best to book in advance as space if typically limited to a maximum of 16 passengers per balloon, often less if flying with a smaller basket.

Where to stay in Nyerere national park?

Nyerere has some of the most luxurious safari camps in Africa. These camps tend to be small, boutique-type properties that are designed to merge into the surroundings and operate to the highest eco-friendly standards. Some of these facilities include, Beho Beho Camp, Kiba Point Selous, Sand Rivers Selous, Siwandu Camp, Roho ya Selous, The Retreat Selous, Serena Mivumo River Lodge, Selous Serena Camp, Selous Impala Camp, Lake Manze Camp, Rufiji River Camp, Selous River Camp, Sable Mountain Lodge, Selous Kulinda Camp, Ol Moran camp and others.

The best time to visit Nyerere National Park

Nyerere National Park experiences two seasons and these are the dry and wet season. The seasons highly determine the activities that you can engage in and in return the activities determine the best time for you to visit the Selous. The dry season which is June to October is the best time for a walking safari and game drives whereas the wet season in November and April is the best time for all those that would love to go birding.

How to access Nyerere National Park?

The National Park is just a few kilometers away from Dar es Salaam making it an easy place to get to but only if you are coming from Dar es Salaam. If you are getting to the park from Arusha, then it becomes a very long journey especially if you are driving. There are three transportation means that you use to get to Nyerere and these are road, railway and air transportation.

This is the most commonly used mode of transport to get to Nyerere. A drive to the park will take you between 4 to 8 hours and during this time you can make stopovers at the different places as per your itinerary. It might take a while before you get there but it will be worth your time.