Nyerere (Selous) National Park

Nyerere National Park, formerly the northern section of the Selous Game Reserve, is one of the largest protected areas in Africa. Covering over 30,000 square kilometers — roughly three times the size of the Serengeti — it is a vast, wild landscape of miombo woodlands, grasslands, rivers, and lakes centered around the mighty Rufiji River and its tributaries. Redesignated as a national park in 2019 and named after Tanzania's founding father Julius Nyerere, the park offers a distinctly different safari experience from the northern circuit. Boat safaris along the Rufiji River provide close encounters with hippos, crocodiles, and waterbirds, while game drives reveal wild dogs, elephants, lions, and an extraordinary diversity of antelope species. The park's vast size and relative inaccessibility mean that large sections remain truly pristine wilderness.