4 Days Selous Game Reserve Safari Tour

This 4-day safari to the Selous Game Reserve departs from Dar es Salaam by vehicle and spends three nights at the Rufiji River Camp. It is a safari well worth doing if you find yourself in Dar es Salaam and have just a few days to spare. This 4-day safari to Selous departs on request (subject to accommodation availability), and costing is based on the number of people.

Day 1 - Dar es Salaam to Selous Game Reserve

Depart from Dar es Salaam city centre by 4x4 to the Selous Game Reserve to start your African safari experience. At 55,000 sq km, Selous is almost twice the size of Belgium and four times larger than the famous Serengeti to the north, covering 5% of Tanzania’s land area. The Selous’ ecosystem as a whole is made up of a few conservation areas, covering in total over 90,000 sq km of pristine wilderness devoid of human influence.

Enjoy a late lunch at the Rufiji River Camp. Embark on an afternoon game drive in the reserve, fed by the mighty Rufiji River. This is the largest river in East Africa and the reserve is home to over 1,000,000 large animals and over half of Tanzania’s elephant population. Return to Rufiji River Camp for dinner and overnight stay.

Rufiji River Camp: Rufiji River Camp is located on the banks of the Rufiji river, in a point where the ample and tranquil river is animated by many and different species of animals. The tented camp, situated in the heart of the reserve, is environmentally friendly and each tent is equipped with private bathroom and a veranda facing the river. There is a constant flow of animals coming down to drink at the river, offering a permanent show for visitors of the camp. The water is usually full of hundreds of hippos as well as groups of crocodiles that laze in the sun on the sandbanks in the river.

Included: Lunch & Dinner

Day 2 - Rufiji River Camp, Selous Game Reserve

Enjoy a full day game viewing in the reserve. Participate in some classic-style game drives exploring the bush in open 4 x 4 vehicles. Waterbuck, southern reed buck, and bushbuck are common in the Selous. Rare sable antelope, lion and greater kudu also frequent this area. Selous contains about one third of all the wild dogs (often called painted dogs), in the world. Along the Rufiji River, an array of grazing antelopes, crocodiles and hippos are commonly seen as well as black and white colobus monkeys in the riverine forests. During the dry season from June to October, the concentration of animals along the river is astonishing.

Meals and overnight at Rufiji River Camp

Day 3 - Rufiji River Camp, Selous Game Reserve

After breakfast, accompany an armed ranger on a walking safari in the reserve. The sights and sounds of a walking safari are a special treat that will live long in your memory. Walks leave at 6:30 am accompanied with a watchman and a fully qualified armed guide. It is a gentle stroll through the wilderness with emphasis on the little things that are difficult to experience from a vehicle. The walking concentrates on ecology, tracking, dung identification, medicinal uses of trees, birds and generally interpreting. The bush gives you a much broader understanding of nature.

In the afternoon, enjoy a boat safari where you will explore the different channels and lakes of the Rufiji River System, surrounded by hippos and crocodiles. The boat safaris are conducted in sturdy metal boats with a powerful outboard motor on the back and a covered canopy. Each boat safari is guided by a boatman who has grown up on the river and knows all the little nooks and crannies for the boat to sneak through. They are also well aware of hippo and crocodile behaviour having spent so many years safely guiding people between them. The boat safaris provide some of the best water birding in Africa as well as getting up close and personal to hippos and crocs which swarm through the river system, be they wallowing in the water or basking on the banks. A large variety of herons, storks, ducks, stilts, and other water birds may be seen as well as land mammals, such as giraffe and elephants.

Meals and overnight at Rufiji River Camp.

Day 4 - Selous Game Reserve back to Dar es Salaam

Enjoy a morning game drive in the Selous Game Reserve then early lunch at the camp, followed by departure transfer to Dar es Salaam. Drop off at the airport for your flight back home or to Zanzibar for a beach holiday.

Price Includes

Accommodation and meals as stipulated on each itinerary

Ground transportation with an English speaking driver/guide or naturalist guide

Game drives or sightseeing depending on the itinerary – where indicated

Park or reserve entry fees – where applicable

Price Excludes

Airport or border transfers – unless stated otherwise on the itinerary

Visas

Gratuities

Inoculations and personal insurance

Any internal flights and departure taxes (with Tanzania)

International flights and departure taxes

Optional activities and excursions

Items of personal nature such as beverages, telephone, postage etc..

Holiday (Christmas, Easter) and other seasonal surcharges