Nyerere National Park (Selous): Your Visitor Guide

Nyerere National Park was known for decades as the Selous Game Reserve, until part of it was redesignated in 2019, and it ranks among the largest protected wildernesses in all of Africa. Size is only part of what sets it apart from the Northern Circuit parks. The other part is how you explore it: boat safaris on the Rufiji River complement the usual vehicle game drives, giving you a quite different vantage point on the wildlife that gathers along the water's edge. June through October is the best time to visit. In the dry season, wildlife is packed tightly around the river and its permanent water sources, the same principle that makes dry-season game viewing dependable across Tanzania, with the bonus of a river-safari option that most northern parks can't match. If escaping the crowds of a typical Serengeti safari is your aim, Nyerere delivers. Even at the peak of its own dry-season high point, the number of vehicles here is only a fraction of what you'd meet in the Northern Circuit during busy season. Browse our safari itineraries, or contact us about adding a Nyerere extension to a Northern Circuit trip.