“Nyerere, carved from the vast Selous, lets you safari by boat - drifting the Rufiji River past hippos, crocodiles and elephants in one of Africa's largest, least-crowded wild areas.”
About Nyerere Selous
The land was long protected as the Selous Game Reserve, named after the explorer and hunter Frederick Selous and recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its huge, relatively undisturbed wilderness. In 2019 the northern photographic-tourism section was gazetted as Nyerere National Park, honouring Tanzania's founding president Julius Nyerere. The reserve has faced pressures from poaching and development, but its scale and the richness of the Rufiji ecosystem keep it among the continent's most important conservation areas.
Overview Nyerere National Park, carved from the northern part of the former Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania, is one of the largest protected areas in Africa, a vast, wild expanse far less visited than the northern circuit. Its defining feature is the Rufiji River, which spreads into a maze of channels, lakes and sandbanks, supporting huge numbers of hippos, crocodiles and elephants and giving the park a watery character unlike the dry plains to the north.
Safari by Boat Nyerere is one of the best places in Tanzania for a boat safari, drifting along the Rufiji past basking crocodiles, pods of hippos and elephants drinking at the bank, a very different experience from the standard game drive.
Wild and Uncrowded The park's sheer size and remoteness mean game drives and walking safaris happen with few other vehicles around, offering a wilder, more solitary safari for those who want it.
A Renamed Giant The area was renamed in 2019 to honour Julius Nyerere, Tanzania's founding president; the wider Selous remains a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Experience
A safari in Nyerere mixes classic game drives with the special pleasure of a boat trip on the Rufiji, gliding past hippos surfacing in the channels, crocodiles on the sandbanks and elephants at the water's edge, with superb birdlife along the banks. Walking safaris add another dimension of immersion. The absence of crowds is part of the appeal: you can spend long stretches with no other vehicle in sight, in a landscape of river, palm and woodland that feels genuinely remote and untamed.
Why It Matters
Nyerere National Park, part of the former Selous Game Reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the largest and wildest protected areas in Africa, distinguished by the Rufiji River ecosystem and the chance to safari by boat.
Why Visit
It offers a wilder, less crowded safari than the famous north, with boat safaris and walking safaris along a great river. Take a Rufiji boat trip, combine drives and walks, and choose it for solitude and the water-based wildlife.
✦ Insider Tips
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Take a boat safari on the Rufiji River, the park's standout experience.
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Add a walking safari for a closer, more immersive encounter with the bush.
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Visit in the dry season, June to October; many camps shut during the long rains.
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Expect few other vehicles; come for solitude rather than crowded sightings.
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It is in the south, often reached by light aircraft rather than the northern road circuit.
