This is a private 3 days Selous budget safari starts from Dar es Salaam. This tour is ideal for budget travelers. Selous game reserve is well known as host of large number of elephants in Tanzania. Here you will come across buffalos, Hippos, crocodiles and many species of birds. Accommodation is offered in mid-range permanent tented camps.
Day 1: Dar es salaam to Selous Game Reserve
Meet your driver/guide in Dar es Salaam and drive with lunch box to Selous game reserve. Normally the drive takes up to 7 hours (219km) both tarmac and off road, and on first day normally we will have an evening boat trip
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 where a boat can sneak through like the back of his hand. They are also well aware of hippo and crocodile behavior 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
DAY 2 FULL DAY GAME DRIVE
After breakfast full day game drive in a specially modified safari vehicle with a professional guide, in which you should see and learn much about a large number of animals, including all the great favorites – lion, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, zebra – and all the other major species including the now rare African hunting dog. Great variety of bird species. Wonderful scenery, with varied topography: wetlands, dry grassland, light acacia forest and higher ground with long views to far-off mountains.
Packed lunch and time to rest. Your guide will select a location with shade and water nearby to watch animals coming to drink – a place with a clear view all round so that no predator can creep up unseen! Back to the lodge by 6.30 for sunset and dinner when you’re ready
Sample of car will be used for this safari
DAY 3- WALKING SAFARI AND DRIVE TO DAR
Walking safaris are a fantastic way to get close to nature and learn more about the smaller species and the bush itself. It's an unforgettable experience to walk within such a vast and untamed area of natural reserve
Although you may spot some giraffes or walk in the footsteps of elephants, our walking safaris are tailored to give you the opportunity to learn about the things you miss from a vehicle or boat - the ecosystem that the animals live in. Learn to identify animal tracks and signs and hear fascinating information about the insects, trees and colorful birdlife.
Walks are slow-paced, accompanied by both an armed ranger and our expert guide and are around 2-3 hours long. Leaving camp at around 6.30am after a cup of tea or coffee and some homemade biscuits. One of our safari cars drives you the short distance to the entrance gate of the game reserve where you pick up your armed ranger before heading to the start of the walk.
Please note groups cannot be larger than 6 people. Children must be able to walk unassisted and the camp management, guide or ranger accompanying the walking safari have the right to stop a child from participating if they feel it is in the best interests of the safety of the individual or group.
Walking safari will take about 2-3 hours then we will have breakfast and start drive back to Dar es Salaam and this will be the end of our tour
Walking safari
ACCOMMODATION DETAILS
REST CAMP TENTS
Designed to be as affordable as possible without sacrificing on comfort, Located in the woodland campsite (a short distance away from the river), tents are furnished with two single beds, canvas safari chairs, a small table and palm matting.
The separate, shared bathrooms, which have running hot water, are clean and airy and only a short walk from the tents. Tents are lit by solar lighting, and a charging point is available at the bar to charge any batteries.
The campsite is lit in the evenings with paraffin lamps. Bed linen, a torch, towels, and soap are all Provided
ACCOMMODATION – MUDHUTS
The interior is decorated with vibrant African fabrics and is fully furnished and comfortable. A four-poster bed, solar-power electricity, and en-suite bathroom with hot running water await you. Situated along the river bank, Mudhuts also have outdoor seating and enjoy views of the water, softly lit by lanterns in the evenings, each hut also has a solar power system to provide lighting and a fan to keep you cool during warm nights
View from outside
Inside view (WITH SHOWER)
MORE ABOUT SELUS GAME RESERVE
The reserve covers a total area of 50,000 km2 (19,000 sq mi) and has additional buffer zones. Within the reserve no permanent human habitation or permanent structures are permitted. All (human) entry and exit is carefully controlled by the Wildlife Division of the Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. Some of the typical animals of the miombo (for example African bush elephants, black rhinos, hippopotamus, lions, East African wild dogs, Cape buffaloes, Masai giraffes, Plains zebras, and crocodiles) can be found in this park in larger numbers than in any other African game reserve or national park
Walking safaris are permitted in the Selous, and boat trips on the Rufiji are a popular activity. A boundary change to allow the use of uranium deposits has been approved. The approval for the boundary change was given by the UNESCO and seriously criticized by environmentalists and organizations e.g., Uranium-Network and Rainforest Rescue.
In 1976, the Selous Game Reserve contained about 109,000 elephants, then the largest in the world. By 2013, the numbers had dropped to about 13,000 - including a 66% drop from 2009 to 2013.
