Selous Game Reserve(bigest reserve in Africa)

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Covering an area around 50,000 sq km, the Selous Game Reserve is the largest protected wildlife area in the world.A unesco World Heritage site.Lying in the south eastern part of Tanzania, this prestine uninhabited are become qualified as the World's largest unspoiled wilderness and the most natural wilderness remaining in Africa.

The reserve contains a wide variety of habitats, which include open grasslands, acacia and miombo woodlands,riverine forest and swamps.It is home to thousands of the big mammals,hundreds species of birds,countless small animals and many reptiles.Selous boasts largest population of Elephants in Tanzania as well as large number of lion,leopard,african hunting dog,hippos,crocodile and buffalo.

Other species commonly seen are bushbuck,eland,red and blue duiker,hyena,klipspringer,impala,hartebeest,giraffe,reedbuck,oryx,zebra,waterbuck,yellow baboon,vervet and blue monkey,black and white colobus monkey and endangered red colobus monkey. Bird-life in the reserve are prolific and the 400 species recorded include the globally threatened wattled crane and the corncrake.

Topography of the Selous reserve varies from rolling savannah woodland,grassland plains and rocky outcrops cut by the Rufiji river and its tributaries, Kilombero and Luwegu, which together cover the greatest catchment area in East Africa.Rufiji river,one of the main feature in the selous reserve which flows from north to south, provides the life blood of the selous game reserve,giving opportunities for boat safaris.

The river s delta contains the largest Mangrove forest in the world.Boat Safaris on the river and on adjacent lakes are a special way to observe wildlife especially during dry season and to see some of the best scenery in the reserve.

Hippos,crocodiles,waterbucks,buffalos and a large variety of water birds such as herons,kingfishers and geese are abundant in and around the river. Linked to Rufiji river is lake Tagalala, where elephants, giraffe, waterbuck, reedbuck and bushbuck gather at the waters edge.In the long grassland, safari enthusiasts may even get chance to spot rare sable antelope, great kudu or lion.

The game reserve named Selous as the memory of the naturalist, hunter explorer and author Frederic Courteney Selous, who died fighting in World war I and buried near he fell in the reserve Walking safaris, game drives and Boat safaris are organized.The best time to visit is during the dry season between June to October,when game is forced from hiding places to the river to drink.

The waters of the Kilombero game controlled area are the home to the ferocious tiger fish and vandu catfish, the latter equipped with a primitive set of lungs which allows it to migrate from one landlocked pool to another

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