Nyerere National Park ('The Selous')

Nyerere National Park ('The Selous') Safari Trips & Tours

Nyerere National Park ('The Selous')

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Joanna - Travel Consultant
Johnny - Travel Consultant
Eve - Travel Consultant
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4.9/5 (911 reviews)

Travel and Leisure Worlds Best Awards for number 1 tour operator in the world 2024 and number 2 tour operator in the world 2025
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Voted No.1 in 2024 and No.2 in 2025 by Travel+Leisure
Game drive

Nyerere National Park ('The Selous') Safari Trips & Tours

A lush and watery wonderland with some of the best boating safaris on the continent.
The largest reserve in Africa, the Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous Game Reserve) is a tangled wilderness of volcanic springs and vast gorges; of open savannah and wooded escarpments; of bleached-sand riverbeds and the mighty Rufiji River. With such diversity, the landscape is home to an extraordinary number of mammals, including buffalo, zebra, elephant and an impressive giraffe population. And with lots of food around, predators are also well represented, including the infamous Selous lion with their unique pattern of day-time hunting. With boat trips, walking safaris and night drives all on offer, this is a hidden gem that is well worth discovering.
Trips

Nyerere National Park ('The Selous') Safari Trips & Tours

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Off-the-beaten-track in southern Tanzania
Tanzania

Off-the-beaten-track in southern Tanzania

11 nights from $11K per person

Remote bush & beach in southern Tanzania
Tanzania

Remote bush & beach in southern Tanzania

11 nights from $6.8K per person

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or call us on: +1 (646) 542 0667

Jenna

Jenna Coiley

Africa Travel Specialist

Jonty

Jonty Medcalf

Africa and Antarctica Travel Specialist

Kevin

Kevin Zimmermann

Africa & South America Travel Specialist

Things to do

What to do in Nyerere National Park

‘The Selous’ or as it’s now known, Nyerere National Park, is the largest reserve in Africa, encompassing terrain that varies from volcanic springs and gaping gorges to open savannah and woodlands. Winding like a shimmering snake through this wild scene is the Rufiji River, making Nyerere Tanzania’s stellar boating safari destination. Look out for boulder-like hippos and lurking crocodiles as you idle by, while the banks attract hordes of elephant, giraffe, buffalo and zebra, followed keenly by Selous lions who are famous for their day-time hunts. You’ll also have the chance to see the park’s impressive cast of animals on game drives (including night excursions) and walking safaris. The most coveted experience is seeing a pack of African painted dogs scampering across the landscape and, if you plan a visit between May and June, watch pups playing just outside their den.

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Wildlife

Track Nyerere's wildlife on a game drive

Walking safari

Spot wildlife on a Nyerere National Park walk

Boating safari

Take a boat cruise down the Rufiji River

Best time to visit

When to go on a Nyerere National Park Trip

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Reviews

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Based on 181 Feefo Reviews for Tanzania

S. Africa / Tanzania vacation
Boris P
S. Africa / Tanzania vacation
May 2026
18 nights in South Africa and Tanzania
Thanks a lot to Jonty for his professionalism, patience, and assistance in helping us to build a wonderful itinerary for our upcoming South Africa and Tanzania vacation. We truly appreciate all the time and effort that has gone into planning this special trip and are very excited for the adventure ahead.
Expert travel advisors
Guest
Expert travel advisors
May 2026
19 nights in Kenya and Tanzania
This will be my third trip with Timbuktu and they are amazing! Very smart and helpful with plans and what you want to see and do. They can tailor your trip to your specifications which isn't always the case with travel agencies.
Great experience - highly recommended
Tony Joy
Great experience - highly recommended
April 2026
11 nights in Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania
Wonderful experience - this is the second time I booked with Tessa for Africa safari. The first in 2024 was a great experience so I naturally came back to her this year. She is very knowledgeable (she has traveled to many of the camps herself), she listens before she suggests, and a pleasure to work with. Her communications are timely and clear / concise. I highly recommend Tessa and Timbuktu.
Kristin Rogers
April 2026
15 nights in Tanzania
Everything was perfect. Communication was excellent.
Top notch vacation experience
Donovan Hard
Top notch vacation experience
February 2026
8 nights in Tanzania
Joanna was amazing in helping coordinate our trip from adding extras to ensure we had an amazing time and consistent communication leading up to the trip and making sure we had everything ready from the minute we landed to our departure.
Timbuktu helped make our honeymoon a special one!
Guest
Timbuktu helped make our honeymoon a special one!
November 2025
5 nights in Tanzania
We had an absolutely amazing time! We could not have had a better experience. With some luck on our side, we were able to see a river crossing and the big five. Both amazing experiences! We also enjoyed an amazing balloon ride! Both places that we stayed offered different but equally great accommodations, which we were looking for. Every person was so welcoming and offered service beyond what we would ever expect. We also don’t know if it was luck or planned, but all our game drives ended up being private. This trip feels like it would have been impossible to put together without the help of Timbuktu or at the very least much more difficult and stressful. Overall we had a fantastic time and we would definitely recommend you guys to others looking to travel to Africa!

Why travel with Timbuktu?

We design tailor-made journeys for travellers who want more than a holiday, from first-time safaris, gorilla treks and multi-generational family adventures to once-in-a-lifetime honeymoons - and everything in between. And here's why so many choose us to plan them.

Tailor-Made Since 2014

Tailor-Made Since 2014

We've been crafting one-of-a-kind journeys since 2014 — over 2,500 trips across 40+ countries, each one built from scratch around your interests and dreams.

Specialists Who've Been There

Specialists Who've Been There

Our team only recommends places they've slept in, eaten in, and happily keep going back to. Condé Nast Traveler named 11 of them Top Travel Specialists in 2026, and Travel+Leisure made three A-List Advisors.

The World's No 1 Tour Operator

The World's No 1 Tour Operator

Travel+Leisure's readers voted us the World's No.1 Tour Operator in 2024 and No.2 in 2025 — the travel industry's biggest readers' award, judged by people who actually travel.

Every Trip Makes A Difference

Every Trip Makes A Difference

$50 from every booking goes to female empowerment, tech education, and conservation projects across the countries we love. We have donated $78,000 so far – and it's going up!

Collaboration Is Key

Collaboration Is Key

Your travel specialist is with you the whole way, dreaming up the trip, building the itinerary, checking you in, and answering the 2am question from the other side of the world..

Loved By Our Guests

Loved By Our Guests

We are rated 4.9 out of 5 from 911 verified Feefo reviews. And these are the words of people who actually went, not us talking about ourselves.

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No. 1 & No. 2 Tour Operator in Travel + Leisure's Best Awards 2024 & 2025

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Travel Specialist voted as Latin America A-List Travel Advisor 2025

Condé Nast Traveler A-List Awards

"Timbuktu can take relatively complex and slightly amorphous travel plans and transform them into a well-organized, perfectly tailored trip."

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