Tanzania's Southern Selous Game Reserve Is An Unexplored Safari Adventure Waiting For Us

Jabali Ridge Photo: Courtesy of Asilia Africa

The Serengeti's wildlife sanctuary is a vast expanse over 5,700 square miles and its otherworldly animal migration is one of the New Wonders of the World, writes Vogue.com. According to the Tanzania Tourist Board, nearly 1.3 million people visit the country annually, with about two-thirds of visitors heading for the Serengeti.

The others stick close to the north—the Ngorongoro Crater, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and Lake Manyara—and also the island of Zanzibar.

This reality leaves the southern half of Tanzania perhaps the best-kept Safari secret with untouched terrain and the Selous Game Reserve, twice the size of the Serengeti. 

Comparing the two, Ruaha houses 10 percent of the planet’s lion population, as well as one of the largest elephant populations on our planet.

Selous is home to the world’s largest population of wild dogs, is nicknamed Giraffe Park because of the density of these long-necks animals, and is home to some of Tanzania's last remaining black rhinos. Not only is nature's extraordinary wildlife abundant, but seeing it is an almost solo experience. 

Asilia, a safari company dedicated to conservation, is one of the first luxury outfitters to embrace the turn to the little-developed side of Tanzania. The aim of Asilia to “effectively protect wildlife while providing opportunities for local people to prosper,” while changing the reality of life in southern Tanzania, where poaching and sport hunting still occur. Presently, a large majority of Selous Game Reserve is set aside for big game hunting. An increase in tourism generates revenue for parks to increase the number of rangers, and in the case of Ruaha National Park, erect a fence containing the area and establish measures to preserve rainwater. Both actions would help to protect the animals that roam this land.

Lions in Selous Game Reserve Photo: Courtesy of Asilia