Tanzania's largest national park, carved from the Selous: Rufiji River boat safaris, wild dogs, elephants and miombo wilderness
Nyerere National Park is a huge, little-visited wilderness in south-eastern Tanzania, shaped by the Rufiji, the country's largest river. The river splits into channels, sandbanks, oxbow lakes and swamps fringed with palms and riverine forest, and away from the water the land gives way to open grassland and the endless miombo woodland of the south. Elephants, buffalo, giraffes, lions and leopards are all here, but the park is particularly valued for its African wild dogs.
What sets Nyerere apart from the northern circuit is the variety of ways to explore. Alongside game drives, visitors can take boat safaris on the Rufiji and its lakes, go on guided walks with armed rangers, and in some areas fly-camp under the stars. Vehicle numbers are low, and scheduled and charter flights to the park's airstrips make it a practical addition to time on the coast.
The area has been protected for well over a century. In 1896 the German colonial governor Hermann von Wissmann declared a protected zone here, and the reserve was later named after Frederick Selous, the British hunter and explorer who was killed at Beho Beho in 1917 while fighting in the East African campaign of the First World War. The Selous Game Reserve grew into one of the largest protected areas in Africa, and in 1982 UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site for its wildlife and largely undisturbed ecosystems.
Heavy elephant poaching hit the reserve hard, with numbers falling by around two-thirds between 2009 and 2013, and in 2014 UNESCO placed the site on its List of World Heritage in Danger. In 2019 the government excised the northern part of the reserve to create Nyerere National Park, named after Julius Nyerere, Tanzania's first president. The same year construction began on the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Station at Stiegler's Gorge on the Rufiji, a project that drew concern from UNESCO and conservation bodies because of its potential effects on the river and its delta.
Villages around the park are largely rural farming communities spread across several regions of southern Tanzania. TANAPA works with neighbouring communities on conservation and tourism, and the wider Selous landscape remains part of local history and identity. Most visitors see little of village life unless they drive in, so stopping in towns on the road from Dar es Salaam or choosing a camp that supports local projects helps spread the benefits of tourism.
Game drives explore the floodplains, lakes and woodland near the Rufiji, while boat trips glide past sandbanks crowded with hippos and basking crocodiles, often ending with a sunset on the water. Walking safaris, always with an authorised guide, focus on tracks, birds, plants and the smaller details of the bush, and fly-camping and night game drives are also listed among park activities.
Distances are large and roads can be rough, so most travellers stay at lodges or camps along the river and fly between airstrips such as Mtemere and Kiba. Three or four nights allow time for a mix of drives, boating and walking. Nyerere combines well with Ruaha for a southern safari, or with Zanzibar or Mafia for time on the coast.
The dry season from roughly June to October is the classic time to visit, when vegetation thins out, animals gather along the river and lakes, and tracks are easiest to use. The rainy months bring lush scenery, migrant birds and fewer visitors, but heavy rain can make tracks difficult and raise river levels. It is hot for much of the year, especially in the late dry season.
Checked against the sources on 28 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.
General guidance from our specialists, not official information.
The Rufiji River runs east from the park to its delta, whose mangrove forest is one of the largest in the world, opposite Mafia Island. Mikumi National Park lies to the north-west near the Dar es Salaam to Morogoro highway, and Udzungwa Mountains National Park is further west. Dar es Salaam, the main gateway, is a short flight away, with onward connections to Zanzibar.
At about 20,226 square kilometres, Ruaha is Tanzania's second-largest national park, a rugged landscape of baobabs, rocky hills and miombo woodland along the Great Ruaha River. Low visitor numbers, strong predator populations and rare antelopes such as greater and lesser kudu, roan and sable make it a rewarding choice for experienced safari-goers.
ExploreEstablished in 1964, Mikumi covers about 3,230 square kilometres between the Uluguru and Udzungwa mountains, with the open Mkata floodplain at its heart. Its position on the main highway west of Morogoro makes it the easiest park in southern Tanzania to reach by road, ideal for a short safari from Dar es Salaam.
ExploreTanzania's largest city and commercial capital, with around 5.4 million people at the 2022 census, and the country's busiest port. Most travellers pass through on the way to Zanzibar, the southern parks or the coast, but its markets, museums and waterfront reward a day or two.
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Tanzania · 10 nights5★ LodgeTanzania · 8 nights5★ LodgeTanzania · 5 nights5★ LodgeThis guide was researched from the sources below and reviewed by our team on 28 October 2026. Facts under “Verified information” link to the page they were checked on; travel tips are general guidance. Photos are credited on each image. The ambient recording’s author and licence are shown in the sound player.
