Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous)

Nyerere National Park—until 2019 known as the Selous Game Reserve—is Africa at its most primal. At roughly 30,000 square kilometres, it is one of the largest protected areas on the continent, dwarfing the Serengeti by a factor of two. Yet it receives a fraction of the visitors, making it one of the most exclusive wilderness experiences in East Africa.

The Rufiji River is Nyerere's beating heart—a broad, sand-fringed waterway that supports enormous populations of hippo and crocodile and provides the setting for boat safaris that are unique in Tanzania. Gliding past sandbanks where hundreds of hippos cluster, watching elephants swim across the channel, and observing fish eagles plucking tilapia from the shallows—this is safari from a perspective that no game drive can replicate.

Nyerere is also one of Africa's most important strongholds for African wild dogs, with a population estimated at over 1,300—the largest in the world. Combined with exceptional lion, leopard, and elephant viewing, the park delivers a safari of rare quality for those willing to venture off the beaten path.