Nyerere National Park is a hot spot for many travellers to Tanzania, it is the former north Selous game reserve to the south of the country distant from the busy parks along the northern circuit. The first name of the park “Selous” was obtained from a British explorer Frederick Courtney Selous who led to the discovery of many game reserves in Africa, he was shot during World War I and after the game reserve was named after him, the park is one of the recognized UNESCO world heritage sites due to the composition of animal species present within the national park. it is of recently that the park status was upgraded to a national park status in 2019 and a changed name from Selous National Park to Nyerere National Park.
The new name was in honour of the Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere a known person who led the country into independence, the park is managed under Tanzania National Park authorities. The 30,800 square kilometres national park is home to incredible wildlife species featuring many predators like lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, jackals, African wild dogs, herds of elephants, African buffalo, Roth child’s giraffes, gazelles, antelopes, crocodiles, hippos among other species, and over 400 bird species have been recorded in the national park to date, example bird types include grey hooded kingfisher, African harrier hawks, purple banned sunbirds, African fish eagles, broad-billed roller, brown-headed parrot, thick-billed cuckoo, white-backed night herons, palm nut vulture to mention a few.
Nyerere National Park will have you immerse yourself into the trueness of the African wilderness, it is undisturbed with wildlife intact, the wide range of wildlife, rivers like River Rufiji flowing along the floor park, offer a great chance to experience tourism activities in the national park. These include game drives conducted using 4×4 Wheel car drives in search of animal species, through the well-distributed trails of the park, expect to see animals, the drives take place from 6:30 am in search of animals, and last for 2-3 hours, travellers have the chance to do full day game drives. It is among the few places in Tanzania where doing night game drives is allowed in search of nocturnal species.
Hot air balloon safaris are experiential to do in the national park, it is one of the most amazing things to do while in the national park, the experience is unforgettable as you fly over the vast savannah dotted with scattered trees and wild animals, the balloons take off in the morning at around 6:00 am. The Ariel view of the animals running around the national park is a lovely sight, before the balloon safari, guests are offered a drink and breakfast to begin the day.
Boat cruises along river Rufiji are epic, it is one of the best places in Africa to see a large concentration of animals, along the river banks expect to see many birds like the goliath herons, African fish eagles, bee-eaters, pelicans, malachite kingfishers to mention a few, animals do come around to graze and look out for greener pastures.
Nyerere National Park can be visited any time of the year but best during the dry season between the months of December to February and June to September, it takes approximately 5 hours to drive to the national park by road or flights can be arranged to the destination from Dar-es-salaam for 45minutes. The park can also be accessed from other destinations in Tanzania.
In conclusion, there is available accommodation for travelers, to the national park, Examples of facilities include the sand rivers Selous, Lake Manze camp, and Siwandu Camp, among others facilities.