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Nyerere National Park

Since November 2019 a large part of the Selous Game Reserve, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its biodiversity, has entered the jurisdiction of the national parks under the name of Nyerere National Park. Despite being the largest park in Africa, the safari area is very limited and is concentrated around the spectacular Rufiji River, the longest in Tanzania, which flows into the Indian Ocean. In the dry season the waterways that flow into the Rufiji are transformed into the rivers of sand that characterize the landscape of the park, along with little lakes and swamps that never dry up, despite the climate change has reduced the level of their water. The strength of the Nyerere National Park, compared to all the other parks in Tanzania, is the water, which gives life to unique landscapes: green shores where you gather an incredible amount of animals and predators, waterways with a high concentration of hippopotamuses and crocodiles. Wild nature, great variety of fauna and plants, the possibility of long safaris accompanied on foot, suggestive boat safaris make this park an exciting experience not far from the seaside destinations.

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Airstrip: Mtemere – Matambwe – Sumbazi – Kiba (or Kibambawe) – Beho beho – Siwandu – Stiegler’s Gorge
  • 4 hours from Dar Es Salaam
  • from 1 to 2 days for visiting the park
  • 30,893  km² of extension (wider than Sicily)

safari area about 2,000 km²

  • altitude between 100 and 400 meters above sea level
  • accommodation within or near the park
accomodation

POINT OF INTEREST IN THE PARK

Mtemere Gate north eastern entrance of the park
Matembwe Gate north-western entrance to the park
the Rufiji River crosses the park and then flows into the Indian Ocean, opposite the Mafia Island
around the deep gorge of Stiegler, just below the confluence of the rivers Great Ruaha and Rufiji, there are most accommodation facilities; recently the government has inaugurated the construction of a hydroelectric dam
there are several hot springs near the hills of Beho Beho; some of these springs, from which hot sulphurous water pours from the slopes of the mountains forming picturesque pools, are easily reached by car or with a short walk surrounded by vegetation
nella Selous grave giace sepolto Frederick Courteney Selous, esploratore britannico che fu ucciso nel Nyerere National Park durante la prima guerra mondiale e da cui prende il nome la Selous Game Reserve, in parte diventata Nyerere National Park

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The fauna in the Nyerere National Park 

 

one of the best for sightings of

Elephant Wild dog • Sharpe’s grysbok

very frequent sightings of

Lion African Buffalo Giraffe • Nyasa (Johnston’s) Wildebeest Zebra Hippopotamus Crocodile Nile Monitor White-throated Monitor Lizard Spotted Hyena WaterbuckEland • Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest Greater KuduImpala Warthog • Bohor Reedbuck

probable sightings of

Leopard  Side-striped Jackal • Natal Red Duiker Blue Duiker Common Duiker (grey) Klipspringer Oribi Bushbuck  Suni  Slender Mongoose Banded Mongoose Dwarf Mongoose Honey Badger Vervet MonkeyOlive Baboon Yellow Baboon Bushbaby (Northern Lesser Galago)

very rare sightings of

Cheetah

birdwatching

Lake species • Egyptian Goose • Marabou⚑ • African Openbill⚑ • Abdim’s Stork⚑ • African Spoonbill⚑ • Hadada Ibis⚑ • White-backed Night-heron⚑ • Squacco Heron⚑ • Madagascar Pond-heron• Black-headed Heron⚑ • Hamerkop⚑ • African Darter⚑  • Spotted Thick-knee • Black-winged Stilt⚑ • White-headed Lapwing• Crowned Lapwing• African Skimmer… and several other 
Other species • Common Ostrich⚑ • Vulturine Guineafowl⚑ • Red-necked Francolin⚑ • Coqui Francolin⚑ • Blue-spotted Wood-dove • Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo⚑ • Kori Bustard• Pel’s Fishing-owl⚑ • Secretarybird⚑ • Black-winged Kite • African Harrier-hawk⚑ • Bateleur• Southern Banded Snake-eagle⚑ •  Black-chested Snake-eagle⚑ • White-backed Vulture• Ruppell’s Vulture• Lappet-faced Vulture⚑ • Crowned Eagle • Martial Eagle⚑ • African Fish-eagle⚑ • Speckled Mousebird • Southern Ground-hornbill⚑  • African Grey Hornbill⚑  • Green Woodhoopoe • Böhm’s Bee-eater • White-fronted Bee-eater(in photo) • Lilac-breasted Roller⚑ • Malachite Kingfisher⚑ • Giant Kingfisher • Grey-headed Kingfisher • Striped Kingfisher⚑ • Usambiro Barbet• White-eared Barbet⚑ • Stierling’s Woodpecker• Grey Kestrel⚑ • Dickinson’s Kestrel⚑ •  Brown-necked Parrot⚑ • African Pitta⚑ • African Broadbill⚑ • Fischer’s Sparrow-lark • Rufous-naped Lark  • Superb Starling⚑ • Bearded Scrub-robin⚑ • Spectacled Weaver⚑ • Kilombero Weaver• Olive-headed Weaver• Yellow-fronted Canary… and several other 
Threatened
Tanzania endemic
Near endemic
Africa endemic
Migratory

PARK ACTIVITIES INCLUDED IN OUR SAFARIS

Safari by car: our programs provide a route that reaches all areas of the park and indicated in our map.

EXTRA ACTIVITIES IN THE PARK

Boat safaris: boat trips are a must in the park, along the Rufiji river, especially in the afternoon, to end the day with an unforgettable sunset over the water.

Safari on foot: walking safari is allowed in the park, accompanied by an armed ranger.

Entry to the National Parks in Tanzania is allowed to licensed off-road vehicles of local tour operators with a valid license. The paths of the safaris are strictly bound to the trails. The strict regulation of parks has the laudable aim of safeguarding the inestimable natural heritage and supporting the local economy. The “DIY tourism” presents many unknowns and therefore becomes difficult to practice. With us, local tour operator with Italian participation, you can realize your dream of a tailor-made safari! Contact us

For information on transit fees and park accommodation, already included in the price of our safaris, visit the Park Fees page. The system of taxation of tourism in the parks of Tanzania is the necessary contribution to the conservation of an uncontaminated and wild natural heritage, of inestimable environmental value.

For general information about all parks in Tanzania and about this park – when to go, where is it, nearby destinations – go to Parks of Tanzania page

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