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The Selous Game Reserve, at a massive 50,000 kilometres square, is wilderness on a huge scale - the largest in Africa. And although it's a seemingly infinite place, it has great subtlety. Wildlife encounters are intimate and dreamlike; animals appear and disappear into the bush, leaving you with a deep sense of mystery, like you have centre seats in a great safari eco-theatre.
Set on a wide curve of the Rufiji River, Sand Rivers Selous has been a well-loved hub for safari buffs since the late 1980s when camp founder Richard Bonham first discovered this place on one of his famous portered walking safaris. The lodge is small - only 8 rooms - but beautifully formed, grand yet cozy, with open fronted stone and thatch cottages looking way out over the river.
The lodge is the base for some of Tanzania's best safari guides to take you out for daily adventures; boating on the Rufiji, weaving past hippopotamus and crocodile, driving on the trail of lion or wild dog; an elephant bush walk; a night sleeping out under the stars - or fishing in solitude, barefoot on a river rock. The lodge is both expedition base, and safari retreat; it's small but beautifully formed, with an imposing mess, swimming pool, excellent cooking and careful, at-your-whim service.
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One of Sand Rivers most coveted trip is our Selous Walking Safari - a four day wilderness walk in the seriously remote parts of the park. Explore the remotest corners of the area over a set period, with fly-camps moving every night. Walk through magical and diverse landscapes, seeing things not always visible from a vehicle. Each day is designed to be different, and to offer unrivalled exposure to the area. Walks are concentrated around the early morning and late afternoons, with opportunities for fishing, and relaxing in the middle of the day.
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Accomodation:
Accommodation at Sand Rivers Selous is in spacious open-fronted cottages made of stone and thatch, and raised up on the banks of the Rufiji with amazing views out across the river. There are five standard rooms, and two suites, and now we have the new one-bedroom private house - The Rhino House.
The suites and the standard rooms all have spacious, open, en-suite bathrooms, with flush toilets and powerful showers.
The main mess and dining area is close to the river. It's grand yet cosy, the atmosphere is familiar, and the service superior.
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The Suites - Tagalala and Kipalala -
There are two Suites at Sand Rivers, and although separate from the standard rooms, they are within walking distance of the main mess/dining area and large swimming pool. Whilst all meals are eaten in the main mess, the suites have their own private lounge area, and plunge pools set into the main deck. The bedrooms, with large and comfortable beds, are open fronted and the en-suite bathrooms are bush-deluxe. And throughout, the cooling sounds of the river run. The two Suites expand the space and luxury for the happy hippo in all of us, with big sofas and plunge pools for constant wallowing.
The Rhino House - This is our new private and exclusive one-bedroom 'house', located near to the main lodge. Its the perfect private hideaway; meals are served in your own dining area, and you have your own small pool for an afternoon of chilling out, with the fully stocked bar close by. The bedroom is deeply romantic, and has a wide open front looking down over the river and open woodlands. Its perched up on a hillside, providing the ultimate view. It's a hideway home for two, offering total bush bliss, day and night, and the greatest luxury of all, a private piece of the great beyond.
As well as this you, have your own private car and guide to take you out for game drives when you wish.
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Location:
For sheer drama, the Selous Game Reserve is hard to beat. It's home to such a Noah's ark of wildlife that it's been made a World Heritage Site, and this huge reserve, at a massive 50,000 square kilometres, has given over 1000 square kilometres in the north, to wildlife and safaris. It is the second largest protected wilderness area in the world. It also forms part of the Selous - Niassa eco-system, which covers 155,000 square kilometres across southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique.
In the Selous, thick Miombo forests give way to grassy flood plains and skeletons of leadwood trees. The river, in the northern part, changes course constantly, creating oxbow lakes fringed with palms, and the sand rivers after which the lodge was named. Surrounded by such diverse landscapes, unique to this northern area of the reserve, Sand Rivers lies in close proximity to Steigler's Gorge, Lake Tagalala and the Beho Beho hot springs. |
How to Get There:
There are numerous daily flights to Kiba airstrip from Dar es Salaam,
Zanzibar, Ruaha, Mafia, Pemba, and northern Tanzania. Your tour operator can help you plan all this, and much more.
Activities:
It's not what you see, it's how you see it. In the Selous, game viewing takes on a very different, and exciting pace. Whether its game drives, walking safaris, fishing, boating, or a combination of all of these, it never disappoints, and there is always something thrilling to see.
The Rufiji River provides an utterly unique view of life in the Selous. Upstream from the lodge, the river narrows into a deep ravine called Steigler´s Gorge. The steep sides are thick with lush forest, and huge boulders where leopards are often seen, and monkeys leap through the treetops. Meander your way slowly through this amazing place.
Downstream of the lodge the river is wide and expansive with vast tracts of sandy banks, and elephants, giraffe and plenty of crocodiles are often seen at the waters edge.
For the more adventurous, fly-camping at Sand Rivers Selous offers the outdoor experience of a lifetime, and is one of the most raved about things to do. Mosquito net tents are set up on sandbanks, or near to a busy waterhole.
Simple yet fully equipped, these small camps have comfortable bedrolls to curl up in, a short drop toilet and bucket shower just behind, great food, and ice cold drinks; it's the perfect combination of intrepid adventure and bush comfort.
Of course, you might just choose to stay in the lodge itself, and loll by the pool, play games in the mess with an iced cocktail in hand, read books on your own veranda; we wouldn't blame you in the slightest.
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Fast Facts:
Location - In the northern part of the Selous Game Reserve, on the banks of the Rufiji River.
Setting - The stone and thatch lodge is set under large Tamarind and Mahogany trees, on a rocky peninsula overlooking the wide expanse of the river.
Accommodation - All the stone and thatched rooms are open-fronted, and raised up on the banks of the river, all with amazing views. There are three room options:
Standard cottages: There are five standard rooms which are open and airy, with en-suite bathrooms, flush toilets, powerful showers, and hot and cold running water.
Suites (Tagalala & Kipalala): The two suites offer more private space; as well as a large bedroom and en-suite bathroom there is a lounge area, and small plunge pool set into the deck.
The Rhino House: This is our new one-bedroom honeymoon cottage. It has a large bedroom, en-suite bathroom, lounge and open dining area for private meals. It also comes with its own 4WD vehicle and private guide to take you out on your own game drives as and when you wish.
Activities - Game drives in open-sided 4WD vehicles, walks, fly-camping, boating, fishing, birding, picnics, and bush lunches and dinners.
Fly-Camping - This is a highly recommended part of any trip to Sand Rivers, and is one of the most popular things on offer at the lodge. The shared fly camps are set up on a sand bank, or close to one of the lakes, and consist of spacious mosquito-net tents with comfortable safari bedrolls. There is a bucket shower - with hot water - and a short-drop toilet set up just behind camp. A full complement of staff provide all the meals you could possibly eat: full breakfast, light lunch, and a three-course candlelit dinner. Fly-camping should be booked in advance, and is available at an extra supplement.
Gratuities - We often get asked about what to tip. We find that most people will leave around $10 per person per day, which then gets split amongst the general staff, with the guides being tipped separately. Obviously tipping is not taken for granted, but if you've had a fantastic safari and would like to leave something for the guys, then great. Can we please ask however, that any tips are left in cash. In Tanzania, any staff tip payments made through our bank (via credit card or cheque) will likely be charged VAT and our staff will certainly charged income tax. Thank you for your understanding.
How to Get There - There are numerous daily flights to Kiba airstrip from Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Ruaha, Mafia, Pemba and northern Tanzania.
Child Policy - We are delighted to accept children of 8 and over at Sand Rivers Selous, but please note that only children of 12 and over can participate in walking and fly-camping activities.
Seasonal highlights - June to September; warm days and cool nights, best time of year for walking safaris. Great elephant and buffalo sightings. October-November: heavy concentrates of game around the inland lakes, weather dry and hot. December-March: prolific bird life, many animals calving, weather starts to get humid, with possibility of rain.
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