Nyerere National Park
Africa's largest national park — a wild, remote Southern Circuit wilderness of rivers, lakes, and woodlands with walking safaris and boat game drives.
Nyerere National Park (formerly the Selous Game Reserve) is Africa's largest national park at over 30,000 square kilometres — larger than Switzerland. Located in southern Tanzania, it offers a raw, untouched wilderness experience that stands in stark contrast to the busier Northern Circuit parks.
Renamed in 2019 in honour of Tanzania's founding president Julius Nyerere, the park is defined by the mighty Rufiji River and its network of lakes, channels, and floodplains. This riverine landscape enables unique safari activities unavailable in northern parks — boat safaris, walking safaris, and fly-camping adventures.
Nyerere receives only a fraction of the visitors that the Serengeti sees, despite being vastly larger. This means genuinely exclusive wildlife encounters — you may spend an entire morning game drive without seeing another vehicle.
The park is a stronghold for African wild dog, one of the continent's most endangered predators, with one of the healthiest populations remaining in East Africa.
Safari Tours & Packages in Nyerere National Park
Explore our curated itineraries that include Nyerere National Park.
Wildlife & What You'll See
Nyerere hosts massive populations of elephant (estimated 40,000+), buffalo, hippo, and crocodile. Lion, leopard, and spotted hyena are the dominant predators, but the park's real star is the African wild dog — Nyerere supports one of Africa's largest populations.
The Rufiji River and its ox-bow lakes provide habitat for enormous Nile crocodiles and pods of hippo numbering in the hundreds. Giraffe, sable antelope, Lichtenstein's hartebeest, and greater kudu inhabit the woodlands. Over 440 bird species have been recorded.
How to Get There
Nyerere is accessed by scheduled or charter flights from Dar es Salaam (45 minutes), Arusha, or Zanzibar. Road access from Dar es Salaam takes approximately 6 hours. Most visitors fly in and transfer to their lodge or camp by vehicle or boat.
Park Fees & Regulations
Park entry fees are $82.60 per adult per 24 hours (non-resident). Walking safari and boat safari fees apply separately. Your safari operator includes all fees in the package price.