NYERERE NATIONAL PARK
The Nyerere National Park was formerly called “Selous Game Reserve. The park gained the “National Park status in 2019. This is Africa’s Largest National Park. The Park has a size of about 30,893 km2 that hosts the world’s largest concentrations of wildlife. The collection of wildlife both in diversity and abundance is just remarkable. Nyerere National Park is located in south eastern Tanzania. It bordered Mikumi National Park to the northwest and Udzungwa Mountains National Park to the west. Visitors to this vast sanctuary will be able to see huge volumes of wildlife both rare and common species. The park hosts the famous ‘’Big Five’’ and some rare species of antelopes like Roan Antelope, Brindled Gnu, Lichtenstein hartebeest, roan, sable antelopes and Kudu.
The Nyerere National Park is located in the northeastern part of the giant Selous Game Reserve that has been set aside for photographic safaris and other attractions. Nyerere National Park is one of the most beautiful and game-rich areas in the ecosystem of Selous Game Reserve, spanning the Rufiji River basin in southeastern Tanzania. Nyerere National Park is perhaps one of the most unspoiled wildernesses still remaining in Africa. The park has a wide assortment of wildlife habitats, including open grasslands, wildlife, Miombo woodlands, swamps and riverine forests in the many tributaries of the enormous Rufiji River which flows through the National Park to the Indian Ocean.
Its wildlife is spectacular with some of the prime population of mammals and reptiles in Africa. The diversity of wild animals includes buffaloes, elephants, hippos and crocodiles. Nyerere National Park, together with the remaining part of Selous Game Reserve, is considered to be the last defensible of the African wild dog. Other common wildlife include the wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, eland, the greater kudu, sable antelopes, black rhino, waterbuck, impala, lion, leopard, the spotted hyena, cheetah, baboon, vervet and blue monkey, and the black and white colobus monkey which can be viewed in riverine forests. About 440 species of birds both resident and migratory have been experienced in the national park.