To see Wild dogs in Selous Game Reserve (Nyerere National Park)

“It seemed too good to be true, but after a fifteen-minute drive, we came across a pack of 5 Wild Dogs, lying in the shade of some bushes. What a sighting!

Location: Selous Game Reserve
Accommodation: Rufiji River Camp – Foxes Safari Camp
Travel Dates: November 1-2-3 & 4
Distance: 35 minutes flight from Dar Es Salaam
Temperature: 26-30°C

Report:
After an hour’s flight from Ruaha, we landed safely on the banks of the Rufiji River in the Selous Game Reserve. The biggest difference between a Game Reserve and a National Park is that you are allowed to go ‘off-roading’ in a Game Reserve, allowing you to get much closer to the animals. After a five-minute drive, we arrived at the beautiful Rufiji River Camp. Unlike Ruaha, the climate here in terms of temperature was much more pleasant (26-30°C), but extreme humidity prevailed.

In the afternoon, we opted for a boat safari on the mighty Rufiji River. During this trip, we were amazed at the abundance of wildlife in a single afternoon, something we hadn’t expected: hippos, crocodiles, buffaloes, kingfishers, including the Pygmy Malachite and the Pied Kingfisher, as well as other birds such as Bee-Eaters and an Osprey. These sightings added up to our list of spotted animals.

On the second day, we chose a game drive, which once again provided us with some impressive sightings: a herd of wildebeests, zebras, waterbucks, hartebeests, giraffes, a herd of warthogs, a leopard cub, and as the icing on the cake, one of Africa’s largest raptors, the African Crowned Eagle. Our stay in the Selous Game Reserve couldn’t have been better!

On the third day, we opted for a full-day game drive. Our guide, Radahu, suggested driving to Lake Manze but wanted to make a detour to a place where he had seen Wild Dogs the previous week. It seemed too good to be true, but after a fifteen-minute drive, we came across a pack of 5 Wild Dogs, lying in the shade of some bushes. What a sighting! After spending an hour with the Wild Dogs, we continued to Lake Manze, but not without spotting a Fish Eagle, vultures, and some elands on the way. The surroundings of Lake Manze were not only breathtakingly beautiful, but what we saw exceeded our wildest expectations: two lion cubs resting under a tree, two lionesses that had just eaten – saliva still clinging to their mouths, a pride of lions that had just killed a buffalo in the marshy area… Well, on our way back, satisfied with so much beauty, we came across the Wild Dogs we had seen in the morning, now resting by a riverbank.

On the fourth day, in the morning, we opted for a boat safari to avoid fatigue in the afternoon when we would fly back to Dar Es Salaam. During our boat trip, we saw some hippos and crocodiles again, but also a weaverbird, Pied Kingfishers, a Malachite Kingfisher, an Open-Billed Stork, and a Brown Snake Eagle. Tired but satisfied, we flew back to Dar Es Salaam in the afternoon.”