Nyerere National Park
Tanzania's largest National Park
Boat trips on lakes, lagoons and rivers
Easy to combine with Ruaha National Park
Nyerere National Park, formerly known as northern part of the Selous Game Reserve, covers 30'893 km2 of wilderness and is twice as large as the Serengeti. The area was declared a National Park in 2019 and is since the largest National Park in Tanzania.
At 600 km long, the Rufiji River is the longest river in East Africa and source of the park’s lifeblood. The branched river system includes five large lagoons, which are (from west to east) Lake Tagalala, Lake Manze, Lake Nzerakera, Lake Siwandu and Lake Mzizimia.
The park comprises 75% mixed miombo forest, but also supports a striking number of beautiful palms, including the borassus and doum palms, and many candelabra trees (Euphorbia candelabrum). The Rufiji River is the park’s lifeblood: the river system, the marshes, canals and lagoons attract all kinds of animals, including crocodile, hippo, buffalo, elephant, lion and antelope. Hyena, leopard and wild dog can also be seen here.
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The park has its former name from the British big game hunter Frederick Courtney Selous, who was killed on the banks of the Beho Beho River on January 4, 1917 during a skirmish with German troops under General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck. It is possible to visit his grave, which is located close to the Beho Beho Camp.
The new name was chosen in honor of Tanzania's founder and first president, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere. Nyerere led the nation through independence and remained president of the young republic until 1985. He is revered as the father of the nation.
The park is home to several beautiful lodges, where in addition to game drives, guests can also enjoy boat trips and bush walking. Boat trips take place on the lakes or canals, or as at Sands Rivers Camp, on the main river itself. Distances within the park are immense and the roads very bumpy, but the scenery is stunning. The park is situated some 500 m above sea level and gets very hot between November and February. During this time of the year occasionals rain storms will occur, mostly in the afternoons. Best time of travel is from June to October.
Nyerere National Park is easy to combine with a trip to Ruaha National Park, which is a one hours’ flight away – as is Dar es Salaam.
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