The Selous Game Reserve, covering 50,000 square kilometers, is amongst the largest protected areas in Africa and is relatively undisturbed by human impact. The reserve harbors one of the most significant concentrations of elephant, black rhinoceros, cheetah, giraffe, hippopotamus and crocodile, amongst many other species. The reserve also has an exceptionally high variety of habitats including Miombo woodlands, open grasslands, riverine forests and swamps, making it a valuable area for on-going ecological and biological processes as well as an unforgettable safari destination.
As well as a rich and wide range of wildlife, Selous Game Reserve also boasts a great diversity of vegetation, including rocky acacia-clad hills, gallery and ground water forests, swamps, and lowland rain forest. The most noticeable landscape being the Miombo woodlands which dominates most of the area with over 2,100 plant varietals. Large parts of the wooded grasslands of the northern Selous are seasonally flooded by the rising water of the Rufiji River, creating a very dynamic ecosystem.
Selous was named after Englishman Sir Frederick Selous, a famous big game hunter and early conservationist, who died at Beho Beho in this territory in 1917 while fighting against the Germans during World War I. Scottish explorer and cartographer Keith Johnston also died at Beho Beho in 1879 while leading a RSGS expedition to the Great Lakes of Africa with Joseph Thomson. The Selous was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 due to the diversity of its wildlife and undisturbed nature. A visit to Selous Game Reserve promises an amazing African safari experience with game drives filled with unparalleled flora diversity and spectacular wildlife.
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