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At 30,893 square kilometers, the vast Nyerere National Park is Africa's largest stand alone National Park and one of the largest in the world. The park is located in south Eastern Tanzania, roughly 230 kilometers by road from Dar es Salaam city to Mtemere Gate, and was carved out from the Selous Game reserve, a huge wilderness area and safari destination in Southern Tanzania.Nyerere Park boasts of the largest concentration of wild animals and a rich collection of wildlife that is abundant and diverse. The fact that this park is new and largely less frequented by tourists means that the animals here tend to be less exposed to humans. Good numbers of Big Cats such as Lion, Leopard, Cheetah are to be found here along with other large Game animals such as Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Giraffe, Eland, Zebra, Wildebeest and other wildlife.With the new establishment of this park by the Tanzania Government and TANAPA ( Tanzania National Parks Authority ) in late 2019, it is expected that the park will be developed further and managed more professionally for a better tourism experience.
Activities In Nyerere National Park
Nyerere National Park offers a wide range of activities that give visitors opportunities to enjoy its beauty. Some of the most popular activities include game drives, bird watching, walking safaris and boat safaris. The many waterways in the park provide an excellent natural setting for boat safaris, both for big game viewing and bird watching. Tourists visiting Nyerere National Park may book these activities below in advance of their visit to Tanzania.
Hot Air Balloon Safari In Tanzania
A truly 'once in a lifetime' experience, flying in a Hot Air Balloon over the mighty Selous is an evocative experience that you have the chance to enjoy during any safari you take to Nyerere National Park or Selous Game Reserve. The balloons take off at the break of dawn, around 6am, gliding silently over the savannah grasslands below where you can spot a variety of wildlife. The flight lasts an hour and concludes with a ''Champagne Bush Breakfast'' at the balloon landing site in the wilderness. The balloon is flown by a fully qualified and experienced Pilot and the balloons themselves are most often made by Cameron, a specialist hot air balloon manufacturer in Great Britain. The basket sizes vary and it is best to book in advance as space if typically limited to a maximum of 16 passengers per balloon, often less if flying with a smaller basket.
Arguably the most iconic tribal group in all of Africa, the Maasai, who populate vast areas of Northern areas of Tanzania are the dominant ethnic group surrounding most of the National Parks and Reserves in Tanzania. This nomadic, warrior tribe still retain many of their traditions as they live largely untouched by modern day civilization, in areas surrounding Selous Game Reserve. So why a village visit and what do you get to see ? This one hour visit to a village visit is a chance to interact with the local people and get a glimpse into their culture, unique way of life and see first hand some of their customs and practices.
The village visit is typically an excursion included into a longer multi day Nyerere National Park safari tour, and couple of hours are set apart for this brief interactive visit to the village, which usually happens to be on the fringes of the main Nyerere national park and the Selous game reserve boundaries. Many tourists wish to know how much it costs to visit the local cultural village. The price for a village visit which includes a contribution towards the village in form of a fee, as well as return road transfers from your lodge or camp in Nyerere Park to the village, varies between USD 25 to 50 per person. The price is often lower when you are on a road safari with your own Driver-Guide who will pay the fee upon entry. The higher fee of USD 50 per person often applies when you have flown in on a package safari and it is then the Camp which will charge you the fee for the village visit and the price in this case can vary again from USD 30 to USD 50 per person based on which camp you are staying at and which village they take you to visit. It should be noted that once at the village, you may be expected to buy some curio or souvenier from the villagers, though this is not mandatory having paid an entry fee.
Now the largest National Park in Africa, 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. The Rufiji River is Nyerere National Park striking feature, which provides an excellent natural setting for boat safaris, making it one of the few places in Africa where its possible to view wildlife and birdlife from water. During a boat safari, there is a great chance of spotting the hippos, crocodiles and plentiful of different bird species such as the African Fish Eagle, Malachite Kingfisher, Goliath Heron, African Skimmer and Boehm's Bee-Eater. Monkeys (Blue Monkey, Savannah Baboon and Black and White Colobus Monkey) are often spotted in the trees along the banks of the river as well as Nile Monitor Lizards. There are two types of boat safaris offered while at Nyerere National Park. The short 2-3 hour sunset or dawn boat safari trips along the Rufiji River outside the reserve (so no entry permit needed), or full day boat safaris which explore the Rufiji river as well as the lakes of the Selous. The short boat safari can be done in the morning or in the afternoon. In the morning you have beautiful light (unless it is cloudy), but in the afternoon there is a greater chance of seeing crocodiles because temperatures are higher. An afternoon boat safari has the advantage you sail during sunset.
So what really are ''game drives'' in Nyerere National Park or during an African Safari, as anyone thinking of booking a Safari in Tanzania for example will have seen game drives indicated throughout the itinerary. Well, the meaning of a safari game drive is an adventure excursion by vehicle into a wildlife area such as a National Park or Reserve, for example Nyerere National Park, with the purpose of exploring the park and seeing a variety of wild animals in their natural habitat.
As for how long is a Safari game drive is, typically in Tanzania, the drives last 2 to 3 hours per drive in the morning and afternoon hours, with morning timings usually scheduled from 6.30am to 9am and afternoon timings being 3.30pm to 6.30pm, though travellers may sometimes opt for a full day game drive
generally from 10am to 4pm, in which case the excursion will include a packed picnic lunch to be had inside the National Park at a designated picnic spot, during lunch hours anytime from 12.30pm to 2.30pm.
Regarding the cost of Game drives in Nyerere National Park and Selous Game Reserve, prices start from USD 100 to 170 per person per game drive and in case you wish to have an exclusive vehicle hired from the camp for a full day drive the cost will be US$ 310 to US$ 550 per vehicle depending on the camp.
However it costs less overall to book all inclusive Safari packages that include several game drives, accommodation, meals and flights from Zanzibar.
