Nyerere National Park

Nyerere National Park is now the largest national park in Africa, covering an impressive 30,893 square kilometers - roughly the size of Belgium. This newly established park was formally gazetted in 2019 when the Tanzanian government excised the northern photographic zone of the famous Selous Game Reserve to create a national park under TANAPA (Tanzania National Parks Authority) administration. The park is named in honor of Julius Kambarage Nyerere, the first President of Tanzania and founding father of the nation.

The area's conservation history dates back to 1896 when the German Governor of Tanganyika proclaimed this vast wilderness as a protected wildlife hunting reserve. In 1922, it was named Selous Game Reserve after Frederick Selous, a big game hunter turned wildlife conservationist. The transformation to Nyerere National Park represents a new chapter in protecting this UNESCO World Heritage ecosystem.

The park's defining feature is the mighty Rufiji River - Tanzania's largest river - which flows through the heart of the reserve before reaching the Indian Ocean. This magnificent river system creates a network of channels, lakes, and wetlands that support extraordinary biodiversity. The sheer volume of wildlife in Nyerere is outstanding, with elephants, buffaloes, and lions found in greater numbers than almost anywhere else in Africa. Together with the remaining Selous area, Nyerere represents the last true stronghold for endangered African wild dogs. The park's vast wilderness area contains relatively undisturbed ecological processes, making it one of Africa's most important conservation areas.