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Nyerere (Selous) Budget Safari Tours
Nyerere National Park, which was formerly known as Selous Game Reserve, is a terrific safari destination in Tanzania’s south, and an excellent place to go on a budget safari. The wildlife here is fantastic: the park is especially known for its populations of lions and elephants. Nyerere’s landscapes are similarly special, with palm-fringed lakes and the mighty Rufiji River. It has a range of activities, including boat trips out on the river. And it’s really well set up for those who are looking for a more affordable safari, thanks to the good range of cheap accommodation just outside the park’s eastern gate.
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3-Day Experience the Beauty of Camping in Nyerere NP
$560 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetCamping
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Nyerere NP, Dar Es Salaam (End)
Widman Tours & Safari
4.7/5 – 12 Reviews
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3-Day Selous Reserve, Nyerere Park Boat, Drive & Walking
$430 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetTented Camp
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Nyerere NP, Dar Es Salaam (End)
Selous Ngalawa Camp
4.8/5 – 63 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
6-Day Southern Circuit- Nature, Culture and Traditions
$1,223 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)BudgetLodge & Guest House
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Maasai Village (Cultural Village), Mikumi NP, Uluguru Mountains (Mountain Range), Nyerere NP, Dar Es Salaam (End)
KAMar Safaris
4.8/5 – 199 Reviews
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3-Day Mid Range Lodge/Camp Safari
$550 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetCamping
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Nyerere NP, Dar Es Salaam (End)
Terrain Tanzania Safaris
5.0/5 – 9 Reviews
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4-Day Game Drive and Boat Safari Adventure Trip
$780 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)BudgetTented Camp
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Nyerere NP, Mloka (Town), Dar Es Salaam (End)
Usambara Expeditions
4.5/5 – 48 Reviews
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14-Day Chimps Tracking Western Tanzania Safari
$3,042 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)BudgetLodge & Tented Camp
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Nyerere NP, Mikumi NP, Ruaha NP, Mbeya (City), Sumbawanga (City), Katavi NP, Mpanda (Town), Mahale Mountains NP, Kigoma (Town), Dar Es Salaam (End)
Safari Moja Matata
5.0/5 – 18 Reviews
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4-Day Game Drive, Walking and Boating in Selous
$720 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetTented Camp
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Nyerere NP, Dar Es Salaam (End)
Gombe Track Safaris & Tours
4.3/5 – 63 Reviews
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3-Day Remarkable Tour of Selous Game Reserve
$1,020 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetCamping
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Nyerere NP, Dar Es Salaam (End)
Shanga Tours And Safaris
4.8/5 – 6 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
3-Day Selous Game Reserve, Walking and Boat Safari
$490 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 8 people per vehicle)BudgetTented Camp
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Nyerere NP, Dar Es Salaam (End)
Going Green Safari Tours Company
4.8/5 – 100 Reviews
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3-Day Nyerere NP Budget Safari
$600 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 4 people per vehicle)BudgetTented Camp
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Nyerere NP, Dar Es Salaam (End)
Inno Africa Safaris
4.8/5 – 6 Reviews
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12-Day Mikumi-Ruaha-Nyerere-Whitesands - Budget Safari
$2,997 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetLodge & Resort
You Visit: Dar es Salaam Airport (Start), Nyerere NP, Morogoro (City), Ruaha NP, Mikumi NP, Dar es Salaam Beaches, Dar Es Salaam (End)
Gogiraffe Safaris
5.0/5 – 6 Reviews
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8-Day Selous, Ruaha and Mikumi Park Safari
$2,050 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetLodge & Tented Camp
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Nyerere NP, Mikumi NP, Ruaha NP, Dar Es Salaam (End)
Kitonga Tours and Safaris
4.9/5 – 13 Reviews
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3-Day Fly in, Fly out Zanzibar-Selous(Nyerere)-Zanzibar
$1,595 to $1,605 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetLodge
You Visit: Zanzibar (Start), Nyerere NP, Zanzibar (End)
Biko Adventures Tours Tanzania
5.0/5 – 10 Reviews
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3-Day Selous (Nyerere) Safari
$634 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetLodge
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Nyerere NP, Dar Es Salaam (End)
Kasaka Tours
4.9/5 – 19 Reviews
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3-Day Selous (Nyerere NP) Fly in, Fly out Private Safari
$880 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetLodge
You Visit: Zanzibar (Start), Nyerere NP, Zanzibar Airport (End)
Nkollo Tours & Safaris
5.0/5 – 17 Reviews
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3-Day Nyerere National Park - (Selous) Budget Safari
$480 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)BudgetLodge
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Nyerere NP, Dar Es Salaam (End)
Mbassa Adventures
5.0/5 – 4 Reviews
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8-Day Selous Game Reserve & Ruaha National Park Safari
$1,650 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetCamping & Lodge
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Nyerere NP, Ruaha NP, Dar es Salaam Beaches, Dar Es Salaam (End)
Swahili Paradise Tours & Safaris
4.3/5 – 81 Reviews
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8-Day Safari the Pride of Southern Circuit
$1,710 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetLodge & Hotel
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Mikumi NP, Ruaha NP, Iringa (City), Nyerere NP, Nyerere NP, Dar Es Salaam (End)
African Pangolin Safaris
5.0/5 – 40 Reviews
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4-Day Professional and Experienced Adventure Trip
$770 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetTented Camp
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Nyerere NP, Dar Es Salaam (End)
Widman Tours & Safari
4.7/5 – 12 Reviews
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5-Day Combined Selous Reserve - Mikumi National Park
$780 to $870 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourBudgetLodge & Tented Camp
You Visit: Dar Es Salaam (Start), Nyerere NP, Mikumi NP, Maasai Village (Cultural Village), Dar Es Salaam (End)
Selous Ngalawa Camp
4.8/5 – 63 Reviews
4 Questions About Nyerere (Selous) Budget Safaris

Answered by
Anthony Ham
Anthony has written numerous Lonely Planet guidebooks, including Tanzania and East Africa. He writes about Tanzania and the wider region for magazines and newspapers worldwide. He is also the author of The Last Lions of Africa, a major section of which was set in Nyerere (Selous) National Park.
4 Questions About Nyerere (Selous) Budget Safaris

What is usually included in a budget safari to Nyerere (Selous) NP?
“On your Nyerere budget safari you can expect your accommodation, meals, water, guide, and game drives to be included. When it comes to game drives, most safari packages include two daily guided game drives (one early in the morning, the other in late afternoon). Your safari should also include a boat excursion on the Rufiji River, preferably around sunset. What may or may not be included in the price quoted by your safari tour operator (but which you’ll have to pay either way) are the park entry fees (US$50/30 per adult/child per day) and transfers. Additional activities may also not be included in quoted prices. There are almost as many different kinds of budget safari tours as there are safari operators. To make sure that you are fully informed, you should ask any potential operator for all inclusions and exclusions before agreeing to let them take you on safari.”
1What type of accommodation can I expect on cheap Nyerere (Selous) NP packages?
“There’s not much cheap or otherwise affordable accommodation inside the park, but there is a good selection just outside the park’s eastern gate. Many of these choices occupy the forest along the banks of the Rufiji River and promise superb sunset views, as well as a restaurant, bar and perhaps even a swimming pool. Also in the forest are elephants, various primate species, and even African wild dogs, so keep an eye out for them wandering through camp. Most are only a short drive from the park entrance and they’re a delightful place to spend your holiday. Many of these places have a range of accommodation that might include simple campsites (with a communal shower and toilet building), simple rooms (which may have en suite bathrooms), and more expensive safari tents.”
2How do I avoid the crowds on a Nyerere (Selous) NP safari?
“Nyerere National Park is one of Tanzania’s most popular parks, so avoiding the crowds can take careful trip planning. The further you explore into the park away from one of the park’s gates, the more you’re likely to have any wildlife encounters to yourself. Another solution might be to travel outside the busy June-to-October period, although rain is possible at any time from November to May. I’d probably choose to share the safari trails with other travelers than come when heavy rain is likely. Thankfully, Nyerere is a big park and it rarely feels too crowded, even when it’s busy. Much of the budget or cheap accommodation is in its own section of the forest, and it can feel as if there’s no one else around. Also, out on the river you’re unlikely to feel crowded by other boats as there’s plenty of river for everyone.”
3How much does a Nyerere (Selous) NP budget safari cost?
“The cost of a Nyerere budget safari holiday varies greatly from one safari operator to the next. Most tours or packages at the cheap or budget end of the price range start at US$150 per person per day. This includes the daily park entrance fees of US$50/30 per adult/child per day. On a really cheap safari, you may be expected to help out with things around camp. Tasks might include helping to set up camp, taking down tents when it’s time to move on to the next destination or campsite, cooking, and washing up after meals. The cost of any tours will, of course, be cheaper if you decide to travel outside the high season months (which run from June to October). That said, the difference in price between low and high seasons may not be too great at the budget end of the scale when compared with more expensive safaris.”
4Nyerere Reviews

Gemma authored several Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the guides to Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.
My top tip for Tanzania
Nyerere National Park (Selous) is my favourite game area in Tanzania, and possibly the whole of Africa. The landscape, with its emerald-green swamplands, dead trees submerged in water and shaggy-topped palms, is ravishingly beautiful. You...

Sue is an award-winning writer who specializes in African travel and conservation. She writes for national newspapers, magazines, Rough Guides and Lonely Planet.
True Wilderness – and wild dogs
If you’re after a true wilderness sensation that goes beyond the confines of a Land Cruiser, then come to Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous Game Reserve). A vast chunk of Nyerere, most of the land south of the Rufiji River, is sadly...
The large area of this park means that the wildlife can be a bit more spread-out and the animals can be a bit more timid of vehicles. But in my opinion that is a good thing and exactly as it should be. Another plus is that the scenery is...

We did not spot the big 5, but Al lot of great animals. When one of the guides spotted lions, it suddenly gets very crowded. The rest of the day you will hardly see any other drivers. We had a beautiful boat safari and two fantastic full...

The Selous Park is beautiful. And so many of our dibrtch memories from Tanzania. Afebxha was waiting for us by changing the number of employees in the contract. It was only after our intervention that she confessed to guilty and we...

Fantastic Reserve: Full of Animals, Not Full of People
Selous Game Reserve is a real jewel, full of wildlife and birds and intriguing flora with the added bonus of very few visitors. I stayed at Asilia Africa's Roho Ya Selous and it could not have been better. As a solo traveler, I look for...