According to the latest census, the elephant population of the Selous is now over 15,000! which sounds fantastic. Of course, you have to remember that this huge untamed wilderness once hosted over 100,000 elephants and that number comes into focus.
Initially set aside as a hunting reserve, increasing numbers of the concessions are going to those interested in photographic safaris.
Due to health problems that can be caught from local insects, this park is not hugely visited with just 1000-2000 visits a year. It is currently an expensive destination, but my wife and I enjoyed our visit, we have had one of our most memorable encounters with wildlife here, when a lion visited the camp in the evening.
Why should you put it on your list? apart from its elephant population which we must hope keeps growing to recovery, it hosts 5000 lions, which given even the most rosy estimates put wild populations at 23,000 makes it vital to lion survival. With wild dog, it is thought to have a population equal to roughly `1/3 of the remaining wild dog in Africa.
My hope is to change this and make visits here easier and more accessible. Please get in touch if you run a lodge or camp within this area, I would be interested in working with you.