Description & Location

If holidays to you are about seeking out secret places, undiscovered by all but a handful of independent and inquisitive people who are willing to pay for a truly absorbing and exclusive bush adventure, then Sand Rivers Selous is an African gem that you can't afford to overlook in Tanzania : Here you have the most rare opportunity to walk in Selous - the largest untamed wilderness on earth, using skill, stealth and all your senses to creep up on creatures large or small and to discover the intricate workings of bush life, impossible from a vehicle or boat. In the evening sun, you can sit on a lakeside with your binoculars watching kingfishers hovering above the water, long legged waders sifting the mud for morsels and fish eagles calling. You can float silently down the mighty Rufiji River, past pods of shiny hippos and sunbathing crocodiles, the riverbank lush with palms and rich with the call of monkeys. You can do and see bits of all of these things if you looking for an active safari adventure - on foot, by boat, in a Land Rover or a mix of all three. But the point is that Sand Rivers has a diversity of landscapes and game that knows no bounds, and is run to give you the utter flexibility to do what exactly what you want and when you want it.

You can do nothing or everything, on your own or with kindred spirits. Your only additional companion will be your guide, and the only constant will be the comfort of the lodge: the bar laden with bottles, juices and buckets of ice; your luxury bed; a hot steaming shower, and an evening spent across the polished mahogany dining table recounting your day's stories and adventures.

Accommodation
Sand Rivers Selous was built in 1997, and the accommodation site was carefully chosen for its isolation, diversity of game, ecosystems and landscapes. The lodge was built with flair and imagination, entirely from local materials, with spectacular views over the magnificent Rufiji River.

There are eight large and airy double or twin-bedded cottages, each with its own spacious bathroom. Beds are four-poster with soft mosquito netting which ties back during the day. Each cottage at Selous Sand Rivers is open-fronted with an expansive veranda set on stilts, giving a stunning private view over the river. Electric lights, overhead fans and hot water are solar powered

Dining & Cuisine
The central building is large and airy with plenty of space to sit and relax on comfortable sofas and armchairs or in the shade of the Tamarind tree on the veranda. The building is open-fronted onto the Rufiji and has stunning views across the endless flow of water. The bar, complete with a mass of bottles, fresh juices, mixers and ice is tucked into the corner of the sitting room where you are free to help yourself at anytime.

The polished mahogany dining table at one end of the room - the harvest of an enormous tree washed down the river by a storm - is the focus for lunch and dinner. Generally breakfast is a moveable feast with guests either eating early in the lodge or having a bush breakfast later, under the shade of a tree.

Activities
• Specialized day wildlife watching and game driving in the game reserve.
• Specialized Ornithological Tanzania Safaris.
• Nature and Walking Safaris with an armed ranger.
• Crocodile and Hippo watching expeditions.
• Game viewing by boat on the Rufiji River.
• African Sundowners and Tanzania photo safaris opportunities.
• Outside the central mess area is the swimming pool, set into the rocks on the river's edge and shaded by an ancient Baobab tree, thought to be more than 1500 years old. Here there is a veranda and soft chairs to relax in.
• Visit Stieglers Gorge.
• Visit the battleground and gravesite of Frederick Courteney Selous.
• Visit the hot springs near Sand Rivers.