Roho Ya Selous

one of the prettiest areas in Selous

Roho Ya Selous is located in the Selous area of southern Tanzania.

This property is owned and operated by Asilia Africa, one of the leading safari companies in East Africa, the owners of which are committed to both an earthy, authentic, high quality approach to safari and a very strong conservation ethos.

Set in a prime central position alongside the river, Roho Ya Selous (“Heart of the Selous”) is an upmarket camp in the heart of the prime wildlife areas.

Back in 2004, we were exploring this stretch of river by boat and popped in at a little-known camp called Mbuyu. It was a modest facility, but the location was gorgeous. When we returned a decade later, we went out of our way to revisit the site, even though we knew the camp had fallen into disrepair. We enjoyed exploring the ruins and being surprised by bats and a particularly curious male elephant.

On our return, we recommended the location to our friends at Asilia and by 2019 they had purchased the site and created a brand new camp.

The camp is centred on an unusually simple tented mess, with lounge and dining areas leading out to a swimming pool.

We love the simplicity of Roho ya Selous. In this eternally warm climate, there is really no need to create more permanent structures, Trees provide shade and tents quickly cool at night.

But don’t mistake, the levels of service and safari guiding are to the same extraordinary levels that Asilia deliver in their other more obviously lavish properties.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Roho Ya Selous is in seven large and beautiful tented suites.

The beds are fitted with special Evening Breeze environmentally sensitive air-conditioning units, which is a real positive in this particular area.

• Room : x7
• Family Room : x1 : for parents and up to three children

Activities

Roho Ya Selous provides the following guided activities, most of which are usually included in the price …

• Vehicle safari
• Motorboat safari
• Walking safari
• Bush meals
• Night vehicle safari: may not be permitted

The Selous tends to feature in relatively few trips to Tanzania, mainly because it is obliged to compete for nights with the fabulous safari areas of the Serengeti region and the nearby Ruaha. It tends to be used most at the extremes, as a short first-time safari extension to a beach vacation or as part of a longer safari for more experienced safari travellers.

The usual stay duration is 3-4 nights in one camp. Multiple camp combinations here are relatively rare.

Seasonality

The best time of year for safari in Selous is generally considered to be the Jul-Oct dry season, when the wildlife is concentrated along the river, although this is also the period when visitor numbers and prices both reach their peaks.

Getting there

Selous is most commonly accessed by light aircraft, which fly directly into dirt airstrips in the bush. In this case your safari vehicle and guide is provided by the camps in which you are staying.

Selous can also be visited by means of an overland safari, usually out of Dar es Salaam, in which case you would usually undertake your vehicle safari with your private vehicle and guide, whilst the lodge provides your motorboat safari and walking safari options.

popular in safari and beach combinations