T A N Z A N I A

The Selous Game Reserve is the largest protected genuine wilderness left on Earth.

Set deep in this untamed land, Sand Rivers was created by the renowned "white hunter" and conservationist Richard Bonham, who’s passion for the area inspired him to build an exclusive haven from which to discover Africa at its rawest. In five years it has become one of the outstanding safari lodges in the world.

 If holidays to you are about seeking out secret places, undiscovered by all but a handful of independently-minded and inquisitive people who are willing to pay for a truly absorbing bush experience, then Sand Rivers Selous is an African gem that you can’t afford to overlook.

Here you have the rare luxury of being able to walk in the largest untamed wilderness on earth with no other people, creeping up on big and small creatures, all shy through lack of human contact.

You can sit in the evening sun on a lake-side with your binoculars, watching kingfishers hovering above the water, long legged waders sifting the mud for morsels and scan the bush occasionally to catch elephant or giraffe coming down to drink.

You can float silently down the mighty Rufiji River, past pods of shiny hippos and sunbathing crocodiles, the river-banks lush with palms and rich with the call of fish eagles, monkeys and fat hyrax.

You can savour the sunset on a ridge over the river with a drink at your elbow, or breakfast in the bush, table laid in the shade of a tree.

You can tuck yourself into an armchair on a veranda overlooking the river and relax with book, binoculars, or sketchbook, lie in the cool waters of the swimming pool shaded by an ancient Baobab tree, or take a fishing rod onto the rocks for some excitement with the ferocious and cunning tiger fish.

There are thick riverine forests heavy with palms and creepers, wide expansive grasslands, the wide waters of the Rufiji itself teaming with life, hardwood ‘miombo’ woodland carpeted with grasses and wild flowers, soft hills and ridges hiding oases of hot springs and pools, marshy wetlands, a myriad of lakes and streams fed by the river, and the dry meandering sand rivers after which the lodge was named – all of it home to a huge diversity of wildlfe.

You can do and see bits of all of these things in one day if 100% action is what you’re after - on foot, by boat, in a Land Rover or 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, when you want.

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 - a luxurious bed, hot steaming shower and an evening spent across the table recounting your day’s stories and adventures.

Sand Rivers was built six years ago in a little bit of the Selous chosen for its isolation and the diversity of game, ecosystems and landscapes in the area. The buildings have flair and imagination, and are built entirely from local stone and wood, with spectacular views over the magnificent Rufiji River, the largest waterway in East Africa.

There are 8 airy twin or double-bedded cottages, which stretch along the banks of the river. Each room is open-fronted with an expansive veranda set on stilts. Electric lights, overhead fans and hot water are powered by solar electricity. The spacious bathrooms are fully plumbed with hot and cold running water and brass tap and shower fittings.

In the wide central building there is plenty of space to sit and relax on soft comfortable sofas and armchairs, under the high doum palm-thatched roof, or in the shade of the tamarind tree on the veranda. Here too is the bar, with a mass of bottles, fresh juice, mixers and ice, where you are welcome to help yourself. There is also a comprehensive bird and animal reference library. The polished mahogany dining table at one end of the room is the focus for lunch and dinner.

Outside the central mess is the swimming pool, set into rocks on the river’s edge and shaded by an ancient baobab tree thought to be more than 2,000 years old.

Generally breakfast is a moveable feast, but for lunch and dinner guests tend to eat together at the polished mahogany dining table, the harvest of an enormous tree that was washed down the Rufiji by a storm.

Sand Rivers employs thirty-two staff, including 6 energetic guides and 5 chefs. The lodge is managed by Robert & Katharine Iles, a British couple who have bountiful knowledge and experience of East Africa. The energy, enthusiasm and loyalty of everyone working there is infectious and the style is relaxed, informal and fun.

At Sand Rivers guests have complete freedom to do what they would like to, when they would like to do it, without having to think about anyone else except their guide. Each evening after dinner John will wander round the dining table chatting individually with everyone about how they would like to spend the next morning. At lunchtime he will do the same for the late afternoon.

Guests tend to wake to an early morning tray of tea or coffee and biscuits bought to their cottage. Generally (but entirely dependent on the individual) you will be out until the late morning, spending the heat of the day in and around the lodge, then heading out again any time after 4pm when the sun has begun to cool down. Some people choose to be out all day, in which case you would take a picnic breakfast and lunch off with you. Others want to spend the day relaxing, watching game from the comfort of a chair on the veranda. It is entirely flexible and fluid.

Sand Rivers’ reputation has been built on the quality of its walking safaris and the experience of its guides. Without a doubt, exploring the area by foot is the most thrilling and rewarding way to view game, since you are no longer a distanced observer but truly part of the bush. This is the only real way to track game, re-igniting senses which these days have become largely redundant. The leisurely pace at which you travel gives you the rare chance to explore the minutiae of bush life as well as all the big game.

Walking safaris may be anything from an hour’s stroll from the lodge onto a ridge for sun downers, to perhaps a three day safari, camping out each night under the stars. Either way, exploring by foot is an important aspect of what Sand Rivers has to offer.

For protection, a guide armed with a rifle always leads walking safaris.

The Rufiji River is the life-blood of the Selous, home to Africa’s largest populations of hippo and crocodile, and feeding the lakes and waterways that help to make the area so ecologically diverse. Being such an integral part of Sand Rivers, the river makes a refreshing viewpoint from which to watch life going about its business.

Floating downstream with the engine off is a fabulous way to creep up on animals and birds in or around the water. Up-stream, the river narrows into a deep, rocky gorge where leopard are often spotted and the landscape is entirely different from the expansive, sweeping and sandy scenery closer to the lodge.

The lodge has several specially adapted Land Rovers, open on all sides with raised seats and shade canopies. Game driving is restricted to existing tracks so that disruption to wildlife and scenery is minimised, but there are a number of tracks that meander between the lakes, several routes into the miombo woodland, and (when it is dry) fun drives down into the sand rivers branching off the Rufiji.

There is a huge variety of wildlife around Sand Rivers although not being used to human contact, most animals tend to be shy. Each of the guides at Sand Rivers understands animal behaviour and the experience, stealth and patience they have is essential to get really close to game without being noticed.

Perhaps most exciting are the wild dog which almost everywhere else in Africa have been so affected by human interference and disease that they have died out. The Selous has the largest population of wild dog in Africa, and although one cannot be guaranteed to see any game, there are at least two families living close to Sand Rivers who are seen very regularly.

The lodge is also home to the only family of side striped jackal ever seen in the reserve, a group of five who live in a small gully a few metres from the lodge, and who are spotted most mornings. It is believed that they feel protected at the lodge against predators who are perhaps more shy.

The Selous is home to 450 species of birds, some common, some rarely seen. Many are resident but the area is also temporary home to various migrants including many species of the stunning bee-eater family.

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