The Selous Game Reserve covers over 55,000 square kilometres and is well over twice the size of the Kruger National Park. It is one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries anywhere. The Selous is world renowned for its wild character and large populations of elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard and African wild dog. Within this special place, deep in its southern reaches and far from anyone else, is Lukula Selous.

The vast wilderness, which comprises the Selous Game Reserve, offers respite to some of the largest populations of wildlife in Africa - one-third of all African wild dogs, and huge herds of elephant and buffalo. The Lukula sanctuary, with numerous perennial rivers and a variety of ecosystems, upholds the Selous' reputation. It attracts the widest range of prey - from the rare Nyassa wildebeest and Lichtenstein's hartebeest to the stunning Greater kudu, sable and eland. Predators wait on the fringes, where lion stalk and wild dog strategize. The sandy substrates are home to busy bee-eater nests with Giant kingfishers hunting from the banks. Other frequently spotted species include waterbuck, impala, klipsringer, hippo, Nile crocodile, leopard, and duiker. Birdlife abounds as well, with common sightings of the rare Pel's Fishing owl, Wattled crane and Palmnut vulture among the 350 recorded species.


Lukula Selous, in the southern sector of this vast reserve, is a private photographic sanctuary of over 300,000 acres. The sanctuary's diverse habitats - flood plains, dense riverine forests, savanna, forested hills, rocky ridges - host an equally diverse range of flora and fauna. This is a landscape seldom visited and little changed by man. Each season exposes yet another dimension of Lukula Selous' breadth and beauty as the rhythms of nature dictate our experience. You will have a rare chance to watch the drama of the life cycle unfold in an atmosphere of utter privacy and freedom. Imagine 300,000 acres reserved for no more than eight individuals. This privilege is possible here - where the spirit of wild Africa lives on.

Lukula Selous experiences the cyclical rainfall pattern typical of the East Africa region. The ebb and flow between wet and dry cycles is characterised by two primary periods of rain each year. The 'short' rains usually arrive in December and fade quickly with the arrival of January. The 'long' rains commence in mid to late February and persist through early April. With each arrival of the rains, the land is energised. It washes the exhausted land of the dust and ash of the dry season, and fills the sandy riverbeds with sparkling fresh water. The small streams feed the main channel of the Luwego River and wake it from its seasonal lethargy. As the river rises, it floods the nearby plains and fills dried wallows. Then, vegetation greens, births occur and lives pass. It is as if one is watching it all through a time-lapse camera.

Lukula Selous is an experience not a destination. It is a unique work of art, never the same twice, and never predetermined. There is no detailed itinerary - or at least none that we know of - it is about impromptu experience. It is designed to change a life. But what is consistent are the core pillars of our approach: Commitment, Philosophy and Practice.




[ View the Selous Project Brochure ]