Over 30 years ago, Selous Safari Company was the pioneering safari company on Tanzania’s southern circuit – discovering virgin, remote wildernesses, untouched and unseen. Through the passion, vision and determination of Charles Dobie, who founded the company in 1988 and is still at the helm today, these phenomenal landscapes were opened up to new eyes.
With sensitive detail and thought, the camps were carefully crafted to complement their surroundings and deliver the ultimate safari experience, combining both bush and beach locations, to create the perfect African itinerary.
We pride ourselves on a reputation founded on decades of delivering exceptional, consistent service and guiding, with bespoke, experiential travel, and moments that take your breath away.
This combination keeps our guests returning to our camps again and again. Commenting on the history, Charles, a passionate conservationist says, “When I moved to Tanzania in 1985, I could not have foreseen the amazing journey we would go on. Over the years the team has surmounted all Mother Nature had to offer from floods and tornados to lightning strikes and fires, but the trials have been outdone by the sheer joy of creating a sustainable enterprise that has played host to many thousands of travellers, from honeymooners to seasoned wildlife experts, and first-timers to royalty.
Above all, Selous Safari Company has been made great by the superb team that work with us: our camp managers, butlers, guides and chefs - each and every one goes the extra mile for our guests.
Selous Safari Company’s history begins in Selous Game Reserve. Charles Dobie, director of the company, founded the company in 1988, when he leased an existing camp in Selous.
At the time there was only one other working tourist camp in the Reserve, roads to Selous were impassable some of the year and there were no scheduled flights to the region.
In July 1989 the 15 tent camp was opened, after being completely overhauled with new equipment and supplies. Due to the lack of flights, an aviation company was established, a scheduled flight with a Cesna 206 to Selous, the first of its kind before Coastal Aviation began and picked up the baton.
By 1992, the leased camp was receiving a good number of tourists per annum and the company decided to start their own camp. A site was found on the tributary which leads from Lake Nzerakera into the main Rufiji River and a 13 tent camp was built from scratch. In 1993 the new Mbuyuni Camp was opened accompanied by a new airstrip built by hand by Selous Safari Company and named Siwandu, after the adjacent lake.In 1996, a tornado hit Mbuyuni Camp and with winds of 80 knots, the camp was blown down and partially destroyed.
After the painstaking rebuild, the following year the camp was honoured by hosting a private visit from HRH Prince of Wales with his two young sons. But on 3rd October 1997, the camp was hit once again but another natural phenomenon – El Nino – it began to rain and it did not stop. Flood waters took over the whole of Tanzania and at one point there were no rail or roads available to deliver supplies around the country so food was air freighted in.
In Selous, Lake Nzerakera and Lake Siwandu’s banks burst and water swamped the camp; guests were evacuated and the camp closed until June 1998. But that was not the end to the El Nino destruction, as the flood waters receded and the camp was slowly being repaired, it became apparent the Rufiji River wanted to flow in a different direction and began to erode into the land the camp was built on. At a rate of 2m of erosion per day, Selous Safari Company were forced to push back the site to safe ground on the banks of Lake Nzerakera and rebuild the camp.
At this point Mbuyuni Camp was renamed Selous Safari Camp. But Mother Nature was not finished, because in 2000 the large mess roof was struck by lightning and burnt the structure to the ground. It was rebuilt in the style we have today – perched on stilts to maximize the lake breezes and stunning views.On 15th October 2012, in celebration of the camp’s 25th year and surviving tornados, floods and fires, Selous Safari Camp changed its name to Siwandu.
After the successful launches of the camp in the Selous Game Reserve in 1988 and Ras Kutani in 1992, Selous Safari Company was looking for a new adventure to compliment the current itinerary. Many sites were considered including Saadani, Katavi, Mikumi and Mahale but a twist of fate encouraged Charles Dobie to choose Ruaha.
In 1995, TANAPA (Tanzanian National Parks) placed an advertisement in a national newspaper, requesting applications for two permanent camp sites in Ruaha National Park. At this time only two camps were in operation and they wanted to increase the number of visitors to the park. In considering this opportunity, two main incentives became apparent. Firstly, there was already access to the park with a thrice weekly scheduled flight from Dar es Salaam.
And secondly, Ruaha National Park was considered a fascinating contrast to Selous Game Reserve due to its vastly differing topography, climate, seasons, flora, fauna and game; but it also captured the essence of Selous Safari Company’s ethos – to flee from the madding crowds and adventure “off the beaten track” in true unadulterated wilderness.
Seizing the opportunity Selous Safari Company requested the remote site located in the south east corner of the park. This process took a long six years to complete, during which time Selous Safari Company ran a mobile camp for two seasons in the north of Ruaha with another safari company.
With final approval given in 2001, building began in December the same year and was open for the first guests nine months later, in August 2002. The blueprint of the camp required consideration of both the dry and green seasons to ensure maximum privacy was afforded to the guests and for this reason the company worked with the Kenyan artist Tonio Trzebinski to create the ideal design.
Sadly Tonio, was tragically murdered during the building of the accommodation and never saw the beautiful finished product. Neil Rocher, who designed the suites at Ras Kutani, was brought on to craft the centre piece of the camp – the stunning high roofed bar and lounge which looks over the Jongomero Sand River, which the camp is named after.
With 70kms to the nearest camp, Jongomero’s location is exceedingly remote and in 2001 there was only one main road which simply followed the Great Ruaha River. Therefore, with the permission and corroboration of TANAPA, Selous Safari Company set about slowly developing a local game track network; created by our experienced guides to deliver exceptional game drives. These game drives have steadily got more exciting due to the extension of Ruaha National Park in 2008. Before then Jongomero bordered Usanga Wildlife Management Area, a hunting block. Hunting and photographic safaris make exceedingly poor neighbours and is detrimental to wildlife behaviour, with game being more skittish and scarce.
But the extension, not only made Ruaha, the largest National Park in Tanzania, but also delivered calm to the region; settling the erratic behaviour of the animals, which in turn increased game viewing opportunities, attracting more visitors to our quiet flourishing corner of Ruah
Selous Safari Company (SSC) has, for over 30 years, pioneered responsible tourism and authentic exploration of the more untouched areas of Tanzania. Adding Fanjove Island in 2018 to its portfolio of properties fitted naturally into the company’s vision of providing personal travel opportunities and exceptional service while protecting and conserving the natural environment on which it depends.
Previously managed by Essential Destinations (ED), Selous Safari Company was handpicked to take over management of the island by ED's late founder, Nicola Colangelo. Colangelo knew Charles Dobie, SSC's founder, well, and respected SSC's unique approach.
Fanjove has long been known as an exceptional jewel of the Indian Ocean. It is one of a group of five islands that together form part of the Songo Songo Archipelago, 140 kilometres south of Dar es Salaam. The Songo Songo Archipelago is an extensive and varied coral reef habitat, with high coral cover and diversity and it is an ecologically important area for nesting sea turtles and marine birds.
The island offers exquisite natural beauty defined by azure seas, white sandy beaches and lush green palm trees. It is untouched by development and construction, except for an evocative 19th century lighthouse and discrete guest accommodation of natural materials. It is deeply rich in marine life, being blessed with 11km of coral reef extending around the island and benefitting from controlled fishing.
Moreover, the island is completely off the beaten track and remote - the journey to reach the neighbouring island by light aircraft, then dhow, is part of the whole experience.
A stay on Fanjove offers opportunities to capitalise on incredibly rich marine experiences – dolphin and whale excursions (which may include swimming with dolphin), snorkelling on the island's native reef, fishing, bird watching, nature walks around the island, sand bank excursions and moonlit marine safaris.
Freshly caught fish are a mainstay of the excellent cuisine, and meals may be taken on the open dining deck, or down on the beach, each with uninterrupted views of the horizon and the Indian ocean. Fanjove Island pictures are all very distinctive because of its lighthouse, which stands magnificently right in front of the small bay.
The lighthouse on Fanjove Island is one of the last surviving 19th century buildings erected by the Germans in Tanzania. It guided ships through the devious waters of this part of the Tanzanian coast until the 1960’s, when it was deserted and left to decay. A chiselled stone plate over the central door marks the erection of the building: Erbaut 1894 (erected 1894) in German gothic characters. The date of this commemorative plate has not yet been verified. Up until now, little to nothing is known about the origin of the Fanjove lighthouse. The early date of 1894 suggests its importance at the beginning of German occupation of Tanzania.
The Mafia area, where Fanjove is located, was of interest to the Germans. The Mafia lighthouse, which is in a much better condition, shows great similarity to Fanjove lighthouse and may be taken as a reliable reference for eventual restoration. The masonry works of the building consists of locally quarried coral stone set in lime mortar.
It is possible the lime was locally produced through the firing of coral stone and/or seashells which are abundant on the coast.
After three years of managing the island, we are happy to announce that SSC is further investing in the future of Fanjove Island. An exciting upgrade and redesign are planned for the remainder of 2021 and will be relaunched in the beginning of 2022.
